The November 15th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Trumbo finishes 2nd in AL ROY voting, Angels and C.J. Wilson have mutual "serious" interest, Astros coming to the AL West in 2013, Hal Morris hired as pro scouting director and much more...

The Story: Mark Trumbo finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to Jeremy Hellickson.

The Monkey Says: Trumbo's poor OBP damned his ROY credentials, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he didn't win it all, at least not in this year where the competition is so competitive.  Still, some Angel fans seem to feel like he got robbed.

The Story: The Angels have "serious" interest in C.J. Wilson and it appears to mutual.

The Monkey Says: Multiple stories along these lines were released today but this one highlights what the Angels are thinking in terms of "you can't have too much good pitching."  That is actually a pretty decent strategy by DiPoto.  After all, it seems apparent that there is no obvious offensive help on the market in the Angels' price range, so why not double-down on pitching?  It certainly won't make the Angels worse next year, but long-term it is questionable because signing Wilson would just tie up another large chunk of future payroll that could go to a hitter next off-season.  With all that said, I still believe the Angels can't afford Wilson but are feigning interest in order to drive the price up on the Rangers.  And now Wilson is reciprocating that interest because it is in his best interest to have as many serious suitors as possible.  There is also rumors now that Wilson is the Yankees' top priority, so if they swoop in with a massive offer, he is probably going to wind up in New York.

Up next in our prospect countdown, we take a big leap of faith, delving into the depths of the Domincan Summer League to unearth Jean Carlos Santiago.  Is he really as good as his amazing numbers?

Jean Carlos Santiago
Position: Starting Pitcher  Level: DSL
Bats: Left Throws: Left  Height: 6'0" Weight: 180 lbs.
Age: 20  Born: January 23, 1991

2011 Season Stats: 4-1, 65.0 IP, 1.38 ERA, 37 H, 0 HR, 18 BB, 82 K, 1.37 GO/AO

There is no information available on the arsenal of Jean Carlos Santiago, however his numbers are the best I’ve ever seen coming out of the Dominican Republic, and he’s left handed.  In the past, the Angels generally promoted their prospects a year or two early from the Dominican Republic and they were ill-suited for success in American Baseball.  With Santiago the Angels have chosen to take their time and allow him enough opportunity to mature on and off the field before coming to the U.S.  If Santiago’s arm matches his insane numbers, he should be able to come to the United States and dominate in similar fashion as he did back home. 

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

The Hot Stove League isn't exactly steaming up for the Angels right now, but that doesn't mean we can't take a look at the trickle down effect that some of the other moves and rumors from around the league and how they might impact the Halos.  Throw in a few juicy interviews from the new general manager, Jerry DiPoto, with those rumors and we finally have some legitimate speculation pertaining to the Angels to address:

Why are you smiling?  You haven't done anything yet.

The November 14th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including the Angels are talking to C.J. Wilson, they also might have made an offer to Ryan Doumit, Trumbo suffers a setback in his foot injury recovery and much more...

The Story: The Angels are talking to the agent of C.J. Wilson.

The Monkey Says: I firmly believe Wilson is too expensive for the Halos, but talking to his agent certainly can't hurt, especially since Wilson is from the area and might be willing to offer a discount to return home (though I doubt that as well).  At worst, these talks will make Wilson more expensive for the Rangers to re-sign, so there really is no drawback here.

The Story: Free agent C/OF Ryan Doumit reportedly has at least two offers that he will pick in the next few days and one might be from the Angels.

The Monkey Says: Doumit has good power for a catcher, but isn't much help in the OBP department, but you can't be too choosy at that position.  It will be interesting to see if the Angels really are interested because if they do sign him, it will be sort of the first real display of whether or not DiPoto can convince Scioscia to use a player that he may not be comfortable with, since Doumit isn't much of a defender at catcher.

Up next in our prospect countdown, quite possibly the breakout star of not only the Angel farm system, but maybe all of minor league baseball, pitcher Matt Shoemaker.  From undrafted to Texas League Pitcher of the Year, is his big season for real and, if so, what can Halo fans expect from him?

Matt Shoemaker 
Position: Starting Pitcher  Level: AA
Bats: Right Throws: Right  Height: 6'2" Weight: 225 lbs.
Age: 24  Born: September 27, 1986

2011 Season Stats (AA): 12-5, 156.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 132 H, 17 HR, 35 BB, 129 K, 3.79 FIP, .261 BABIP, 0.80 GO/AO

2011 Season Stats (AAA): 0-2, 21.0 IP, 8.14 ERA, 28 H, 3 HR, 12 BB, 12 K, 5.77 FIP, .347 BABIP, 1.14 GO/AO

Fastball – B-. It’s a straight 91 mph fastball, nothing fancy. It’s effective because he spots it.

Breaking Ball – B. His slider is good in AA, but doesn’t grade a plus pitch in the majors.

Change up – A. He uses a splitter as his change. Great speed differential and diving action.

Performance – A. Angels minor league pitcher of the year.

Projection – 5^th starter or effective swing man.

Comp – Floor: Trevor Bell.  Ceiling: Derek Lowe.

Video - Matt Shoemaker Interview at 31:35.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: Possibly mid-2012, more likely 2013

The November 11th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including DiPoto won't pursue free agent Aramis Ramirez, Angels have strong interest in CJ Wilson, Tory Hernandez fired from front office and much more...

The Story: Jerry DiPoto ruled out signing free agent 3B Aramis Ramirez.

The Monkey Says: You have to take everything with a grain of salt in the off-season, but for DiPoto to so flatly rule out interest in a player seems pretty genuine.  There is no real negotiating advantage I can think of for him to lie about not having interest.  Considering the crazy money Ramirez, who can hit but has a bad attitude and worse glove, is going to make this off-season, I have on problem with the Halos not pursuing him.

The Story: The Angels also definitely have interest in CJ Wilson.

The Monkey Says: Now THAT is some genuine Grada A bull$#!t.  Wilson does fit the pitcher profile DiPoto prefers, but I have an incredibly hard time believing the team has the money to outbid everyone for the best free agent pitcher on the market.  However, it is smart for him to act as if they might make him an offer since it will help jack up Wilson's price, thus potentially costing the Rangers extra money if they end up re-signing him, or, even better, pushing Wilson's price out of Texas' price range.

Up next in our Top 30 Angels Prospect Countdown, reliever Robert Fish, a player who was in high demand before the season and did a fine job of justifying that throughout the course of it.  The fireballing southpaw's stock is definitely on the rise, but can he keep it up?

Robert Fish
Position: Relief Pitcher Level: AA
Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 6'2"  Weight: 230 lbs.
Age: 23  Born: January 19, 1988

2011 Season Stats  : 1-0, 30.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 21 H, 1 HR, 18 BB, 41 K, 2.80 FIP, .303 BABIP, 1.88 GO/AO

Fastball – A+. It’s rare to see LHP dial it up over 95, but Fish does. Incredible heater.

Breaking Ball – B. Seems to interchange curve and slider. Good movement on both.

Change up – C. Rarely ever see him use it, but he reportedly has one.

Performance – B+. Guns flashing 100 on his FB were hot, but can’t fake missing bats.

Projection – Closer or good set up man.

Comp – Floor: Mike Gonzalez.  Ceiling: Billy Wagner – yes he throws that hard.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: 2012/2013