.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Mike Trout and the sophomore slump that wasn't")
.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Why the Pujols contract isn't as bad as you think")
Halo Headlines: Calculating a Mike Trout contract extension, Angels bullpen nightmare continues, Scioscia never lost faith in Pujols during rough start
The August 9th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including calculating a potential Mike Trout extension, the Angels' bullpen nightmare continues, Mike Scioscia never lost faith in Albert Pujols during his rough start and much more...
The Monkey Says: I come down as a hybrid of the first and third option. I wrote all the back in May that the Angels should extend Trout and threw out a nine-year, $60 million deal. The numbers these GMs are throwing out blow that out of the water though, but that is a result of him continuing to play at an elite level for several more months. That is what those GMs mean when they say the Angels already missed their window. Given the state of affairs now, I do think the Halos should just go all in and throw a massive nine-figure, 12-year contract at him just to have that peace of mind that he will be an Angel for a long, long time.
The Story: The Angels bullpen nightmare is getting worse and reinforcements do not appear to be on the way.
The Monkey Says: It certainly sounds like they are preparing to just wait this out and hope Downs and Walden settle things down when they come off the DL. That is actually probably the right thing to do if only because this level of awfulness in unsustainable and things will improve on their own. Making a panic move is never a good idea. That being said, even with Downs at the top of his game, this relief corps gets awfully scary after Frieri and Downs. More depth is needed for a post-season run and it might even just do the team's psyche some good if they brought in a fresh face who hasn't been a party to all the recent meltdowns, assuming there is even anyone of even marginal value that can be acquired right now.
The Story: Mike Scioscia never lost faith in Albert Pujols during his rough start.
The Monkey Says: Of course he didn't. History has proven that Scioscia shows resilient faith in veterans no matter how bad they are struggling. It only wanes when the struggles last multiple seasons. Just look at how long the Halos stuck with Vernon Wells and Scott Kazmir and Fernando Rodney and Gary Matthews and Justin Speier and.. holy hell, I just realized how many miserable veterans Tony Reagins brought in over the years.
The Story: The Angels released Robinson Diaz and Francisco Rodriguez the Other from Triple-A Salt Lake.
The Monkey Says: Diaz was just depth but Wolviriguez was a factor on the big league roster at times over the past few seasons. He got hurt last year and has never been the same, which is not good considering he was a marginal relief prospect to begin with.
The Story: The recent blown games have not shaken the confidence of the Angel players.
The Monkey Says: That is an important statement because I think the fans tend to take these things harder than the players do. If you take a step back and realize that even with all the bullpen meltdowns, the Angels still went 4-6 on a very tough road trip and that is not all that bad. They did put themselves in a position where they are really going to have to work their butt of if they want to win the division, but they still have an excellent chance at securing a Wild Card spot.
The Story: Mike Trout is history in the making.
The Monkey Says: Literally hundreds of articles have been written on this topic, but none have been more comprehensive.
The Story: The cautionary tale of Cesar Cedeno, a phenom not too unlike Mike Trout.
The Monkey Says: I think the real lesson here is that Mike Trout should be extra careful about not killing his girlfriend. Also, the only reasonable turn of events that I can envision keeping Trout from having a Hall of Fame career is injury, which isn't totally out of the question given the way he throws his body around so recklessly.
The Story: Is the AL MVP race really even that close between Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera?
The Monkey Says: I agree that Trout should be the favorite as he does bring much more to the table with his defense and baserunning, but you have to remember we are dealing with the BBWAA here. There might be few achievements more hallowed than winning the Triple Crown, which Miggy is in a good position to accomplish, assuming he can overtake Trout in the batting average department. No matter what Trout does, I can't envision Cabrera not winning MVP if he wins the Triple Crown.
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"...assuming there is even anyone of even marginal value that can be acquired right now." Right, that's the point. Forget anyone of real value clearing waivers and coming to the team. What JeDi seems to do very well is scout out those little known guys who can provide value beyond what even some of the bigger name players can add. This may be such public knowledge by now, though, that anyone associated with the Angels could attract extra scrutiny from opposing teams. We're going to live or die with what the team has right now. Dammit.
With an ERA of 4.43 (WHIP of 1.48) over 53 big league appearances, any factoring Rodriguez gave the Angels must have been carried out about five decimal places. More importantly, though, he gave bloggers a Marvel Comics punchline and had more distinctive facial hair than quality pitches. Thanks, and bye-bye Frankie!
Speaking of the bullpen; how creepy are the words, "Kevin Jepsen, bullpen mainstay"?
