The July 11th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including the Angels (mostly) performed well in the All-Star Game, Halos to pursue Greinke via trade, Trumbo's stabilizing walk rate and much more...
The Story: The Angels mostly performed well in the All-Star Game.
The Monkey Says: I say mostly because Trumbo struck out in both of his at-bats. Trout, however, got on base twice and stole a base while Weaver worked a shutout inning. None of that helped prevent the AL from getting throttled by the NL thoug. I was primarily impressed with Trout getting a hit off of R.A. Dickey even though I can't imagine Trout had ever seen a knuckleball before in his life.
The Monkey Says: I don't think this will work and will explain it great length why later today, but the one intriguing bit here is the source who states that Greinke believes the Halos are a "perfect fit" for him. That could mean the Angels have a chance at trading for him and working out an extension before he becomes a free agent at the end of the year or maybe that the Angels could have the inside track on signing him once he does become a free agent even if they don't trade for him.
The Story: Mark Trumbo's improved walk rate has stabilized and should be here to stay.
The Monkey Says: There was some concern when his walk rate dipped down from a very strong April, but it didn't dip very far. That, however, might be a bit misleading as his July rate of 6.4% is inflated by two intentional walks. Take those out and he only walked 4.5%, which is still better than last season, but isn't very good. I say the jury is still out though I remain highly optimistic.
The Story: Mike Trout was the first player to steal a base off of R.A. Dickey this season.
The Monkey Says: That's impressive, but it obviously comes with an asterisk as Dickey may not have been holding Trout on base as tightly as he normally would have what with it being a meaningless exhibition game and all.
The Story: Tim Salmon is a big believer in Mark Trumbo.
The Monkey Says: That is a nice endorsement, but it isn't as if Salmon is one to say anything negative about anyone. I'm just glad that that he didn't hold a grudge out of jealousy that the two youngsters have already made an All-Star team, like he never did.
The Story: Mike Trout: the kid that saved the Angels.
The Monkey Says: That's an overstatement, but it fits in with the nice narrative that the media has been eager to push. Lots of things helped turn the Halos around this year and Trout was definitely a big one of those things, but he isn't the sole reason.
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