Angels Preview: Catcher

by user The Beast

Last season, the catcher position was a big question mark for the Los Angeles Angels. Bengie Molina had just signed a new contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving Jeff Mathis as the projected starter with Jose Molina serving as the backup. That plan changed as Mike Napoli emerged as the potential catcher of the future for the Angels.

Mathis, Molina, and Napoli, all return to the organiztion, but this time Mike Napoli is projected to be the starter.

Last year it was Jeff Mathis who was pegged as the starter, not Napoli. However, Mathis is still considered to be the most fundamentally balanced catcher in the entire organization. However, he struggled at the major league level at the beginning of last season. His catcher’s ERA was 5.82, and threw out just 14.3 percent of potential basestealers. He did go on to post a solid season at Triple-A, where he hit .289 and led the team with 33 doubles. He also was named the organization’s Defensive Player of the Year, an honor he also won in 2003 and 2005.

It was Mike Napoli who first responded to the pressures of the major leagues. He went on an early tear, hitting .327 with two homers in May and then .281 with six homers and 17 RBIs over 22 games in June. He also displayed his power with a 470-foot home run on June 23 in Arizona.

Napoli soon cooled off as opposing pitchers made their adjustments. After hitting .286 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs before the All-Star break, Napoli went on to hit .164 with five homers and 15 RBIs after the break.

While he certainly struggled down the stretch, his ability to handle the pitchers helped to keep him on the roster. Napoli posted a team-low 3.76 catcher’s ERA last season.

Jose Molina is the veteran of the catching position and one of the few remaining pieces of the 2002 World Series team. He struggled early last season, hitting below .200 in both April and May. However, Molina went on to hit .333, .346 and .326 during June, July and August. In addition to his solid hitting, he posted a 12-game hitting streak from July 22-Aug. 15.

Last season, Molina had a 3.98 catcher’s ERA and threw out 19 of 46 potential basestealers (41.3 percent) to lead the team. His defensive reliability should help to earn him playing time, even as a backup.

Overall Grade: B+. The team is very deep and reliable defensively. Consistancy is the only problem with this group.

Bball3345Draft Pick

562 days ago

Score 1

Good work... Napoli is the catcher's version of Adam Dunn. He isn't going to hit higher than .250, but he'll rack up HRs and get on-base. He will be a very underrated player.

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The BeastAAA-er

562 days ago

Score 1

Yes, his defensive skills are also underated. They aren't top-notch, but still improving and very good.

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The BeastAAA-er

562 days ago

Score 1

Good comparison to Dunn.

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