Spring Training PreviewAs I prepare to visit Phoenix Municipal Stadium for my first game of the Spring, with the Angels as the visitors against the A’s, there are a few things on my mind regarding what the club hopes to accomplish this preseason in terms of its personnel. Hopefully the Angels can get through Spring Training without any major injuries, but if they do they’ll have some hard decisions to make and will likely end up letting a player or two go without receiving anything back in the form of compensation. There are four young position players in particular that are out of minor league options and thus cannot be sent down again without effectively clearing waivers first. These are Brandon Wood, Reggie Willits, Terry Evans and Bobby Wilson.
Wood is the odds on favorite to win the third base job and has been the prodigal prospect for some few years now. The Angels appear ready to struggle through any Major League learning difficulties that he might still have as he tries to adapt to a more regular role in the big show this season. Brandon’s versatility is a huge plus, as he can play not only third and short, but also first and likely second in a pinch. As most baseball people know, if you can play shortstop you can probably play effectively anywhere on the field. Wood’s problems with the Angels have not been with the glove but with the bat and regular plate appearances are expected to remedy any residual afflictions in that regard. He needs to develop better plate discipline and be less strikeout prone, which is why Hatcher has worked with him to shorten his swing this past season. Still Mike Schmidt started off his career with similar problems and obviously overcame them famously, and Troy Glaus was another Angels’ shortstop prospect who made the switch to third when he came up to stay and that worked out rather well too. If Brandon has a career anywhere near resembling what those two accomplished he will have succeeded handsomely.
Willits had a big year with the Angels as a rookie three seasons ago but has failed to follow up on that promise since then. He’s suffered through an assortment of ailments and has not gotten the playing time he received as an emergency stopgap in his rookie year, mainly because the same rash of injuries that thrust him onto center stage back then have not recurred. Still, Reggie has great plate discipline and good speed, even if his routes to the ball are not always optimal in the outfield. The problem is that he has very little power and has yet to hit a Major League homerun. However, he is a serviceable replacement in center field for whenever Torii Hunter might need a day off and he can play the corner outfield spots equally well. He’s also a good bunter and has performed well in the past as both a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner. Reggie could be a very valuable bench player if he could demonstrate the same skills with the bat that so impressed everyone when he first came up. The problem is that it may well come down to a choice between him and Evans for the final available outfield spot coming out of camp, so he needs to be especially impressive this Spring.
Terry Evans is another story as he’s still just trying to make the squad as a reserve outfielder after coming over from the Cardinals organization three seasons ago, when he had somewhat of a breakout year at the AA level. However, his production was off a bit at Salt Lake City last year and I think that has the Angels a tad wary, as the Pacific Coast League is a hitter’s haven and his offensive numbers perhaps were not what everyone was hoping to see. Still, he’s got some pop in his bat and good speed, and can play both corner outfield spots and man center in a pinch as well. He’ll be battling Willits and Quinlan for a reserve outfield spot, although two of them might make the club if Matsui is relegated strictly to the designated hitter role. Matsui’s status vis-a-vis the outfield will be determined during Spring Training but he isn’t expected to play out there this season more than one day a week at the most regardless. If Terry demonstrates an ability to play centerfield effectively this preseason it would definitely give him a leg up on the competition since Willits has already proven that he’s capable of fielding that spot and Quinlan is not likely to be considered a centerfield backup option. If the Angels don’t put him on their twenty-five man roster going into the regular season then another team is almost certain to pick him up and unless there’s a trade involved the Angels will receive nothing in return.
Bobby Wilson is another catcher in the Jeff Mathis mode, a good glove and a questionable bat. His problem is that the Angles are unlikely to carry three catchers through the entire season and Napoli and Mathis are already well entrenched in their respective roles. I would expect to see one of these three traded during the season if Wilson makes the team, and if he doesn’t of course the Angels will need to trade him before the regular season begins or they will get nothing in return, as he will be free to sign with the team of his choice. This obviously makes such a trade problematic since any team that wants him can simply wait the Angels out. Wilson has not yet demonstrated the ability to hit Major League pitching and he put up rather pedestrian numbers with the bat in AAA, in a hitter’s league. He appears to be a good defensive backstop and can play some first base as well, but the Angels already have both of these needs covered fairly well. One other possibility of course, is for the Angels to keep Wilson and trade either Mathis or Napoli, but they have not indicated a willingness or desire to pursue this avenue up to this point.
Mathis could possibly have turned the corner is his struggles with the bat, if his performance in last year’s playoffs can be carried over into this season then the Angels could have two catchers adept in the art of hitting. Otherwise, he may continue to struggle around the Mendoza line for the rest of his career, in which case the Angels would be wise to deal him now when his value is at an all-time high, coming off his stellar performance in the AL Championship Series. Napoli has already proven his worth with the bat and has become one of the most formidable and powerful hitting catchers in the bigs. His struggles have been mostly defensive in nature, although he’s not that far behind Mathis in his catching skill-set and the team actually had a better record with him behind the plate last year than Jeff. However, Mathis has typically had the better catcher’s ERA over the last couple of years, for whatever that’s worth. Many think that Napoli should see more time at designated hitter and he well may, but Matsui was signed to fill that role this year and will almost certainly get the majority of the plate appearances there barring injury.
For the Angels to keep all four of these guys on the twenty-five man roster to start the regular season, they would have to go with an eleven man pitching staff. That means six relievers and the Angels currently have seven proven Major League bullpen arms at the ready. Scioscia often likes to start out the year with seven relievers to give him more options without overusing the staff and to compound the dilemma the only two relievers with minor league options still available are the guys who showed perhaps the most promise last season, Matt Palmer and Kevin Jepsen. So that is the double-bind that Manager Mike may find himself in at the end of the Spring, demote one of the critical bullpen cogs from last year or give away either Willits, Evans, or Wilson without receiving a return on our investment in player development. Of course injuries in the preseason could make this a moot point but that’s probably an even less desirable outcome. We’ll all just have to wait and see how it all plays out during Spring Training and whether or not the players involved make this fateful decision making process easy or hard.
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