The January 8th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including ZiPS projects the Angels, thoughts on Bourjos' job security and much more…
The Story: The 2013 ZiPS projections are now available for the Angels.
The Monkey Says: The good news is that the rotation shapes up a bit better than most expect. The bad news is that ZiPS does not have a rosy forecast for the likes of Hamilton, Bourjos and Trumbo. Obviously these are just mathematical projections, so don't fret too much, but don't just ignore them either.
The Story: Alden Gonzalez believes another slow start could cause Peter Bourjos to give way to Vernon Wells.
The Monkey Says: I totally agree. That is I agree that Scioscia might do that, not that it is a good idea. Honestly, I'd rather see Kole Calhoun get a shot at bumping Bourjos out of the lineup rather than Wells.
The Story: Projecting Mike Trout's 2013 season.
The Monkey Says: Thus far ZiPS is the most pessimistic but it is also the most advanced system used in the article. A lot of the fluctuation seems to hinge on his BABIP, but I think the .322 BABIP projected by ZiPS is too conservative. The lowest BABIP he posted at any level of the minors was .346 and he even notched a .390 at Double-A Arkansas which was his longest stop in the minors and all the least hitter-friendly environment he played at. Obviously the minors and the majors are much different, but given his speed, he should be able to post a very high BABIP to keep his numbers at superhuman levels.
The Story: Looking ahead at the 2013 season for Josh Hamilton.
The Monkey Says: Personally, I think Hamilton is impossible to project. He just has so much going on physically and mentally that there is no telling what he is going to be able to overcome and what weird thing might sidetrack him.
The Story: Sign this petition to change the voting process for the Hall of Fame.
The Monkey Says: Normally I am against calling for change without a suggested solution, but I think that might actually be the best route in this case as the BBWAA does not seem like the kind of organization that takes kindly to being told how to act or think. Giving them an open-ended petition like this could at least push them to look inward at how they could overhaul their process and maybe do something to at least clarify the guidelines for hot button issues like the Steroid Era players.
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