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Mike Trout is still the AL MVP. This is cool, and with a bit of luck I expect that it will last quite a while longer. Maybe 12 months. Maybe more. Announcements lie we had Thursday are more huge than you know. I was tracking traffic to HH that day, and we were well over 20,000 page views before we hit midnight. To show you how big that is, only about 700 of those were to read the Daily Links.
I don't expect a large crowd this week so just go ahead and grab one of the good chairs near the fire. Pick up a bottle on your way. We'll chat as we wait for the coming holiday weekend. Enjoy some pre-gravy Links:
A Little Bit of Angels News
Trout Porn. Maybe your grandfather saw a few of those remaining 1.8%. But how many can he name?..........
After winning the AL MVP, Mike Trout followed things up on Friday night by winning the eSurance MLB Best Major Leaguer Award. That kind of means that he is more MVP than the other MVP..........
And to think, in the 2009 draft we got to pick Trout because the Brewers couldn't. Our pick was originally given to the Brewers, and the Brewers knew all about Mike Trout. Only because Mark Teixeira was rated higher than C.C. Sabathia did the pick get moved over to the Angels.............
The Angels did some jockeying for their Rule 5 Draft protection. In case you missed it late Friday..........Looking at the names beyond the Angels, here is a more comprehensive listing. If you don't see your favorite prospect on this list, add some more sugar to your Cheerios, because today is your lucky day.........Some of the most important names, of course, were added to the protected lists...........
Bud Black thinks that Miek Scioscia is becoming quite the revolutionary...........
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Everywhere In Baseball
This is what we need to see more of. LaTroy Hawkins in getting into coaching..........
You have seen baseball highlight reels before. But you haven't seen one as filmed through the mask of the plate umpire. Leave it to Japanese Baseball to show us the way. What I really wanted to see what getting jawed at by a pissed off manager.........
Just days after Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle version 2.0, gets his second MVP Award, the 1952 rookie card for Mickey Mantle version 1.0 sold for $1 million, joining an exclusive fraternity..........
The Twins released Trevor Plouffe. The Angels seem to be an obvious option for him. I am not altogether sure why adding Plouffe to a staff that already has a Yunel Escobar grants Billy Eppler any meaningful advantage. As Jeff Fletcher points out (and we have to assume he gets to talk to LAA coaches far more than any of us), it's not like Escobar is going to be playing 2B. Ever...........
Recap the BBWAA award voting. Things are still imperfect, but the overall trend is in the right direction. For a year, anyway..........
Take a peak into some winter reading, The Hardball Times 2017 Baseball Annual. Too big to fit into your stocking, you want to ask for the eReader version............
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Trade Winds
The Houston Astros are considering extending the nightmares of Mike Scioscia. They are sniffing around Free Agent Mike Napoli..........
It's possible that the Chicago White Sox may be holding an open house soon. That would be very interesting, were it a reality that we had lots of talent with which to entice them. But we don't. All we can do is hope that a few of our primary competitors go chasing after Melke Cabrera and Todd Frazier and burn their stocked farm systems. Yeah, as if........
The Cardinals sure paid a lot of attention to the playoffs. They just signed Brett Cecil - the not terribly impressive Brett Cecil - for $30.5 million. It's the Cards way of overpaying so that they can extend their bullpen closer to the 4th inning, just like the bog boys do...........
All this talk about how the Yankees are now stocked up and ready to make a run at some major talent boosts. Did I miss the part where we had a huge influx of great options in this year's FA market? Or how so many of the beasts in the MLB youth movement are being made available by willing GM's to anyone who inquires politely?...........
Jerry Dipoto is thinking about bringing Andrew McCutcheon to the AL West..........
The Duffle Bag
Clayton Kershaw is upset with astronomers. And it all has to do with Pluto. It's a family thing..........Rest In Peace, Joe Resnick..........The MSM is dying, people. Normally, this would be encouraging. But now we have this whole Fake News phenomenon at play..........Everybody appears to be happy enough with the status quo that little beyond minor changes to the CBA are in the offing. In other words, each may want big changes, but not at the risk of upsetting everything............Keep this in mind: baseball tech is still new, and not without their foibles..........