Despite Mike Scioscia actively avoiding using him, Rich Thompson had a strong 2011 campaign and finally seemed to secure a permanent place in the major leagues.  Can he now take the next step in 2012 and earn a more prominent role in the Angel bullpen?

2011 Stats: 1-3, 54.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 46 H, 20 BB, 5 HR, 56 K, 0 SV

2012 ZiPS Projections: 2-2, 53.0 IP, 3.74 ERA, 49 H, 19 BB, 6 HR, 51 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 3-2, 48.0 IP, 3.38 ERA, 41 H, 16 BB, 6 HR, 48 K, 0 SV

2012 CAIRO Projections: 2-2, 40.1 IP, 3.20 ERA, 36 H, 14 BB, 4 HR, 38 K, 0 SV

2012 PECOTA Projections: 2-1, 45.0 IP, 3.40 ERA, 40 H, 15 BB, 5 HR, 44 K, 0 SV

2012 MWaH Projections*: 2-1, 48.0 IP, 3.50 ERA, 45 H, 14 BB, 7 HR, 50 K, 0 SV

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

The February 16th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including 19 Angels spring training games will be televised on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket, FOX to nationally televise the Halos eight times, Angels prospect rankings from averaging all available prospect lists and much more...

The Story: Nineteen Angels spring training games will be televised on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket.

The Monkey Says: That's the most ever, I believe.  What I am sure of is that my DVR is going to fill up pretty quickly March.

The Story: The Angels will be televised on the FOX Saturday baseball schedule eight times.

The Monkey Says: That's one less than the maximum allowed, which frees them up to be televised when they face the Rangers in what could be a key divisional match-up during the final month of the season.

The beginning of Angels spring training is literally days away.  That means we all finally get to come out of baseball hibernation, ignore our families, neglect our jobs and commit ourselves whole-heartedly to what is sure to be one of the most memorable Angels baseball seasons in history.

It also means that this is the time of year that I, Garrett Wilson the Editor-in-Chief/Supreme Overlord of MonkeyWithaHalo.com, roll out the next phase in my plan to dominate the Halo blogosphere.  To accomplish this daunting task though, I will need a little help from you, dear reader.  I'm looking for new talented writers to join the MWAH staff.  The only requirements are that you be an actual factual devoted Angel fan and are capable of forming complete sentences.  I set the bar pretty low.  Beyond that, it is up to you.

Want to write satirical/humor pieces about the Angels?  Apply now!

Want to craft hard-hitting, well-researched analytical pieces?  Send me your writing samples!

Want to just give your personal opinion on the Halos in a creative and unique way?  Come work for me!

Want to get your feet wet as an Angels prospect aficionado?  We've got a position for you!  (Seriously, if you live in near one of the Angels' farm teams, I'd love to have regular coverage of them.)

Want to provide game preview and recap coverage?  For the love of God, send me an application and save me from that tedious hell!!!

Want to make a name for yourself by creating funny or interesting Angels-related art/photos/videos?  That would be totally awesome because I suck at that!

If you can do any of the above things or anything not listed as long as it is Angels-centric, I want to hear from you.  Just send your info to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  All I need from you is:

• Your name (obviously).
• This goes without saying, but you need to be an Angels fan.
• Some writing samples (should be related to the Angels or baseball in general).  THIS IS A MUST.  I can't hire you if you don't show me some work first.  If you already have a portfolio, great!  If not, just get to work now and send me something when you are done, not before.  Also, please proofread first.  I know I suck at proofreading, but just do as I say and not as I do, OK?
• A brief description of the kind of content you would like to provide.  (HINT: "I dunno, Angels stuff" is not a valid answer).
• The frequency and schedule on which you can contribute.  Daily, weekly, monthly, whatever, I just need to be able to plan.

As for what I can offer you let's start with a built-in audience of Angels fans.  Trust me, it is a heck of a lot better than trying to build your own from scratch.  In addition to that, your contributions will also be given a chance to have your work featured in the Yardbarker and Bloguin networks and (if you are insanely talented and lucky) on the front page of FoxSports.com.  You will also get a healthy dose of my eternal gratitude, because I can't actually pay you... not right now at least.

So, please, send your application as soon as possible as I would like to start getting everyone set up before the start of the regular season.  Send all info to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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The February 15th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Angels inquired on a trade for A.J. Burnett, spring training and season ticket sales skyrocketing for Angels, pondering what it would take for the Angels to trade Mike Trout and much more...

The Story: The Angels inquired on a trade for A.J. Burnett.

The Monkey Says: The inquiry apparently didn't go far since the Angels are on Burnett's no-trade list (he doesn't want to live on the West Coast because of his wife's fear of flying).  That the Halos even kicked the tires on Burnett sends chills down my spine since he appears to be in rapid decline, but I am starting to get the sense that Jerry Dipoto is a GM who is going to do his due diligence on just about every available player that is even a tiny bit of a fit for the roster.  That is a stark change from the secretive Reagins era, so we'll all have to get used to these kind of rumors and learn to take them all with several grains of salt.

The Story: Season ticket and spring training ticket sales are skyrocketing for the Angels.

The Monkey Says: For some reason I expected the new season ticket sales to be bigger than that, though it isn't like 24,000 season tickets is something to sneeze at.  As for spring training, as I said several weeks ago, you best get your tickets now if you are planning to take a trip to Tempe this March.

After a breakout 2011 season and a big fat contract extension to match, the pressure is on for Howie Kendrick to live up to his once again lofty expectations in 2012.  Is he up to the task or will he leave Angel fans wanting for more?

2011 Stats: 537 AB, .285 AVG, .338 OBP, .464 SLG, 86 R, 18 HR, 63 RBI, 14 SB, 6 CS, 119 K

2012 ZiPS Projections: 552 AB, .275 AVG, .320 OBP, .431 SLG, 77 R, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 15 SB, 6 CS, 105 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 571 AB, .287 AVG, .329 OBP, .441 SLG, 80 R, 14 HR, 74 RBI, 13 SB, 6 CS, 111 K

2012 CAIRO Projections: 509 AB, .279 AVG, .324 OBP, .427 SLG, 71 R, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 12 SB, 5 CS, 99 K

2012 PECOTA Projections: 644 PA, .283 AVG, .323 OBP, .418 SLG, 76 R, 12 HR, 75 RBI, 15 SB, 6 CS, 114 K

2012 MWaH Projections*: 545 AB, .290 AVG, .338 OBP, .454 SLG, 84 R, 16 HR, 79 RBI, 13 SB, 5 CS, 106 K

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

The February 14th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Jerry Dipoto not eager to trade Bobby Abreu, the challenge of Albert Pujols switching leagues, Vernon Wells is in the best shape of his life and much more...

The Story: Dipoto not eager to trade Bobby Abreu.

The Monkey Says: That is the sensible thing to say given the depth Bobby provides right now, but it is also the answer I would give if I were GM and asked about the trade value of a savvy veteran with no trade value.

The Story: The challenge or lack thereof of Pujols switching leagues.

The Monkey Says: The league switch can be a concern for some batters, but it doesn't seem to ever affect the great ones.  Fort example, Vlad Guerrero came to the Angels after spending his career in the NL and then proceeded to win the AL MVP in his very first season.  Pujols is twice the player Vlad ever was (not a knock on Guerrero, mind you), so I doubt he'll have much of an adjustment to make at all.

By now, you are probably as tired of prospect lists as I am (if you aren't, be sure to check out the MWAH Top Prospect list in the menu bar above!).  Almost every single outlet has released their list and we've all poured over them, absorbed them and dissected them.  All those scouting reports and related analyses are terrific, but after reading all of that, I am just overwhelmed by how cold, sterile and impersonal the process feels. 

These are human beings we are talking about, after all, not the industrial resources that these prospect reports tend to break them down into.  To counter this, I like to submit another prospect list every year: the prospects worth rooting for.

Instead of evaluating prospects based on their bat speed, pitch mechanics or outfield range, I want to evaluate them quite simply on how much I want them to succeed on a personal level.  Let's not forget, we could be watching these players on our favorite team someday, so we have a vested interest in them aside from where their skill set ranks on the 20-80 scale.

So, without further adieu, I present my personal top 10 Angel prospects to root for in 2012.

(Just to reiterate, these rankings are NOT based in any way, shape or form on the innate skill level of the player but rather on how much I like them for any random reason, personally.)