Halfway thru the season, it is time to take a look at the Angels’ positional players and assign them some mid-term grades:
Bobby Abreu: The Angels keep waiting, but the power still isn’t coming for Bobby Abreu. It isn’t as bad as it used to be, but opposing pitchers sure aren’t exactly scared to challenge Abreu anymore. But while the power has turned up a notch, his desire to burn up the basepaths has slowed down considerably as he has swiped just three bases since June 1st. On the bright side, Abreu’s move to the second spot in the order has paid off handsomely as he continues to get on base at an exceptional clip and hit well with runners on board. Grade = B
Erick Aybar: Aybar hasn’t done anything monumentally stupid in awhile, but the specter of a mental gaffe always seems to be lurking with the young shortstop. What he also can’t seem to do is get his bat going enough to secure his starting job permanently. Now that Howie Kendrick is back, he’ll be hard pressed to stave off hot-hitting Maicer Izturis. While his bat continues to be maddeningly inconsistent, Aybar at least finally figured out that he is really fast and started trying to steal bases again. Grade = C-
Chone Figgins: Figgy just keeps on getting better and is on the verge of becoming an All-Star for the first, and with good reason. Even though the Angels offense is hardly a run-scoring juggernaut, Figgins currently leads the American League in runs scored. The secret to his success has been his continued evolution into a walk-drawing savant. Better yet, Chone has even started to show a little bit of extra-base pop as well. He’s got the slap hit to the opposite field down pat and has discovered that he can occasionally turn on an inside pitch and drive it into the gap. To think that coming into the season I couldn’t wait for the Angels to let Figgy walk in free agency, but now I can’t imagine what they would do without him. Grade = A+
Vladimir Guerrero: Vlad had all kinds of trouble getting going after hurting his chest to begin the season and it took a follicular sacrifice to shake him free of his season long slump. Vlad had even been so bad that he got demoted from the three-hole in favor of Torii Hunter, no small task given Mike Scioscia’s usually unflinching loyalty to his veterans. But just when he started hitting the ball with real authority, he had to go and tweak his knee in an ill-advised start in right field. Now Guerrero has to prove himself healthy all over again and show that his recently recovered stroke wasn’t just a flash in the pan. If he doesn’t, then he is going to turn back into a black hole in the middle of the line-up. Grade = D+
Torii Hunter: Admittedly, I fully expected Hunter to return to a more human form after his torrid start to the season. While he has come back to earth since April, he is still miles above any other Angel hitter and that is why he is headed to the All-Star Game. His success on the field has also allowed him to feel confident enough to fill the leadership void in the Angels’ locker room this year, something long overdue for a veteran of his caliber. The only problem I have with Hunter now is this nagging abdominal/groin injury that could see him find his way to the disabled list. Grade = A+
Maicer Izturis: Well, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Though it pains me to admit it, Mike Scioscia’s man-crush on Maicer Izturis is finally paying dividends. Actually, that’s not true, it is paying HUGE dividends. Did you know that Izzy has .900+ OPS since June 1st? How is that even possible for a little middle infielder like him? It boggles my mind. The way he stepped in to replace Howie Kendrick after his demotion might prove to be one of the biggest turning points of the Angel season. If he hadn’t struggled so badly to start the season, he would be getting an A+. Grade = A-
Howie Kendrick: Speaking of struggling, meet struggling’s poster boy. Howie was so bad this season that he got sent down to the minors for a few weeks to try and get him straightened out. He’s back now but the jury is still out on whether or not the move will work out. Kendrick gets docked additional grade points for his abysmal Howard’s Electronics Superstore commercials too. Grade = F
Jeff Mathis: Let’s be straight here, Mathis can’t hit worth a damn. His .581 OPS is an absolute joke, not nearly as a big a joke as the idea that he and mashing Mike Napoli are in a platoon situation, but still a joke. The only reason Mathis has a job right now is he is much better defensively than Naps, boasting a catcher’s ERA nearly a full run better and doing a much better job controlling the running game. Truth be told, the Angels would probably be better off if Mathis actually were worse defensively so that Scioscia wasn’t so quick to use him over Napoli. The only reason Mathis doesn’t get an F is that the few scant hits he has collected have somehow come at very opportune times, plus what did we really expect? Mathis couldn’t hit last year either. Grade = D-
Gary Matthews Jr.: I didn’t think it was possible for Private Matthews to be any worse, but he found a way. Now that he is strictly a bench player, he seems to have completely ceased to give a crap. In the few instances he gets to play he is totally unemotional and lethargic. Maybe that is why he has just five hits in his last 44 at-bats. Let’s hope Vlad and Torii aren’t too badly hurt, otherwise we’ll be seeing a lot more of Matthews. Grade = F
Kendry Morales: It is official, Morales is for real. He continues to hit for power, a major question mark coming into the season, and looks better and better every day in the field. Though he isn’t spectacular, Kendry has been one of the Angels most reliable producers all season long… when a lefty isn’t pitching that is. Apparently Morales still hasn’t gotten the memo that switch hitters are supposed to be equally effective from both sides of the plate, but once he does, he will be a real force in this league. Grade = B
Mike Napoli: Napoli continues to impress with his power but frustrate with his inconsistency both with the bat and the glove. His penchant for prolonged slumps has forced him into a time-share situation with Jeff Mathis and his struggles convincing pitchers to throw inside has only made matters worse. If he ever finds some consistency, Napoli could be an All-Star, especially since he is death on lefties (1.371 OPS vs. southpaws). Grade = C+
Robb Quinlan: I’ve bashed on Q enough this season, so I’ll try and be nice here. Plain and simple, he just isn’t getting the job done anymore. He would be an ideal platoon mate for Morales if he was even remotely productive, but that ship has long since sailed and now Quinlan is lucky to get the odd pinch-hitting appearance nowadays. Grade = F
Juan Rivera: All hail Juan Rivera! He’s been saying it for years: give him consistent playing time and he will produce and produce Rivera has and then some. Rivera has quietly been putting up stellar numbers since about mid-May and is showing no signs of slowing down now that he finally has the trust of the coaching staff. His sudden ability to mash with the best of them is what has made the Angels capable of weathering Vladimir Guerrero’s largely wasted season and still be contending for the division crown. Grade = A
Sean Rodriguez: S-Rod seemed like a strong candidate to replace Howie Kendrick after demolishing opposing pitchers in the minors this season, but the emergence of Maicer Izturis prevented Rodriguez from even getting a real shot at winning the job. It also probably didn’t help that he struck out in seven of his seventeen at-bats, making Rodriguez just another casualty of Sosh’s unwillingness to play prospects. Grade = INCOMPLETE
Reggie Willits: Willits only makes this list because he is currently on the active roster, even though the team has little use for his services. Give him credit though for being a good soldier and taking his assignment to the minors in stride even though he is deserving of a big league roster spot. He just needs to bide his time until the Halos trade or waive Gary Matthews. Grade = INCOMPLETE