The Rally Monkey, the “Steal Third” kid’s run, and light-up beer glasses. To Southern Californians, these items are the signatures of the Big A, Angels Stadium of Anaheim. Certainly there are countless other hallmarks of the stadium, but they all share one thing: Tradition. Some newer than others, but all are considered calling cards of the Angels’ home turf. Some, like the Rally Monkey are here to stay, but other budding traditions are on more tenuous ground.

Namely, the 7th inning singing of The Foundations song “Build Me Up Buttercup”.

It may come as a surprise to some, but apparently there those who don’t enjoy late-60's soul-pop with their seventh inning stretch. If last year’s team performance was any indication, the soundtrack between innings is the least of management’s concerns. However, it has been said a team thrives off of the energy from the fans. So in the interest of increasing fan enjoyment, let’s consider other songs in place of Buttercup.

A main complaint in the anti-Buttercup camp is that the song has nothing to do with baseball (lookin at you, Boston. “Sweet Caroline”? ...Yeah). Our task then, is to find a song with a link to baseball. The party classic “Tequila” by The Champs was prominently featured in the baseball cinema classic “The Sandlot”, but since no alcohol is served after the 7th, maybe it’s better we don’t stick the notion in people’s heads to have a shot before getting on the road. If we wish to go with an older classic, Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” was used in the Charlie Sheen feature “Major League”, and could bring a certain level of class to the ballpark. Unfortunately, unless there’s a new earl grey tea vendor in the venue this season, orchestra arrangements might not be so a great for a ballgame.

If the baseball link can’t be addressed, then maybe we can solve other Buttercup-related concerns. A secondary issue brought to the table is that Buttercup is a sad song. Upon examination of the lyrics, there is a very sad state of affairs afoot in the track. A young man sings of a woman he loves, but she won’t be tied down to him and he refuses let go of his feelings. Indeed, the smooth, soulful pop sound belies a generally crappy mood. A more up tempo, happier song may be the ticket here. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” is the obvious (if a bit clichéd) choice. The hit anthem is definitely a pick-me-up, but anyone who has visited a karaoke bar will tell you: About 1 out of 13 people can truly sing it well. In a stadium with a capacity of over 50,000 people, there are more than 46,153 ways that situation can go badly. Moving forward, The Beach Boys “California Girls” would be a nice nod to the home state, but it’s only a matter of time before the porcine drunks in attendance find a sort of humor in strutting body parts that nobody wants to see. Think of a slow motion horror show, similar to watching replays of Kendrys Morales breaking his leg hopping on home plate.

Traditions don’t come into their own overnight. Sure, at first people would turn their heads and say “Why are they playing Build Me Up Buttercup every game?” but now it has become expected. Whether it grows to be a part of ballpark lore, or becomes part of a story that starts with “Hey, do you remember how stupid that song was?” is ultimately up to chance. Perhaps there is just enough twisted charm in the song to make it an Anaheim crown jewel, just like Del Taco after the game, or seeing “Monster Jam” truck shows in the off-season.

As long as fans don’t traditionalize the Macarena or the Cha-Cha Slide, we should be okay.

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The January 22nd, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Trout accepts RoY award, the 2002 Angels bullpen one of the best ever and much more...

The Story: Mike Trout formally accepts his AL Rookie of the Year award.

The Monkey Says: Public speaking is not one of his five tools.  I'm a bit disappointed in him for not taking a jab at the BBWAA for screwing him over in the MVP voting, but I guess he had to go and be all classy and junk.

The Story: The 2002 Angels bullpen ranks as the 7th best ever according to Buster Olney.

The Monkey Says: And just imagine how much better it could have been had K-Rod been on the team for the whole season.

Watching Howie Kendrick hit has always been a joy for me.  The way he sprays line drives all over the field is simply fun to watch.  When a hitter is consistently able to square the ball up no matter the location, they are pretty special.  Kendrick falls into this category when he is going well, as he is extremely tough to get out and seems to hit everything.  Angel fans have become accustomed to seeing Kendrick rifle line drives off the right center field wall.  Because of this, the Angel faithful have always had a special place in their hearts for Howie.  Most Angel followers have always revered Mr. Kendrick, yet Howie has left them wanting more.  Imagine a parent who loves their kid, but is just waiting for them to reach their potential.  Due to a widely perceived off year in 2012, some of that support has dwindled.  Upon further review of his numbers, Howie was not as bad as many thought he was last year.  Actually, if he can fix two things, he stands a good chance to start living up to the great expectations that have always followed him.  But first, let’s go back to the beginning.       

When Howie Kendrick made his debut on April 26, 2006, the excitement was palpable.  He was being called upon to kick start a struggling offense and the reports of his minor league prowess with the bat were glowing.  Kendrick was promoted despite the fact that incumbent second baseman Adam Kennedy was hitting .338 at the time.  That mattered very little, as manager Mike Scioscia was in need of some more production from his lineup.  The offense seemed to need Kendrick’s bat and it did not matter what position he played.  With Casey Kotchman struggling, Kendrick was one of several players given a shot at first base that year.  As a matter of fact, during that first season, Kendrick started more games at first base (42) than he did at second base (25).  There was much excitement about his offensive abilities, from the coaching staff, fellow players and fans alike.  The most commonly bandied about description Angel fans heard was “future batting champ”.  Those three words have followed Kendrick throughout his first 7 big league seasons and probably will continue to until he wins a batting title.  Fair or not, a lot has always been expected of the second baseman. 

Every winter from 2007-2011 Angel fans would wonder if the coming season would be the one that Kendrick would lead the league in hitting.  This winter, due to the obvious fact that Mike Trout will lead the universe in hitting for the next 20 years, (just kidding, only the next 15 years) there has been little discussion of a batting title for Kendrick.  Combine the Trout factor with the double play, rally killing machine that was Howie Kendrick last year and you can understand why those expectations might have fallen for Howie.  To those who watched a large portion of Angel games last year it seemed like EVERY time Howie was up with a runner on first, a double play followed.  Well of course that was not true; the actually number was only 23% of the time.  Yes, you saw that right.  With a runner on first and less than two outs, Kendrick hit into a double play almost a quarter of the time.  The double plays definitely hurt, as they always seemed to come in big spots.  But recording such a large number of GIDP does not make a season a failure, just ask Miguel Cabrera.  Most of Kendrick’s other numbers were right in line with his career averages, so why did last year seem so rough?  When you look closely at those numbers there are four stats that stick out, and they all coincide with each other and all stem from 2011.

The MWAH prospect countdown marches on with an unexpected gem from the late rounds of the 2012 draft.

Wade Hinkle
Position: 1B  Highest Level: Rookie
Bats: Left Throws: Left  Height: 6'0" Weight: 225 lbs.
Age: 23  Born: 9/5/89

2012 Season Stats
Rookie: 325 PA, .338 AVG, .443 OBP, .586 SLG, 21 2B, 0 3B, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 52 SO, 1 SB, 1 CS, .368 BABIP
 

Contact – B.  For a power hitter, Hinkle actually makes an exceptional amount of contact.  He hit for average while playing at Kansas State and that trend continued in the very hitter friendly Pioneer League.  He shouldn’t have any problem hitting for average, especially if he ends up skipping Burlington and going straight to the Cal League.

Power – B.  Hinkle didn’t hit for a ton of power until his senior year at Kansas State.  But seeing his swing and build, Hinkle’s power really is authentic.  So his 20+ doubles and 15 homeruns in 70 games in the Pioneer League were not entirely surprising.  This power should remain consistent through the higher levels of the minors.      

Discipline – B.  Hinkle perfectly fits what Dipoto was searching for in this last draft.  They’ve left behind the raw but toolsy high schoolers in favor of more refined college players. Hinkle is exceptional at controlling the strike zone.  I’m not convinced his OBP will remain so high as he progresses, because he was clearly over-prepared for Rookie Ball, but until he proves incapable of drawing a walk, I’ll assume he can and will.

Speed – D.  Usually, this category wouldn’t bother me because Hinkle is a first baseman and those guys in general aren’t fast.  But if Hinkle wants to carve out a role with the Angels in the future, chances are he’ll need to learn to play the outfield.  Under no circumstance can I envision Hinkle being a good defensive outfielder.

Arm – B-.  Hinkle’s arm is well above average, and he’s left-handed which helps his case for a potential move to the outfield.

Performance – B.  I consider this year a success for Hinkle.  For starters, he posted very good numbers at Kansas State, second, he was drafted and signed, and finally, he posted very good power numbers in Rookie Ball and drew walks.  In a system full of free swingers, seeing hitters like Hinkle come in is a breath of fresh air.     

Projection – C-.  Hinkle’s 23 years old, so physically he’s done maturing, so to an extent, what we see is what we are getting, which isn’t necessarily bad in this case.  He’s not a prospect that’s going to excite a ton of people, but if he lives up to his billing as a power hitter that makes good contact and gets on base, I see no reason why he couldn’t grace a major league roster as a corner outfielder, first baseman, DH or even a power bat off the bench.  Mike Trout, he is not, but he could definitely be a Daric Barton or Russell Branyon type of role player.

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

The January 21st, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Hanson and Vargas avoid arbitration, Pujols honors the late Stan Musial and much more...

The Story: Jason Vargas and Tommy Hanson both avoided arbitration with one-year deals of $8.5 million and $3.75 million respectively.

The Monkey Says: That means Kevin Jepsen is still outstanding and that's it.  He wants $1.4 million while the Angels are offering $975,000.  They will almost certainly settle close to the midpoint before a hearing.  As for Vargas, he got about $1 million more than most estimated, which might mean the Angels are trying to earn some goodwill with him since he is a free agent after this season.  Hanson though came in about half a million below estimates, which probably means very little.

The Story: Albert Pujols in remembering Stan Musial who passed this weekend, saying he wanted his kids to grow up to be like Musial, the person.

The Monkey Says: Albert has always had an immense amount of respect for Musial, which is why he has never liked the "El Hombre" nickname.  Stan the Man was truly a legend and will certainly be missed in the baseball community.

The MWAH prospect countdown marches on with another member of the 2012 draft class and another pitcher the organization hasn't decided on a role for just yet.

Mark Sappington
Position: Pitcher  Highest Level: Rookie
Throws: Right  Height: 6'5" Weight: 209 lbs.
Age: 22  Born: 11/17/90

2012 Season Stats
Rookie: 36.2 IP, 1-1, 5.15 ERA, 31 H, 16 BB, 3 HR, 34 SO, 2.48 GO/AO, 3.96 FIP, .277 BABIP

Fastball – B+.  Sappington throws a hard, heavy fastball that sits between 92-97.  From what I’ve been told, as a starter, he settles in around 93 mph and as a reliever can easily dial up into the mid to high 90’s.  His big body and lanky limbs make this heat rather effortless and he’s grown just in the past couple of years, which suggests that this velocity he possesses is here to stay and he may even throw harder in the future.     

Off-speed Pitches – B-.  Sappington possesses a very good slider that has been described as a quality “out-pitch”.  His ability to remain in the rotation will be largely dependent upon his ability to develop a change-up, which I’ve been told he’s shown a knack for already, but it’s still early in his development as a pitcher.

Control – B.  Part of what attracted scouts to Sappington in the first place was his uncanny ability to throw strikes.  Normally, pitchers with Sappington’s build have a lot of moving parts which cases them to miss the zone more often than preferred.  But not Sappington, he can pound the strike zone and with his quality stuff, this could result in him reaching his highest potential as a major league quality starter.           

Command – D+.  This is where Sappington struggled a bit in his stint in Orem.  He missed his spots, and when hitters make contact in the Pioneer League, the ball flies considerably further than most environments.  But this is most certainly a skill that will improve over time.  

Mechanics – B-.  For such a big guy, Sappington came out of college with rather sound mechanics.  Unlike many lanky pitchers, he doesn’t rely solely on torque in order to generate velocity.  Rather, Sappington uses his strong legs and large frame to take the pressure off his shoulder and elbow, which do not appear too susceptible to injury, given the standard high three-quarter delivery he uses.   

Performance – C-.  I wouldn’t put too much stock in Sappington’s numbers in Orem.  Very few pitchers succeed in this environment, and the fact that Sappington posted a very good ground ball rate, high K’s and limited the walks are all great signs.  We won’t get a good read on his performance until Burlington (A Ball) next season.

Projection – B.  An “A” grade is still reserved for aces and all star position players. Sappington projects into the middle of a major league rotation if it all works out right (which there are a lot of signs that it will for Mark).  But again, much of this depends on his ability to develop a good change-up.  If he can’t stick in the rotation, many scouts are excited at the possibility of Sappington in the bullpen, where his ground ball tendencies, hard and heavy fastball and “plus” slider would make him a valuable commodity.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date – As a starter: 2016.  As a reliever: 2015.

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

The January 18th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Aybar to play in the World Baseball Classic but Albert Pujols will not, Wells considered likely to be traded and much more...

The Story: Erick Aybar will play for the Domincan Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but Albert Pujols is not on the provisional roster.

The Monkey Says: Aybar is the only Angel in the WBC right now, though non-roster Invitee Fernando Cabrera will be playing for Puerto Rico, but that hardly counts. This is a nice honor for Aybar, but it looks like he is probably going to be more of a bench player. 

The Story: Jim Bowden speculates that Vernon Wells is one of the five outfielders most likely to be traded.

The Monkey Says: I think there is a good chance too, but I must also mention that Jim Bowden is a dolt who doesn't really know anything.  If there was one reservation I have about predicting a Wells trade, it is that the Angels haven't even brought in a veteran outfielder on a minor league deal to compete for a reserve outfield job, which suggests to me that the Angels may not be planning on moving Wells (or just plain realize that he is untradeable).