Angel Position Players ranked in the order of their ease in being replaced
1. Shea Hillenbrand - Can't Field, Can't Hit.
2. Tommy Murphy - Switch Hitting Outfielder still needs AAA seasoning - no standout skill, save for getting Vlad off his knees once a week.
3. Robb Quinlan - Average though versatile glove, Can't hit righties, below average bat with a little power, no speed.
4. Chone Figgins - A mirror image of Quinlan - Average Glove in a versatile role, alleged switch-hitter who can't hit lefties, below average bat with no power but still has good to great speed. Atrocious bunter.
5. Garret Anderson - Oh sure, he is a baseball God "when healthy" - won't be healthy before he is AARP-eligible. A singles hitting good Left Fielder who - like anyone put in the 4th or 5th spot - gets a lot of RBIs.
6. Jose Molina - League average catcher with good to great defense, loved by his pitchers, best bunter on the face of the Earth and in the top ten on 4 other planets.
7. Erick Aybar - Good to great glove, good to great speed, switch-hitting singles hitter.
8. Kendry Morales - Good hitter, better fielder than advertised but only at one position, power. Young and streaky.
9. Maicer Izturis - Good to great glove, good speed, switch-hitting singles hitter who sprinkles in doubles to the gap.
10. Howie Kendrick - We are in First place without him, so it is assumed he would (and soon will) be closer to "irreplacable" here. He cannot be too far from positive impact - he is as good or better on D as Kennedy and the bat is sweeter than a stash of halloween candy in November.
11. Reggie Willits - Desperation to stick has manifested as determination. Classic sparkplug role in the lineup.
12. Mike Napoli - Bad defense is compensated by harmonious relations with pitchers, OBP and pop, albeit streaky oomph, in the bat.
13. Orlando Cabrera - Good to great defender, above average hitter, glue in the clubhouse, Vlad's best friend - and please tell the stat-heads that shit like being a bridge between the latin and americano players matters.
14. Casey Kotchman - Good to great defender, good hitter who slips into bad habits and slumps, but who works back out of it.
15. Gary Matthews - Defense has been just fine and the bat has impressed those of us who smack-talked this signing like tragic high comedy. Happy to eat crow as long as soars like an eagle.
16. Vladimir Guerrero - IRREPLACABLE ... the franchise... we go as far as he takes us.
So this gives us an ideal Lineup/Fielding of:
C-Napoli
1B-Kotchman
2B-Kendrick
3B-Izturis
SS-Cabrera
LF-Willits
CF-Matthews
RF-Vlad