Dissecting the Angels infield

Kendry Morales – He’s a beast in the prime of his career.  I do believe we will see a slight sophomore slump from Kendry though.  This happens quite often after breakout seasons.  On top of which, pitchers really began taking advantage of Morales lack of pitch recognition last September as his K total went up significantly from August.  Take away Kendry’s July and August states and he’s a .280 hitter, so the signs are there for a drop.  I still expect him to be our most dangerous hitter though.

150 Games Played (all at 1B) .285 BA 40 DB 28 HR  .350 OBP

Howie Kendrick – Last year was a tremendous season of growth for Kendrick.  I see no more weak points in his game and truly believe he’s ready to reach his full potential now.  Standing in his way is Maicer Izturis and platoon-master Scioscia.  I am still expecting HUGE things from Howie in 2010.

130 Games Played (all at 2B) .335 BA 30 DB 15 HR 15 SB .370 OBP

Erick Aybar – Aybar may struggle a bit this season transitioning into a leadoff hitter.  Last season he saw more pitches as no one wanted to see Figgy behind him and he was the lesser of two evils.  Aybar proved to be everything a switch hitter should be and this year, I think he will finally become a complete player, adding SB to his game.

140 Games Played (all at SS) .290 BA 25 DB 5 HR 35 SB .350 OBP

Brandon Wood – He’s going to struggle, but in the end, I think we will finally see a glimmer of what Brandon Wood can and will be.  Keep in mind, all Aybar needed was 2 or 3 years of patience, Wood deserves the same.  Until his development is complete, we could see a heavy dose of growing pains.

120 Games Played (105 at 3B, 10 at 1B, 5 at SS) .250 BA 23 DB 23 HR 8 SB .330 OBP

Maicer Izturis – His role on this team is vastly under appreciated, and every team outside of Boston and New York should be so lucky as to have someone like Izzy ready to play at any time.  His role is solid and his production consistent.  I expect Izzy to leadoff quite a bit this year.  He’s made a believer of this doubter. 

110 Games Played (55 at 3B, 15 at SS,  30 at 2B, 10 at DH) .290 BA 20 DB 8 HR 20 SB .365 OBP

Mike Napoli – Ah, the enigma that is Mike Napoli.  .290 BA .382 OBP pre all-star break, .249 BA .309 OBP post all-star break.  It’s clear he has the tools to completely explode and be Adam Dunn at the plate with less K’s and a higher BA.  He just needs the playing time and fine tune his approach.  I think both Napoli and Mathis will improve this year and next year Napoli will take over at DH while Conger and Mathis split the catching duties.

90 Games Played (All at catcher) .280 BA 20 DB 18 HR .360 OBP

Jeff Mathis – Our post season hero is entering his physical prime, unfortunately he still hasn’t lived up to the hype yet.  His athleticism is unparalleled among catchers not named Mauer.  His splits suggest that he finally pieced it all together after the all-star break last year, all he needed was the playing time.  His swing is beautiful, we just wish his bat would touch the ball more.  Alas, it appears Jeff Mathis is ready to blossom.

70 Games Played (catcher) .250 BA 17 DB 8 HR .330 OBP