And now we finally get to the projection you have all been waiting for. And now a player that needs no introduction...

2012 Stats: 639 PA, .326 AVG, .399 OBP, .564 SLG, 129 R, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, 5 CS, 139 K, .409 wOBA, 170 OPS+, 10.0 fWAR

2013 ZiPS Projections: 695 PA, .282 AVG, .364 OBP, .507 SLG, 122 R, 29 HR, 83 RBI, 47 SB, 8 CS, 149 K, .371 wOBA, 142 OPS+, 7.4 fWAR

2013 Bill James Projections: 679 PA, .325 AVG, .402 OBP, .564 SLG, 122 R, 30 HR, 87 RBI, 53 SB, 9 CS, 135 K, .410 wOBA

2013 CAIRO Projections: 654 PA, .300 AVG, .383 OBP, .498 SLG, 104 R, 25 HR, 77 RBI, 46 SB, 10 CS, 134 K, .385 wOBA

2013 MWAH Projections*: 720 PA, .319 AVG, .393 OBP, .541 SLG, 138 R, 27 HR, 92 RBI, 60 SB, 8 CS, 125 K, .408 wOBA

*The MWAH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research (my wOBA calculation is approximate)

Preseason is a time for bold predictions. Before opening day, every team is tied for first place, thus springing forth eternal hope for the fans of all teams that this year could be their "year".

1. By the end of 2013, Hank Conger and Chris Iannetta will be in a fairly equal timeshare at catcher.

Chris Iannetta’s the man. He’s earned this title, he’s played like it and no one is disputing this. However, I believe that Iannetta will inevitably need some time on the DL given his recent past and the physical demands of playing catcher for the Angels. This will open the door for Conger to earn some playing time. I believe his defense, or more specifically his throwing will progress far enough that Scioscia won’t be afraid to deploy him in Iannetta’s absence. Conger’s ability to hit from both sides of the plate for average, some power and show good plate discipline will make him an attractive and dangerous option for the Angels. This isn’t to say that Chris Iannetta is going to be bad, quite the contrary, I think he’ll be even better in 2013 than he was in 2012. But a productive Iannetta/Conger timeshare is inherently a better option than any lineup featuring Bobby Wilson or Jeff Mathis on a regular basis as we’ve seen in the past.

2. Josh Hamilton will hit UNDER 30 HR for the Angels in 2013.

This isn’t a “dig” on Josh Hamilton. He’s a great hitter and will continue to be for quite some time. He may have hit 43 HR for Texas last year, but when we look at his career thus far, that appears to be an outlier. In previous season where he had played in 120 games or more, he hit 25, 32 and 32 HR’s. His .359 batting average from 2010 also appears to be an outlier. His strikeouts have since skyrocketed (though to be fair his walks have progressively increased as well). So playing for Texas, the norm was more like a .300 batting average with around 30 HR’s. But Hamilton is no longer playing in Texas. The tall wall in RF and the marine layer in Anaheim knock down their fair share of potential HR’s. Hamilton should still be a productive hitter, to the tune of a .290 batting average with 40 doubles and 25+ HR’s, but gone are the MVP caliber days.

The March 27th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including the Wells trade becomes official, Vernon wants to 'Napoli' the Angels and much more...

The Story: The Yankees and Angels officially finalized the Vernon Wells trade with the Angels receiving prospects Kramer Sneed and Exicardo Cayones in addition to nearly $14 million in cash over two years.

The Monkey Says: I guess you could say that it took a lot of Cayones to trade for Wells. Thank you! I'll be here all week. But seriously folks, while Sneed and Cayones both have amazing names, neither are really prospects worth worrying about. The big win here for the Halos is all that sweet, sweet cash. Thanks, Yankees!

The Story: Why the Yankees might have actually been smart to pay that much cash for Wells.

The Monkey Says: I don't fully understand it even re-reading that piece, but apparently it helps out the Yanks and Angels when it comes to luxury tax implications for the Angels to pay $9 million to Wells in 2013 and $20 million in 2014.

In the latest episode of Podcast with a Halo, we deliver the definitive eulogy for Vernon Wells' career, debate Nick Maronde's transition to relief, fret over the big league pitching staff and fear another miserable April. Other than that, this episode is a real upper!

Direct download the episode here or subscribe to the podcast here.  And help us out by leaving a rating or comment over at iTunes.

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Here are some numbers for you to consider without much context: 3.46, 4.71, 7.11, 8.25, 10.13

Those numbers, as some of you might've guessed, are the spring ERAs of the projected starting rotation for the Angels. With the exception of the first number, those ERAs are pretty ugly. Unfortunately, that one non-ugly ERA belongs to Joe Blanton, the least well-thought of member of the staff. Fortunately, these are still spring training numbers and spring training numbers don't matter...

...except for when they do matter and they might matter now. Maybe.

The March 26th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson feeling good after another bullpen session, Trout vs. Harper and much more...

The Story: Ryan Madson is feeling good after another bullpen session on Monday.

The Monkey Says: Nice to hear, but he still isn't throwing 100% or throwing his changeup. In other words, he still has a long way to go

The Story: ESPN felt the need to run three articles pitting Mike Trout versus Bryce Harper, with the first coming from Jim Bowden.

The Monkey Says: The Bowden piece is as stupid as you'd expect. But I just don't get why we need to declare a winner in the present, past or future with these two. Why can't we all just enjoy them both being great, potentially generational talents without trying to constantly force this stupid narrative that they are somehow rivals?

Signed to beef up the Angels' beleaguered bullpen, Ryan Madson first must prove that he can get himself healthy enough after Tommy John surgery to play any kind of significant relief role for the Halos.

2012 Stats: DID NOT PLAY

2013 ZiPS Projections: 42.0 IP, 3-2, 3.21 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 38 H, 11 BB, 3 HR, 40 SO, 0.6 fWAR

2013 Bill James Projections: 66.0 IP, 4-3, 43 SV, 3.41 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 62 H, 17 BB, 5 HR, 62 SO

2013 CAIRO Projections: 42.1 IP, 3-2, 0 SV, 2.98 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 39 H, 12 BB, 3 HR, 41 SO

2013 MWAH Projections*: 55.0 IP, 3-4, 31 SV, 4.09 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 57 H, 21 BB, 6 HR, 52 SO

*The MWAH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research (my wOBA and FIP calculations are approximate)