The August 6th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson released, Kendrick suffers hyperextended knee and much more…
The Story: The Angels released Ryan Madson.
The Monkey Says: Well, so much for that signing. There was obviously no point in bringing Madson onto the roster this season, so they must've worked out a deal with him to just let him go so he could rehab on his own or hook up with a team that was able to offer alternatives. I'm curious how this works with his incentive-laden contract as Madson needed just one day on the active roster to collect another $500,000.
The Story: Howie Kendrick suffered a hyperextended knee and will likely be placed on the DL.
The Monkey Says: That is the extent of the injury for now. He'll have an MRI later today. With the Angels out of contention and carrying just a three-man bench, they almost have no choice but to DL Howie. Presumably the call will go out to Grant Green who will, hopefully, get an extended look at second until Howie returns. The Angels best hope that the injury turns out to be just a hyperextension as a major injury could really hurt Howie's trade value in the off-season.
The Story: The Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera debate over AL MVP and WAR is cropping up again.
The Monkey Says: Trout is slowly pulling away in fWAR and WARP, so it should only get worse if his defensive numbers start shaking themselves out. It should be noted though that Trout is actually behind Cabrera in rWAR. Nonetheless, I think the article is spot on that Trout won't get more than one or two first place votes because of how bad the Angels are. That is actually a reasoning I am OK with. The voting rules have never been that clear about the role a team's record should take, so I think it is valid to penalize Trout for being on a bad team.
The Story: The Angels signed IF Andy Marte and RHP Jason Urquidez from the independent leagues.
The Monkey Says: This adds to their haul of Dontrelle Willis yesterday. This seems like the Angels are desperate to find talent, but I think it is more that the Salt Lake Bees are in first place in their division, so the organization is bolstering their roster to give the locals a better roster for their playoff run. You have to keep the farm teams happy sometimes. Aside from that, Marte is at least an interesting name because he was a top prospect once upon a time before he became the predecessor to Brandon Wood as a massive prospect bust at third base.
The Story: Worry no more about Jered Weaver.
The Monkey Says: No, I'm still going to worry a bit. His velocity came back a some, but it is slowly starting to dip a little bit. my larger concern though is that Jered is over 30 and showing signs that he isn't all that durable anymore. I doubt he will fall off a cliff or anything, but I am not going to assume he is going to keep pitching this well for the next several season or even the next several weeks.
The Story: Reviewing pre-season standings projections.
The Monkey Says: Basically, the Angels have been so disappointing that it almost couldn't be predicted. I don't think you need a whole post to tell you that, but here it is if you want it. Or maybe you just want to see that the White Sox are even more disappointing so that it can make you feel better about the Halos.
The Story: Ranking the best and worst beat reporters in the AL West.
The Monkey Says: For my money, Jeff Fletcher is the best. I don't think people realize how much of his Twitter commentary is soaked in sarcasm, so he does get taken the wrong way sometimes. Mike DiG is fine, but he is really just an information hose and doesn't seem to bring much else to the table. I like Alden too, although I think he could use a touch of cyncism when it comes to what the organization tells him. Overall, it is a pretty good crop… at least until MLB.com puts Lyle Spencer back on the beat.
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