Link Hangout – Spinning the Tires Edition

Brad Hawpe is back (just in case you cared), the Angels try to jolt Josh Hamilton with a lineup switch-up and, is Mike Trout‘s defense worse this year?

Hawpe Back in Majors After Two-Year Absence

Don’t get too emotional over Hawpe’s return to the big leagues. Peter Bourjos is expected back on Monday, meaning that Hawpe will most likely be DFA’d to make room.

Angels try to Spark Josh Hamilton With Lineup Move

And the results, after two games, meh. If Josh were actually hitting before the move, then it would mean more. Scioscia would be creating hell on earth for pitchers. As it stands, Mike Scioscia is grasping at straws, and this move is the result of that.

Angels set a Club Record in Draft

Team’s don’t normally draft players based on “need.” But when your minor league cupboard is more bare than Old Mother Hubbard’s, the rules get thrown out of the window.

This Week in Catcher Framing

Click the link and go see an Angels catcher at the top of a stat leaderboard for defense.

Trout Looking to Reel in All-Star Game Start

Trout is now behind Adam Jones for the top spot amongst AL outfielders, but he is still well ahead of Torii Hunter in third place.

Is Mike Trout’s Defense Worse?

This is probably going to be the question of the season concerning Trout, and it all boils down to the defense that is positioned around him. Trout has not had to make many out of zone plays, which has negatively impacted his defensive metrics. Defensive stats can fluctuate so much with sample size though. So much so that, it’s hard to tell based on what Trout’s numbers are like now, what they will be like at the end of the season.