Next up on in our the MWaH/LAAI Top 30 Angels Prospect countdown is, of course, the best prospect baseball and the future of the Angels franchise.  The one, the only... Mike Trout!

Mike Trout
Position: OF  Level: Double-A and Majors
Bats: Right Throws: Right  Height: 6'1" Weight: 200 lbs.
Age: 20 Born: August 7, 1991

2011 Season Stats (Double-A): 353 AB, .326 AVG, .414 OBP, .544 SLG, 18 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 76 SO, 33 SB, 10 CS, .390 BABIP

2011 Season Stats (MLB): 123 AB, .220 AVG, .281 OBP, .390 SLG, 6 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 30 SO, 4 SB, 0 CS, .247 BABIP

2011 Season Stats (AFL): 106 AB, .245 AVG, .279 OBP, .321 SLG, 5 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 33 SO, 3 SB, 1 CS

Bat – A.  An elite bat.  Solid power, contact, line drives.  Struggled on high FB, but improving.

Speed – A.  One of the top 5 fastest players in baseball.  Great range in the OF, fast to 1B.

Arm – B.  It’s not overly strong but it’s strong enough and always accurate.

Performance - A.  Dominating in AA,  struggling in MLB, but still making adjustments.

Projection – A.  His skill set is unique.  Could be better than Matt Kemp.

Comp – Floor: Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ceiling: Matt Kemp/young Carlos Beltran.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: Now

Video: Scouting Report Mike Trout

(*As always, the above scouting report is provided by Scotty Allen of LA Angels Insider)

The Angels bandwagon is filling up fast now that the Halos have shocked the world by signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.  At first, I thought I would rail against this and tell the bandwagoners to shove off, but that would be nothing more than an exercise in futility.  After all, there is a reason Southern California fans have the bad stereotype of jumping on every bandwagon that crosses their path.  Sorry, folks, but you know it is true.

So, instead of screaming into the night about the evils of bandwagoners, I'm going to try and help them out.  I'm not happy about it, but if we diehard lifer Angel fans have to put up with the newcomers, the least we can do is educate them so that they don't look so obvious.  As such, here is a quick reference guide for everyone leaping on the big red bandwagon to take note of.  Please, I beg of you true fans, pass it on:

Why fight it?  You can't stop Los Angelenos from jumping aboard a bandwagon.  The more the merrier!

The December 15th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Angels interested in Darren Oliver, no bid submitted for Darvish, trade ideas for Morales and Trumbo and much more...

The Story: The Angels are showing interest in free agent reliever and former Angel Darren Oliver.

The Monkey Says: Old Man Oliver is a great all-around reliever, but I'm not sure the Angels really need a third soft-tossing lefty out of the pen.  In my opinion, they still need a reliever that can come in and strike someone out when they really need it.

The Story: The posting auction for Yu Darvish is closed but the Angels did not submit a bid.

The Monkey Says: Not a surprise.  Darvish is probably going to pull in at least $40 million for the posting and then maybe even more than that on a six-year contract.  The Halos have loads of money now, but not that much.

Next up on in our the MWaH/LAAI Top 30 Angels Prospect countdown the heir to the top Angels' prospect crown, slick but injury-prone infielder Jean Segura.

Jean Segura
Position: SS/2B  Level: High-A
Bats: Right Throws: Right  Height: 5'11" Weight: 160 lbs.
Age: 21 Born: March 17, 1990

2011 Season Stats (AZL): 30 AB, .367 AVG, .367 OBP, .600 SLG, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SO, 0 SB, 0 CS, .385 BABIP

2011 Season Stats (High-A): 185 AB, .281 AVG, .337 OBP, .422 SLG, 9 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 26 SO, 18 SB, 6 CS, .312 BABIP

2011 Season Stats (AFL): 87 AB, .310 AVG, .344 OBP, .425 SLG, 6 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 14 SO, 5 SB, 3 CS

Bat – A-. Can hit for some power, and solid average.  Not elite like Trout, but still good.

Speed – A.  Above average range at SS and can steal 40+ bases with ease.

Arm – B-. Strong enough, very accurate, decent release.

Performance - B-.  When he’s healthy he’s among the best, but has been on DL most of 2011.

Projection – B+.  Could be an all-star because of offense, looks to be adequate defensively.

Comp – Floor: Maicer Izturis. Ceiling: Jose Reyes.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: Late 2012, early 2013.

Video: Watch Segura’s leaping grab

(*As always, the above scouting report is provided by Scotty Allen of LA Angels Insider)

Welcome to the brave new world of the free-wheeling, big-spending Angels where no deal you can imagine is beyond the scope of reality!

You'd think that after landing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in one morning, the Angels would be more than done with their off-season maneuvers, especially big-ticket acquisitions.  Well, that apparently is the case, not according to the rumor mill anyway because you'll never guess who has been linked to disgruntled All-Star Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez.  Go ahead, guess.

Yep, that's right, the Angels and Arte Moreno's big fat checkbook.

Does this rumor hold water?  Sure, in the sense that Angels have the right trade pieces to match up with Miami and, apparently, enough cash to make it happen.

But also, no, not at all.  The whole reason Ramirez is supposedly unhappy in the first place is that the Marlins want him to shift from shortstop to third base, which is exactly what the Angels would likely do if they were to acquire Hanley.

Normally that would give me enough cause to give up on the whole idea, but that was me thinking about the old Angels.  The pre-Pujols Angels.  The Tony Reagins Angels.  But now we're talking about the Dipoto Angels.  The Angels who can make big splashes, plural.  The Angels who can do the seemingly impossible by prying Albert Pujols away from his beloved Cardinals.

So I say, why not Ramirez too?  It might just be fantasy at this point, but let's take a look at what it would take for the Halos to get the Fish to cough up Hanley Ramirez.  After all, fantay has a way of becoming reality for the team from the Magic Kingdom lately.

The December 14th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Moreno felt compelled to pursue Pujols, Albert's effect on the Angels defense, Wilson talks about his post-season struggles and much more...

The Story: Arte Moreno felt compelled to pursue Albert Pujols because of what it would mean to the fans.

The Monkey Says: Arte finally gets it.  The money is a big risk for him, but he realized the marketing effect landing Pujols would have on a team that was developing a nasty reputation for beind too cheap and, let's be honest, too cowardly and/or stupid to make significant moves.  There is no way he gets Albert without the massive TV contract, but at least he didn't just pocket the money like so many owners would and instead reinvested it in the on-the-field product.

The Story: A look at what Pujols taking over at first base means to the Angels defense.

The Monkey Says: Trumbo graded out well at first last season, but almost every scout insists that he is a poor fielder, so this seems like it should be an upgrade.  I definitely can't see how this could turn into a negative defensively unless Trumbo moves to third and proves to be a disaster like so many suspect.

Up next in the MWaH/LAAI Top 30 Angels Prospect Countdown a dark horse for the big league rotation, the Angels top pitching prospect, Garrett Richards.

Garrett Richards
Position: Starting Pitcher  Level: Double-A and Majors
Bats: Right Throws: Right  Height: 6'3" Weight: 215 lbs.
Age: 23  Born: May 27, 1988

2011 Season Stats (AA): 12-2, 143.0 IP, 3.15 ERA, 123 H, 10 HR, 40 BB, 103 K, 3.68 FIP, .270 BABIP, 1.36 GO/AO

2011 Season Stats (Majors): 0-2, 14.0 IP, 5.79 ERA, 16 H, 4 HR, 7 BB, 9 K, 6.95 FIP, .286 BABIP

Fastball – A. Routinely sits above 95 mph with movement, rarely misses off the plate.

Breaking Ball – A+. Throws both a 12/6 curve and slider for strikes as strikeout pitch.

Change up – B. Rarely uses it, but the pitch shows a lot of promise.

Performance – A. Was close to being a Future’s Game participant, is AA all-star.

Projection – A. Looks like he will be an ace someday, unparalleled stuff.

Comp – Floor: A.J. Burnett.  Ceiling: Josh Beckett.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: 2012 (at least permanently)

Video - Richards’ first career strikeout against future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter

(*As always, the above scouting report is provided by Scotty Allen of LA Angels Insider)