2011 was far from Torii Hunter's best season, but he did finish in a fashion that gives us hope that his old age hasn't taken too much of a toll on his abilties.  Can 2012 be the year Hunter revives his career or will it be not only his last as an Angel, but last in the majors?

2011 Stats: 580 AB, .262 AVG, .336 OBP, .429 SLG, 80 R, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 5 SB, 7 CS, 125 K

2012 ZiPS Projections: 513 AB, .261 AVG, .329 OBP, .331 SLG, 69 R, 20 HR, 78 RBI, 9 SB, 7 CS, 107 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 584 AB, .264 AVG, .333 OBP, .440 SLG, 80 R, 23 HR, 88 RBI, 8 SB, 5 CS, 124 K

2012 CAIRO Projections: 550 AB, .270 AVG, .344 OBP, .435 SLG, 78 R, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 9 SB, 7 CS, 110 K

2012 PECOTA Projections: 643 PA, .263 AVG, .328 OBP, .429 SLG, 78 R, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 12 SB, 7 CS, 121 K

2012 MWaH Projections*: 535 AB, .272 AVG, .340 OBP, .453 SLG, 88 R, 21 HR, 92 RBI, 6 SB, 6 CS, 118 K

*The MWaH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research

The January 31st, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including MLB executive say whether they would choose the Pujols or Fielder contracts, over/under on Angels wins in 2012, Vernon Wells has been working with top hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and much more...

The Story: League executives give their opinions on the Pujols and Fielder contracts.

The Monkey Says: These comparisons have been done to death, but this is a great way of looking at it since the feedback actually comes from real decision makers.  Clearly most of them prefer Fielder's youth.  But that's all kind of boring compared to guessing who the exec that grumbles about "having lived those deals" really is.  I mean, it has to be Brian Sabean venting about the Zito contract, right?

The Story: Do you take the over or under on 89.5 wins for the Angels this year?

The Monkey Says: How do you not bang the over?  I want to know what sports book he saw 87.5 at, because I would fly to Vegas just to take that bet.  Seriously, this is a team that won 86 games last season then added Pujols, Wilson and Hawkins while losing nobody of consequence.  You're telling me that isn't worth at least four more wins?

The January 30th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Pujols living up to his contract is a top storyline for 2012, MLB looking to add a second Wild Card this season, comparing the deals given to Fielder and Pujols and much more...

The Story: Albert Pujols living up to his contract is a top storyline for the 2012 season.

The Monkey Says: Well, duh.  However, I don't really think this that big of a story to watch this season.  We are talking about a 10-year contract here.  The first few years are the ones people aren't all that worried about.  Get back to me in 2015 and then we can talk about really worrying about The Machine earning his money.

The Story: Bud Selig wants and expects a second Wild Card to be added for the 2012 playoffs.

The Monkey Says: I fail to see why they would do this before the 2013 realignment, when the two leagues and all the divisions will be balanced, making this playoff scheme more fair to everyone.  On the other hand, with the general consensus that the Angels are one of six playoff-caliber teams in the American League, an additional playoff spot is just fine by me.

The Angels have been spending a lot of time talking about their plans on adding a late-inning reliever to compliment Walden, yet so far they've let all the quality relievers on the free agent market slip past them. Now I don't blame them, some of them were just too overpriced (Madson), and some were just plain not worth it (Cordero). What makes this a tricky case is that the Angels don't need a quality reliever as much as they need a quality mentor, someone who can show Walden the ropes of closing out games at a big league level. It's like Dipoto's been saying, he needs a COMPLIMENT, not someone who can mop up after his mistakes or set up Walden to get the save. While that would be nice for now, in the long run the Angels need someone who can work the kinks out of Walden's game and prepare him for closing out important games, let's face it, after this offseason every single game is going to matter much more than any game Walden closed last year. Lucky for us, the perfect mentor is sitting on the free agent market waiting for the Angels to pick him up. 

Jason Isringhausen of the New York Mets, the lovable losers back east.

OR we could dedicate our souls to JoBu. JoBu magic is the best kind of magic.

Another week, another collection of the best tweets (term "best" used loosely) from LA Angels players and personnel.  This week, Torii Hunter teaches us to respect the police, prospect Jon Karcich has a great invention and Hank Conger can't hide his hate for the Kardashians.

Torii Hunter never stops being a role model... I think:

I don't run from the PO PO NO MO. I am a law abiding citizen. Southland put the old me on their show. Lol

— Torii Hunter (@toriihunter48) January 25, 2012

I don't watch Southland, so I have no idea what this is in reference to, but I am pretty sure if Hunter runs from the police like he steals bases, they would definitely catch him.  ZING!

Angels prospect Jon Karcich already has a fallback plan in case this whole baseball thing doesn't work out:

One day I will invent a Lazy Boy toilet and be rich.... And comfortable.

— Jon Karcich (@Jkar6) January 25, 2012

Sorry, Jon, but as with most great ideas, the Simpsons already did it.

The more Hank Conger tweets I read, the more I realize that he is the voice of the people:

I'd rather bite the curb and be forced to watch the Kim kardashian wedding episode than watch @MichaelKohn58 hit his wedge shots. @bw46

— Hank Conger (@HankConger16) January 26, 2012

Wow, Michael Kohn must be really bad at golf because I have seen the Kardashian wedding episode and I can't imagine a worse fate, even without having to bite the curb.

And finally, we check in with Chevy Clarke who actually teaches me a little something this time:

Mom dukes gets more emotional the older I get

— Chevez Chevy Clarke (@OfficialChevy) January 26, 2012

"Mom dukes" is apparently a real slang term.  Why you can't just say "mom" is beyond me, but at least Chevy is using real terms now.  This is progress.

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The January 27th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Morales' recovery gets a boost after an impressive workout, Jorge Cantu a big "what if" for the Angels, how other big ticket Angel additions fared in their first seasons and much more...

The Story: Peter Bourjos witnesses an 'impressive' batting display from Kendrys Morales.

The Monkey Says: This is a major development for several reasons.  First off, up until this report, you probably had a better chance of finding someone who had witnessed a shark fighting an eagle than finding someone who had actually witnessed Kendrys Morales working out.  Most importantly though the report states that Morales was taking swings from both sides of the plate, which is supposedly the first time he has done that since he suffered his injury.  I've been very much in the camp of not believing in the Morales comeback until he actually proves it in a regular season game, but this is reason for hope that even I can't deny.

The Story: Jorge Cantu has big "what if" potential for the Angels.

The Monkey Says: Sorry, but I disagree.  Cantu is not good.  He had two good seasons and that is it.  He has just one season with a fWAR above 1.5 and three that were below zero.  That being said, he should be better than he was in his terrible stint in San Diego last year.  That should give him a shot of winning a bench spot with the Halos, but if he gets more than 150 at-bats for the Angels this season, they are in deep trouble.

Ervin Santana elevated himself into prominence with a no-hitter amid his outstanding season.  For a guy whose career has been plagued by inconsistency, does this mean that he has finally arrived?  Or is he once again setting us up only to let us down.

2011 Stats: 11-12, 228.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 207 H, 72 BB, 26 HR, 178 K

2012 ZiPS Projections: 11-10, 195.2 IP, 4.19 ERA, 194 H, 62 BB, 25 HR, 151 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 11-13, 221.0 IP, 3.95 ERA, 217 H, 71 BB, 28 HR, 175 K

2012 CAIRO Projections: 12-11, 205.1 IP, 3.77 ERA, 204 H, 64 BB, 25 HR, 159 K

2012 PECOTA Projections: 12-13, 194.1 IP, 3.93 ERA, 190 H, 57 BB, 23 HR, 162 K

2012 MWaH Projections*: 15-11, 214.0 IP, 3.75 ERA, 207 H, 71 BB, 26 HR, 165 K

*The MWaH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research