When Mike Scioscia was first hired more than a decade ago, he was such an innovator.  During an era of power, Sosh reintroduced the forgotten factors of the game: speed and small ball.  The famous first-to-third took the league by storm, creating an aggressive nature seldom seen at the time.  Outfielders couldn’t take any bloop singles for granted, and even if they didn’t, third base was frequently taken on any single.  When the Angels came into town, every outfielder cringed because they knew for three straight nights, their senses needed to be on high alert.  If the ball fell down on the outfield grass, the runner on first was definitely going to test them. 

Sosh also thoroughly tested the infield with small ball.  Sacrifice bunting multiple times a game to get a runner in scoring position was a method used nightly and opposing managers often had their third basemen come in with a runner on first.  But, it still didn’t matter.  As long as the ball was put on the ground, the runner was could be moved over.

Now as Angel fans we have grown accustomed to these plays because it has become the norm throughout the organization (and throughout the league, especially with former Angel coaches Joe Maddon and Bud Black with their own teams).  Most players brought up through the system learns how to bunt, and not just bunt, but bunt well.  In the Angel organization, aggressive baseball is the only baseball allowed.

But what has happened to these plays? It brought so much success for Sosh in the early and mid-part of the decade, why not now?  It is this very question that sums up Mike Scioscia’s managerial style.  After many years of innovation, Sosh’s managerial style has become redundant.  He no longer thinks outside of the box, relying on pure talent, unorthodox lineups, and fluctuating rotation spots.  We need the creative manager back who brought a whole new element to the game and took the league by storm.  This innovation is lost, which is due to many reasons, but the most notable being his long-term contract.

There isn’t any manager/coach in any sport (with the only exception being Phil Jackson) who deserves a contract over ten years.  Jackson has eleven championships; he deserves a contract that will last him his entire lifetime.  But, Scioscia only has one championship on his resume (as a manager), why did Moreno feel the need to contractually lock him up for a decade?

This has been one of Arte Moreno’s only mistakes as an owner.  Sure, you, me, and Moreno know that there is no other potential manager out there that can do a better job than Sosh, but Sosh doesn’t have to know that.  Why not cut up Scioscia’s contract into three 2-3 year deals, just to put the question of job security in the back of his mind.  Now with a deal that potentially goes until 2018, Sosh is getting way too comfortable inside the dugout.  With guaranteed money for so many years, where’s the motivation?  Where’s the innovation?  Where’s the heart we saw all those years ago?

Now, understand that Mike Scioscia is the best manager in the game.  It’s quite difficult trying to imagine another manager coaching the Angels. (Try it, my brain starts to hurt after 30 seconds). But, a question of baseball psychology must be brought up and thought about.  If Sosh wasn’t so comfortable inside that Angel’s dugout right beside the third-base line, would he be more motivated?

And, ultimately would the Angels have been more successful?

Like MWAH on Facebook

Follow MWAH on Twitter

After a season of back problems and lost velocity, can Jered Weaver bounce back and show that he is still the Cy Young contender the Angels need?

2012 Stats: 188.2 IP, 20-5, 2.81 ERA. 3.75 FIP, 147 H, 45 BB, 20 HR, 142 SO, 0.84 GB/FB, 3.0 fWAR

2013 ZiPS Projections: 203.0 IP, 16-9, 3.01 ERA. 3.35 FIP, 171 H, 49 BB, 20 HR, 176 SO, 4.4 fWAR

2013 Bill James Projections: 220.0 IP, 17-8, 3.07 ERA. 3.44 FIP, 188 H, 52 BB, 23 HR, 187 SO

2013 CAIRO Projections: 202.0 IP, 14-8, 3.24 ERA. 3.57 FIP, 173 H, 50 BB, 21 HR, 157 SO

2013 MWAH Projections*: 220.0 IP, 19-6, 3.23 ERA. 3.69 FIP, 187 H, 55 BB, 23 HR, 178 SO

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

The March 7th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trout's agent asked for $1 million, Weaver trying to recover his old arm angle and much more...

The Story: Ken Rosenthal reports that Mike Trout's agent asked the Angels for $1 million for his 2013 contract.

The Monkey Says: As the article states, that would've been the highest payday ever for a second-year player. Trout probably deserves it, but it takes balls to ask for that much. There is also conflicting reports claiming the Angels offered him more than $510,000 but pulled the offer when Landis refused to accept or, if you believe the side that clearly came from his agent, the Angels never offered more than $510,000.

The Story: Jered Weaver is hoping to recover his old arm angle.

The Monkey Says: He claims he got away from it in recent years because of the tendinitis issues in his arm, so that would suggest he must be over that discomfort if he is reverting back to the 3/4-angle.

It’s well-documented. Mike Trout had one of the greatest individual seasons ever in 2012. Mike Trout is your new favorite Angels player. He is the Phenom of all Phenoms. Naturally, Angels fans young and old want him to stick around, and to be perhaps the first player to enter the hallowed halls of Cooperstown with the Halo’d insignia gracing his plaque.

So when Trout’s agent, the intemperate Craig Landis, came out with a public statement over the weekend implying that the Phenom of all Phenoms was unhappy with how his team compensated him financially for one year of brilliance, fans everywhere freaked out. Literally, they lost their minds. And when the fanbase freaked out, the national media followed along. They righteously berated the Angels for mistreating their star outfielder. “He deserves more money, because he’s amazing!” wrote the mindless rabble. While local reporters tended to have a more level-headed perspective on things, fans everywhere continued to feel uneasy.

This piece is intended to shine some optimistic perspective on the whole situation. While it is all speculative, it is good to have a hopeful view of things. It’s spring time, after all. Hope springs eternal in spring time! And all that good stuff. Anyhow, this is just an attempt. Here are a few reasons for Angel fans to rest a little easier.

1) Mike Trout, the player, is not unhappy.

It may just be his PR-friendly training that’s doing the talking, but Trout seems to be relatively content with the whole contract situation. He told MLB.com that he thinks "My time will come. I'm concentrating on one thing, and that's getting to the postseason. My main position is obviously center field, but when you're an outfielder, you should be able to play all three. I think it's going to help me, getting [different] reads off the bat. It's going to be a fun adjustment for me."

"I'm just happy to be in the lineup."

These are not the words of a malcontent. Lost in all the winter offseason madness, magazine covers, photo shoots, Subway commercials, and fat jokes is the fact that Mike Trout has always been a great kid. Fame doesn’t seem to have phased this guy, and there’s little indication that it will in the future. He’s going to give 100% on the field, and every indication is he’ll be just fine in 2013. And no, he isn’t fat or slow. 

2) There is still plenty of time...

...for a long-term relationship with this player. The Angels front office does not seem worried that this snafu will hinder any talks of a long-term contract in the coming years. Fangraphs has conducted their usual excellent analysis, noting that “this is a blip,” and little more. If anything, when one analyzes the Angels payroll situation in the not-so-distant future, things are lining up perfectly for a long, lasting marriage between the Kid Fish and the Halos for the following reasons.

3) After the 2014 season, Vernon Wells comes off the books - finally.

The great Albatross from the North will finally be set free to quietly fly towards quieter shores. Vernon Wells’ bloated contract has gotten it’s share of critics, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Deserved or not, his $21 million/year money comes off the Angels’ payroll in 2014.

Also notable? Mike Trout enters arbitration eligibility for the first time. This means that the Angels will no longer be able to automatically renew his contract for cheap, but must negotiate a deal with his agent or go to an arbitration hearing. It also means he is in for his first real, big payday.

The good news is that the Angels will have excess money lying around by then due to their liberation from the Vernon Wells contract. So, one course of action is, the Angels could offer Mike Trout the money that would’ve gone to Wells, signing him to the big long contract he would merit.

Perhaps they buy out his arbitration years and a couple free agency years with a nice 6-year, $120 million deal. Not his final mega deal by any stretch, but a nice 6-year window of stability and comfort for the fanbase, keeping Mike Trout through the 2020 season, or through until he is 29 years old. Seems like a fair deal; the player gets to test free agency while still in his prime, if he wishes. Meanwhile, the Angels will have a deal that guarantees they get most of Mike Trout’s best physical seasons.

Or, they could play out the arbitration process one year at a time for the next three seasons (2015-2017), before Trout becomes a free agent at age 26. While this course of action might invite the huge possibility that a newly revived Yankees team or the Los Bloated Dodgers of Chavez Ravine may be able to lure him away with their mega millions, it’s good to note another important thing.

4) After this 2017 season, Josh Hamilton’s contract comes off the books

It’s too far in advance to know if Hamilton’s contract will have been worth it for the Angels, but the fact remains: Josh Hamilton’s $32 million salary in 2017 will expire, right as Mike Trout enters free agency at 26 years old.

At this point, if the Angels haven’t yet signed Mike Trout to a an expensive, 10-year type of deal, there must have been valid reasons.

--He regressed to a more solid player, not the generational, transcendant player he seemed to be in his rookie season.

--He sustained a significant injury that may have hampered his value to the team.

--The team did their do-diligence during arbitration, paying Mike Trout well and sustaining a good working relationship with the player.

But if by this point, the Angels still consider Trout to be the face of their franchise, now would be the time for them to lock him up for good. He would still be entering his physical prime, and would have to be paid handsomely, I’d imagine.

Or, however unlikely it may seem, he could’ve flamed out. If so, the Angels will have been thankful they didn’t lock him into a giant contract extension.

Either way, 2017 will be the final year the Angels have full control over Mike Trout.

Will baseball’s first $300 million, 10-year deal be what it takes to sign Mike Trout? Perhaps. But if he truly has blossomed into the next Mickey Mantle at this point, the Angels have no choice but to do it. Yes, outbid the Dodgers and the Yankees. They have to sign their franchise player. The great thing is, they won’t be handcuffed financially. With Josh Hamilton’s contract off the books, they will have the means to do so by then. 

------

Looking into the future, the Angels have apparently lined up all the cards perfectly, allowing for enough payroll flexibility to give them options on what to do with the Phenom of all Phenoms, Michael Nelson Trout. Sure Craig Landis is sad he didn’t get his millions from the Angels for his client this year, but he can’t and won’t be able to make his client jump ship for a long time still.

Once Trout gets his millions, this one year of Landis’ discontent over a few hundred thousand dollars will be a distant memory. Don’t worry, Angel fans. Mike Trout isn’t going anywhere for awhile. And if he does, it will probably be more because he hasn’t become Mickey Mantle incarnate than because he’s pissed off at the team in 2013.

And it’s also good to remember that while all this contract stuff is far off in the future, a lot of what makes baseball great is that it is a game that is all about the moment. One pitch at a time. One game at a time. It’s 2013, and we have Mike Trout, one of the best players on the planet, wearing Halo red. That’s worth rooting for, all contracts aside.

Oh, and that one Pujols guy is pretty cool, too.

Like MWAH on Facebook

Follow MWAH on Twitter

The MWAH prospect countdown marches on with the biggest bat (and trade chip?) in the entire Angel farm system.

C.J. Cron
Position: 1B  Highest Level: High-A
Bats:Rightt Throws: Right  Height: 6'4" Weight: 235 lbs.
Age: 23  Born: 1/5/90

2012 Season Stats
High-A: 557 PA, .293 AVG, .327 OBP, .516 SLG, 32 2B, 2 3B, 27 HR, 123 RBI, 72 SO, 3 SB, 4 CS, .295 BABIP

Contact – B+.  Cron has little or no problem catching up with fastballs in the zone and has shown the ability to adjust on breaking pitches better than most prospects.  It’s actually quite a rarity to see a hitter as big as C.J. is and with his kind of power to be able to make as much consistent contact as he does. 

Power – A.  Cron is one of the premier power bats in all of minor league baseball.  In fact, with the exception of Joey Gallo from the Rangers and Yasiel Puig from the Dodgers, there isn’t a prospect in the minor leagues with as much raw power as Cron has.  Given his build, size, ever increasing strength, the way he loads and his swing, I don’t see any reason why Cron can’t mature into a 30+ HR hitter at the major league level soon.

Discipline – C-. I’m tempted to lower this grade to a “D” but then common sense takes over.  Cron was hyped coming out of college as an extremely polished bat and so far, we haven’t see the walks in the minor leagues the way he walked in college. At the same time, Cron has an excellent eye for the strike zone and doesn’t chase nearly as many pitches as most other prospects.  I also realize that whenever Cron makes contact (especially away from home in the hitter friendly Cal League) it usually results in an extra base hit.  So what incentive has there been for C.J. to walk?  I personally find it hard to believe that C.J. would just forget about balls and strikes since college, so I’m assuming we’ll see more BB from him once he reaches an environment that forces him to reach base in this manner, like the Texas League (AA). 

Speed – D.  Yeah, he’s not fast.  He’s slightly below average for a first baseman.  He’s no Bengie Molina, but I doubt he’ll challenge anyone to a foot race anytime soon. 

Arm – I (incomplete).  We can’t fairly grade Cron on this.  He had a “plus” arm in college when he was a catcher until his junior year.  He suffered a torn labrum which ultimately resulted in him shifting over to first base.  He looked to have an average enough arm while fielding the position this past season, though no real “feel” for the ball.  In late August he finally went under the knife and had shoulder surgery.  I’m not entirely sure when we’ll see him throwing full time again, hopefully by the end of 2013, but I am hopeful he’ll have a much improved arm by the time he’s 100%.        

Performance – A.  Cron was an RBI away from breaking the organizational single season record before he opted for surgery.  The year before in Orem, he was on pace to set league records for homeruns and RBI’s until an unfortunate knee injury.  Still, this past season in the Cal League, Cron hit .293 and mashed 32 doubles and 27 homeruns.  And those numbers were actually knocked back down to Earth due to Cron playing his home games in the only pitching friendly park in the Cal League.  At home, Cron his .267 with only 5 HR’s.  Away from San Bernardino, Cron hit .318 with 22 HR.  Had the Angels still played their home games in Rancho, Cron could have made a serious run at breaking Brandon Wood’s records set back in 2005.  And he did it all while rehabbing a knee he had surgery on and with a torn labrum. 

Once he’s fully healthy, Cron may do some serious damage.  Having said that, fans will likely have to wait for that to happen, because in 2013, he appears headed for the pitching friendly Texas League and his home park will perhaps be the worst environment for a hitter in minor league baseball.  Consider this, Mark Trumbo, with all his prodigious power only mustered 15 HR in the Texas League.  So numbers won’t tell the whole story for C.J. Cron in 2013.   

Projection – B+.  Power hitting 1B that can hit for average are a valuable commodity.  Right now, Cron has the look of a .275+ hitter that can smack 30+ HR’s in the major leagues.  He’ll need to prove himself in AA first, and will need to prove he can work a walk, but once he does, he should be a very intriguing player.  One thing to look out for though, he’s blocked at 1B/DH by both Pujols and Trumbo.  So it’s possible that Cron’s future may reside outside of the organization.  But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date – Second half of 2014. 

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

The March 6th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Pujols makes a surprise appearance in the lineup, how Trout provides value on the bases and much more...

The Story: Albert Pujols made a surprise return to the Angels lineup yesterday.

The Monkey Says: This came out of left field, but it can only be a good thing. Albert went 0-for-3 and pretty much just jogged whenever he had to run, but at least he is in the lineup getting some ABs.

The Story: A detailed look at how Mike Trout provides more value on the bases than Miguel Cabrera.

The Monkey Says: Relax, this isn't another rehashing of the MVP debate, but rather a way of framing how exactly a great baserunner provides more value than a poor baserunner. Read it and maybe you just might learn something.

It feels like everyone, including you and me, assumed that Andrew Romine was almost guaranteed the utility job for the 2013 season. Baseball is a game of constant and unforeseen change, and following with the usual script two players in camp that aren't named Andrew Romine are making a strong case to win the utility job themselves. Both Brendan Harris and Bill Hall are both former major leaguers in camp as non-roster invitees, and with their fantastic springs as of today as well as their big league experience they might be putting themselves in line to win the job themselves. The Angels have kept Romine waiting for his chance at the full time utility position, and at age 27 could they really keep him waiting anylonger? Romine is a product of the Angels system and it's quite common for the organization to hold confidence in their players, whether blind (B. Wood) or justified (P. Bourjos). Romine has a very attractive skillset, and with some major league development he can turn into a monster of a utility-player; much like Maicer Izturis pre-2012. 

If Bill Hall and Brendan Harris put up far better springs than Romine would the Angels hesitate in giving the job to either of the other two candidates? The Angels may not have to since it's a strong possibility they will carry two utility players in the season, which gives Romine a far stronger chance of making the club. Although Romine has just recently given up on switch-hitting  in order to "improve his average and lessen his stress". Normally this would take considerable value from a utility player, though Romine's preference to bat lefty still gives him the edge over Bill Hall and Brendan Harris as the Angels still have a very righty heavy lineup. Romine is also somewhat of a defensive wizard; I only say somewhat because while he has shown to be an incredible defender he still has to prove it will transition to the majors over a full season. Brendan Harris is also a valuable defender as he can back up every infield position, though his prowess with the glove is not nearly as defined as Romine. Bill Hall is the least talented defender of the three, though he can player the outfield too. Given the Angels depth in the outfield I'm not sure if having Bill Hall backup the outfield is so much a necessity, though it is a nice plus. 

Despite Andrew Romine putting up a great performance in Spring Training so far both Harris and Hall are a step, or perhaps a leap ahead of him. Both Harris and Hall have put up a 1.000+ OPS so far, while Romine's OPS falls a few hundred points short behind at .722. Both Hall and Romine have posted a .333 OBP while Harris has shown an edge in his ability to get on base. Despite Harris being out of the big leagues since 2010 he's shown that he can still play the game at the big league level, if anything Harris is looking sharper than ever. I don't know what I can say about Bill Hall except that he is smashing the ball this spring. Hall's power has shown to be nothing stronger than "warning track power", though when it's any kind power coming off the bench you'll take what you can get. He won't be coming off the bench to crush homers, but he'll be able to drive the ball and provide excellent value as a potential RBI man off the bench. To me it seems like Bill Hall will win one of the two utility gigs just based off the fact that he can hit for power from the right side coming off the bench.