INFIELD
1B – Kendry Morales – I’ve been watching this guy since his debut in single A after his defection from Cuba. I’ve not seen too many players, especially Angels, with the raw power to the bat that Kendry has . Taking over the first base duties after the departure of rent-a-player Mark Texiera, Morales had a breakout year in his first tenure as the full time first baseman. At around 1/20th of Texiera’s salary, Morales hit 34 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 43 doubles with a batting average of .306 (Tex had 39 HR, 122 RBIs, 43 doubles, and a .292 average).
Dad: Look for a slight let off with 31 HR's but still a dominant player on the team.
My take: I like the idea of 31 HR's but there's to be a dip in production.
2B – Howie Kendrick – Howie had a major crisis of confidence last year which led to Scioscia’s dream boy being sent to minor league Salt Lake City to sort it out. Once he came back, look out. Howie caught fire, ending the season with a .291 average, 10 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 21 doubles.
Dad: He’s a career .300 batter so look for him to do much better in 2010 with a .305 average and 15 home runs.
My take: Barring injury, Kendrick will have an average.300 or better with 16 home runs.
SS - Erick Aybar – Meet our new leadoff hitter. At least that’s what I’m predicting. After the departure of the speedy Chone Figgins, Mike Scioscia needed some speed to replace him. Once a free swinger, Aybar started to learn patience at the plate last year which will put the speedy shortstop at the top of the order.
Dad: In 2010, look for 40 walks, 30 stolen bases, and for him to stay north of a .300 average.
My take: 40 walks for Aybar is pretty bold. Other than that, I agree.
3B – Brandon Wood – This year’s wild card, who knows how Wood will adjust to playing full time in the majors? Long the Angels leading prospect, Brandon kills the ball in the minors but has struggled every time he gets up to the show. Now out of options, it’s put up or shut up time for Brandon.
Dad: This is the hardest prediction to make but with Morales showing what can be done by a rookie and Abreu standing by for casual coaching, let’s look for Wood to get at least a .250 average with 15 home runs.
My take: Ditto.
Maicer Izturis – If Wood chokes on his new role, Izturis stands ready to step in. Maicer will probably take on the old Figgins super utility role providing relief at 2B, SS, and third. Batting .300 last year with 68 RBIs, Izturis is that consistent role player you can count on to move the game along in a positive way. I don’t see any reason he won’t continue.
Dad: For 2010, a .296 average with 8 home runs, 15 stolen bases, 20 doubles and 68 RBIs.
My take: Ditto, except he'll have an average over .300.
C – Jeff Mathis – Rotating catching duties with his roommate, Mike Napoli, Mathis has always been just almost there but never quite. It’s a hard role to follow the great Puerto Rican family catching of Benjie and Jose Molina, but Mathis and Napoli are slowly growing into their roles. Mathis seems to be evolving into the better defensive catcher nailing 26% of the runners trying to steal against him and being a superior pitch caller. His offensive stats are a bit anemic with a .211 batting average, 5 home runs, and 28 RBIs but Jeff showed flashes of brilliance during the playoffs last year hitting .583 with 5 doubles in 12 plate appearances. Don’t expect Mathis to hit like that during the season. More like .225 BA, 5 HR, and 25 RBIs. Do expect him to start more games than Napoli as Scioscia values a good defensive catcher over a good offensive one.
Mike Napoli – If it were up to Mike, he wouldn’t even be playing catcher…he’d much rather be the designated hitter and never take the field. For awhile, it looked like he would be the Angels primary catcher but his enthusiasm behind the plate waned a bit but his batting is blistering when he’s on. He’s hit 20 home runs in both the last two years, with a .272 average and 56 RBIs for 2009. Behind the plate, he puts out 22% of the runners trying to steal and committed 8 errors…not bad but Mathis has to be given the edge. In contrast, in 2003…the last year you could say he caught for the Angels full time…Benjie Molina put out 44% of the thieves, gave up only 4 errors while hitting .276 with 10 home runs, 24 doubles (being the league’s slowest runner, a Benjie Molina double was a triple for someone else…the man had power in his bat), and 71 RBIs. Benjie was also a great situational hitter. For Napoli in 2010, expect his numbers other than batting average to be down due to lack of playing time. Look for a .275 average with 14 home runs, 20 doubles, and 50 RBIs.
Next: Outfield.
Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and tracie7779 under CC-SA 2.0 License
No comments:
Post a Comment