The September 4th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Weaver might miss his next start, Hunter open to singing with the Red Sox, all kinds of concern over Trumbo's prolonged slump and much more…
The Story: Jered Weaver might miss his next start after being stuck in the shoulder by a line drive.
The Monkey Says: Just when things start looking like they are going the Angels' way, something like this happens. With the way this season has gone for them, I'm not the least bit surprised. The good news is that it doesn't sound like a serious injury, but with so little time left in the season and so little margin for error, the Angels can't afford to miss out on a Weaver start. The bright side to it is that with the off day coming up, they can just skip his spot rather than resort to calling on Williams or Richards for a spot start.
The Story: Torii Hunter is open to the idea of playing for the Red Sox next season.
The Monkey Says: For a guy who keeps saying he only wants to be an Angel or retire, he sure seems to go out of his way to let other teams know he would play for them a lot. If Boston is where Torii decides to go, there is no reason to hold it against him as it is clear that he has at least one more year left in him before hanging it up. Frankly, I think he would be a great fit for the Sox both on the field and in the clubhouse.
The Story: Several stories about Mark Trumbo's ongoing and deep slump.
The Monkey Says: Sorry for the unorthodox linking, but it felt like piling on to list out all the "Trumbo sucks now" articles separately. I used to subscribe to the idea that this was related to his rib cage injury, but with it lasting so long, that is hard to continue selling, although that might be the one thing that explains not only his problems making contact, but his complete lack of power as well. He better figure it out soon though for the Angels to make the playoffs and to avoid stories like this next one…
The Story: Vernon Wells is playing better than Mark Trumbo.
The Monkey Says: Yep, that's right. And it is actually correct too. It is worth noting too that Wells' success has come almost exclusively against left-handed pitching, so his performance is inflated by having the platoon advantage. Then again, the fact that Wells is doing anything productive is news unto itself. Personally, I think the Angels need to do something with Trumbo as far as giving him a day or two off to try and get him better physically/mentally/mechanically. The fact that they have a red hot Wells to fallback on for a few days is something they should take full advantage of while they still can.
The Monkey Says: That is a great idea, assuming he is healthy enough to pull it off, as it squeezes an extra start out of him and has him in line to either pitch in a critical game on the final day of the season or make him available to pitch the Wild Card playoff game should the Angels secure that spot prior to the last day of the season.
The Story: Scott Downs returned to the active roster over the weekend.
The Monkey Says: Still no news about what the family issue was or if it is fully resolved. Nor is there any certainty about whether or not he has regained his stellar form from the first half of the season.
The Story: Peter Bourjos has been activated from the disabled list.
The Monkey Says: He'll continue to serve as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner.
The Story: Does Mike Trout need to make the playoffs to win AL ROY and MVP?
The Monkey Says: Well, he is going to win Rookie of the Year even if the Angels never win another game, so that's stupid. MVP though, that also shouldn't really matter, in my opinion. He is having a great season and that should overwhelm any perceived difference from the Angels potentially missing the post-season by a few games. There is only so much one player can do, however, voters have shown in the past that if there is a close call (as there might be with Miguel Cabrera and Trout), then the advantage goes to the guy on the playoff-bound team.
The Story: Team records shouldn't matter for an MVP candidate.
The Monkey Says: See? I just said that!
The Monkey Says: Case in point, he is having a potentially special season. One for the ages. Whether the Angels win 91 games or 87 should not matter when you look at his amazing accomplishments.
The Story: The rise of Trout, Weaver and Trumbo makes the Angels look bad for firing Eddie Bane.
The Monkey Says: First off, Bane should get no credit for Weaver since he only fell to the Angels thanks to signability concerns. Second, the Halos did not really fire him because of his job performance, though he did have a few drafts towards the end that did not produce very well, but rather because he and Reagins were at odds reportedly because Bane was upset that Reagins was promoted to GM over him. Is Reagins at fault for not mending that fence? Absolutely, just don't make it seem like he fired Bane because he thought he was inept.
The Story: A deep analysis of whether or not Mike Scioscia should be fired if the Angels miss the post-season.
The Monkey Says: I wrote a massive post on this the other week, so I won't retread that conversation, but there are some nice points made here as well. I do like the point that over 12 years, every manager is going to have a rough patch. Basically, Scioscia is a victim of his own past success. That doesn't excuse what might prove to be a highly disappointing season, but it is worth considering.
The Story: A look at the rising stock of outfield prospect Randal Grichuk.
The Monkey Says: Grichuk still gets spat upon in some circles because he had the misfortune to be drafted one spot in front of Mike Trout. The reality is that he finally had a full healthy season and finished looking like a big up-and-comer in the Angel system. I've still got some concerns over his plate discipline, but right now he looks like he has a real shot at being a starting outfielder in the majors in a few years.
The Story: Lend your expertise to the annual Fans Scouting Report project.
The Monkey Says: Term "expertise" used very loosely. But seriously, if you are avid and knowledgeable about the Angels, pitch in because this is a project worth supporting.
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