What a Difference a Year Makes...Part 1

Alright folks the 2007 baseball season upon us, so I thought I’d take a look at who the Angels will likely start in the field, compared to the squad that the Halos fielded going into ’06.

Catcher:
2006: Jeff Mathis/Jose Molina
2007: Mike Napoli
Impact: Positive

Going into last season, the Angels had let Bengie Molina go so that they could hand Jeff Mathis the job behind the dish, with Jose Molina expected to get some time there as well. We all know Mathis struggled to handle the staff, wasn’t able to hit his weight (the kid is listed at 185 pounds, so the fact that he couldn’t even hit .185 says a lot), and pretty soon the Angels sent him back down to the farm.

When Mathis went down, in came unheard of Mike Napoli. The real Napster started out on a tear and ended up showing some pop with 16 homers, although he struggled in the second half of the year and ended up hitting only .228. One thing to note is that pitchers who threw to Napoli had an ERA of 3.76, and when you compare that to the 3.82 that Pudge Rodriguez had in Detroit, and the 4.40 that Bengie Molina had in Toronto, it’s easy to see that Napoli worked extremely well with the pitching staff. Nobody’s going to confuse Mike Napoli with Johnny Bench, but he definitely provides much needed stability for the Halos.

First Base
2006: Casey Kotchman
2007: Casey Kotchman
Impact: Positive

Going into last season, Casey Kotchman was primed to have a breakout year, but due to a bout of mononucleosis he ended up missing the majority of the season. Although I’ve never heard of a guy being limited to 29 games because of the kissing disease (it’s really hard for me to refrain from making Jose Lima and Michael Vick/Ron Mexico jokes), what’s done is done and Kotchman is tearing the cover off the ball right now. The big question is whether or not he can stay healthy for the entire season. If he can’t, expect former Cuban national star Kendry Morales to get a long look.

Second Base
2006: Adam Kennedy
2007: Howie Kendrick
Impact: Positive

Adam Kennedy was a fixture at second base in Anaheim ever since the Halo's were hoodwinked into trading Jim Edmonds for Kent Bottenfield (who's now trying to make it as a musician and appears to be referring to himself as K-Bott, http://www.kbott.com) with Kennedy as a throw in. Kennedy was an excellent defensive player and very steady at the plate, but Howie Kendrick is dynamic, and the Angels are banking on him being an All-Star sooner rather than later. He's improving defensively, and with 20-25 homer potential and above average speed the Halos are hoping he's their Second Baseman for the next 10+ years.

Shortstop
2006: Orlando Cabrera
2007: Orlando Cabrera
Impact: Slightly Negative

Last year the shortstop known as OC hit .282 with 9 homers, 72 RBIs and 27 SBs, which was great production out of the second spot in the batting order. While it's not impossible that Cabrera can duplicate those numbers, it's worth noting that his career season averages are .269, 9, 70 and 19. At 32, Cabrera isn't getting any younger, so you can expect to see his numbers dip a bit. He's still a tremendous asset in the field, so even if he only hits .270, he'll still be doing his part.

Third Base
2006: Chone Figgins
2007: Chone Figgins
Impact: Positive

Last year Figgins started the season at third, but he spent most of the season in center field, while also starting some games in left, right and at second base. A career .285 hitter, Figgy only hit .267, and it seemed like he just wasn't comfortable at the plate or in the field. Going into the season, Figgins is expected to play exclusively at third base, and look for the stability to help his game. Also, don't expect to see Figgins at the top of the batting order this season, as Gary Matthews Jr. will be assuming leadoff duty. With less pressure on him, there's no reason that Figgins can't hit .290 while ripping off 50-60 bases.

Left Field
2006: Garret Anderson
2007: Garret Anderson
Impact: Negative

GA hasn't hit 20 home runs or driven in 100 runs in a season since 2003. He hasn't hit .300 since 2004. He's still a "nice player," but the only way you're going to see him hit 30 homers and knock in 115 runs is if Christopher Lloyd shows up in a Delorean and lets you ride shotgun. Expect him to hit .280 with 15 homers and 80 RBIs, but don't expect anything more so that he won't disappoint you.

Center Field
2006: Darin Erstad
2007: Gary Matthews Jr.
Impact: Positive

The Angels went into last season with Darin Erstad as their starting center fielder, and due to injuries, he didn't come close to resembling his old self. Ultimately the Angels let Erstad go, and brought in Gary Matthews Jr. on a contract that left most of the free world scratching its head. Matthews' popularity isn't that high these days to his silence on HGH-Gate, however Matthews is definitely an upgrade. Don't expect him to hit .300, but it's realistic to expect him to hit .275 while providing gold glove caliber defense in the field. He has outstanding range which should ease the burden on Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero, although he might be questionable in the leadoff spot unless he can prove that his standout 2006 campaign wasn't a fluke.

Right Field
2006: Vladimir Guerrero
2007: Vladimir Guerrero
Impact: A Wash

Vladdy is Vladdy, plain and simple. Expect him to hit .320 with 30+ homers and 110 RBIs, that's very realistic; however those numbers would inflate if Bill Stoneman had shown the intestinal fortitude required to bring in a Manny Ramirez type slugger to protect Guerrero. Regardless, expect him to be an all-star at the plate, and an average fielder who will throw some guys out in the field.

Designated Hitter
2006: Juan Rivera
2007: Shea Hillenbrand
Impact: Negative

Juan Rivera would still be a starter for the Angels if it wasn't for a broken bone in his leg that is set to keep him out for a significant part of the year. Instead, the Angels will likely use Shea Hillenbrand as the primary DH, although it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at the corner infield spots when other players need a day off. Realistically Hillenbrand can hit .280 with 15-20 homers; however he has a reputation as a problem in the clubhouse, to the point that in '06, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons actually challenged Hillenbrand to a fight. Mike Scioscia is big on team chemistry, so it'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.

I'll put up my preview on the pitching staff on Thursday. Until then, keep it real, and root for the Trojans to keep it going against the Tarheels.

AP Photo By Francis Specker