SB Nation - Mike Napoli

Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010

John Sickels — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:29:54 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

The Franchise (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)

Top 20 Washington Nationals Prospects for 2010.

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize.

Feel free to critique the list, but use logic and reason rather than polemics to do so. The list and grades are based on a blending of present performance and long-term potential. Full reports on all these players can be found in the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book.

1) Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Grade A: He's done enough in Arizona to justify the Grade A rating in my opinion. We have to remember that he's a human being, but he is immensely talented.

2) Derek Norris, C, Grade B+: Somewhere on the Mickey Tettleton/Mike Napoli spectrum: high walks, lots of power, defense should be good enough, might not hit for average.

3) Drew Storen, RHP, Grade B+: Has put aside concerns about being an overdraft. Could help in pen very soon, future closer if all works out.

4) Danny Espinosa, SS, Grade B: Has some pop, steals bases, draws walks, very good glove. Scouts in Arizona love him.

5) Chris Marrero, 1B, Grade B: I don't think he's going to be a star, but with proper development he can be a solid regular.

6) Jeff Kobernus, 2B, Grade B-: Another guy who should be solid, though I'd like a larger pro sample size before going higher with the grade.

7) Michael Burgess, OF, Grade B-: borderline C+. Power potential, throwing arm, and youth are big positives, will take a walk, but strikes out a lot and batting average is quite low.

8) Justin Maxwell, OF, Grade C+: What you see is what you get: power, walks, speed, low batting average. Can they look past that and appreciate his secondary skills?

9) Ian Desmond, SS, Grade C+: I think he made some legitimate improvements, but not as much as the raw numbers indicate. BABIP probably unsustainable, and he needs to tighten his defense.

10) Bradley Meyers, RHP, Grade C+: One of several strike-throwing types with limited upside but good pitchability.

11) Destin Hood, OF, Grade C+: High power upside, with a high chance of failure. Could rank ninth or tenth.

12) A.J. Morris, RHP, Grade C+: Kansas State ace may move faster in relief.

13) Eury Perez, OF, Grade C+: Need data from higher levels, but could be a Juan Pierre type. I don't mean that as an insult.

14) Aaron Thompson, LHP, Grade C+: Pitchability guy acquired from the Marlins. No longer a top prospect, but still a decent one.

15) Juan Jaime, RHP, Grade C: High-ceiling arm with strong fastball needs to improve secondary pitches. Could rise rapidly if he does so. Perhaps I should go with C+.

16) J.P. Ramirez, OF, Grade C: Production was somewhat disappointing in the New York-Penn League, but not terrible for context. Full-season data in '10 will be illuminating.

17) J.R. Higley, OF, Grade C: High-ceiling tools hound, didn't light up the NY-P but still has potential.

18) Paul Demny, RHP, Grade C: Went 3-11 with 5.14 ERA in the Sally League, but with 110 strikeouts in 105 innings. Could go a long way if he improves command.

19) Marco Estrada, RHP, Grade C: I have no actual evidence to support this, but I keep thinking he could have a surprisingly good season in 2010. Nothing left to prove in Triple-A.

20) Jeff Mandel, RHP, Grade C: Looked very good in Arizona Fall League relief action; he might sneak in some major league innings.

OTHERS: All Grade C: Evan Bronson, LHP; Clint Everts, RHP; Marcos Frias, RHP; Victor Garate, LHP; Luis Garcia, RHP; Trevor Holder, RHP; Hendry Jimenez, 2B; Taylor Jordan, RHP; Nathan Karns, RHP; Pat Lehman, RHP; Steve Lombardozzi, 2B; Jack McGeary, LHP; Tom Milone, LHP; Adrian Nieto, C; Brad Peacock, RHP; Atahualpa Severino, LHP; Josh Smoker, LHP; Greg Veloz, 2B; Dean Weaver, RHP; Josh Wilkie, RHP. Most of these guys could fit into the 16-20 spots, depending on what you want to emphasize.

The Nationals system has an amazing talent in Strasburg, and I'm also very high on Norris, Storen, and Espinosa. After that, it fades quickly. Hitters like Marrero, Burgess, Maxwell, Desmond, Hood, and Perez all have significant unanswered questions. All could be very good players, all could fail. There are several low-ceiling arms who could contribute in the majors soon (Meyers, Thompson, Estrada, Mandel, Wilkie, Garate), and there is also a group of live arms who have problems that need addressing.

The system has material to work with, particularly on the pitching side beyond Strasburg and Storen. They need to add bats with fewer questions, and it will be interesting to see what direction GM Mike Rizzo and his new staff take in the 2010 draft.

Best Angels Prospect Performances, Going Back to 2005

rghan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:02:48 -0000

Below is a compilation of the Halos' best prospect performances going back to 2005. I give two run values for position players: the "+ bat" is how many more runs that prospect created over their league's average player according to a widely-used runs created formula. The "+ glove" is how many runs that player saved in the field according to Sean Smith's "TotalZone" defensive metric. For pitchers, I compare their runs allowed per game to the league average to generate the "runs saved" metric. Both pitchers and position players are then ranked by "WAR," or "Wins Above Replacement," which is an inclusive metric that incorporates each player's runs values with adjustments for playing time and position. Using the replacement-level concept for minor leaguers brings up all kinds of theoretical sabermetric questions, but I have my reasons for keeping the calculations as similar as I could to those used for major leaguers.

Lastly, keep in mind that WAR is a counting stat and minor leaguers play at least 10% fewer games than their major league counterparts, so a 3.9 WAR here is more impressive (for temporal reasons only) than a 3.9 WAR over a 162 game schedule.

30) Anthony Ortega, 2007, High A

7 wins, 11 losses. 163.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 127 K / 68 BB. +13 runs saved, 3.9 WAR.

29) Mike Napoli, 2005, AA

.237/.372/.508 with 31 HR's and 12 SB's. +18 bat, 3.9 WAR

28) Freddy Sandoval, 2008, AAA

.335/.389/.514 with 15 HR's and 6 SB's. +18 bat, +3 glove, 4.0 WAR

27) Hainley Statia, 2006, A and High A

.298/.380/.382 with 1 HR and 24 SB's. +7 bat, +12 glove, 4.0 WAR

26) Peter Bourjos, 2009, AA

.281/.354/.423 with 6 HR's and 32 SB's. +7 bat, +15 glove, 4.1 WAR

25) Sean Rodriguez, 2008, AAA

.306/.397/.645 with 21 HR's and 4 SB's. +24 bat, +6 glove, 4.1 WAR

24) Brok Butcher, 2007, High A and AA

6 wins, 9 losses. 139.1 IP, 3.36 ERA, 77 K / 35 BB. +22 runs saved, 4.1 WAR

23) Trevor Bell, 2009, AA and AAA

7 wins, 7 losses. 140 IP, 2.70 ERA, 89 K/36 BB. +22 runs saved, 4.1 WAR

22) Sean Rodriguez, 2007, AA

.254/.345/.423 with 17 HR's and 15 SB's. +11 bat, +7 glove, 4.2 WAR

21) Matthew Brown, 2008, AAA

.320/.373/.580 with 21 HR's and 4 SB's. +25 bat, +6 glove, 4.3 WAR

20) Freddy Sandoval, 2007, AA

.305/.392/.468 with 11 HR's and 21 SB's. +21 bat, +3 glove, 4.4 WAR

19) Peter Bourjos, 2008, High A

.295/.326/.444 with 9 HR's and 50 SB's. +0 bat, +24 glove, 4.4 WAR

18) Trevor Reckling, 2009, High A and AA

9 wins, 9 losses. 154.1 IP, 2.68 ERA, 122 K/78 BB. +25 runs saved, 4.4 WAR

17) Nick Adenhart, 2006, A and High A

15 wins, 4 losses. 158.1 IP, 2.56 ERA, 145 K/42 BB. +27 runs saved, 4.5 WAR

16) Anthony Norman, 2008, High A

.257/.381/.468 with 15 HR's and 36 SB's. +13 bat, +22 glove, 4.5 WAR

15) Chris Pettit, 2006, Advanced Rookie Ball

.336/.445/.566 with 7 HR's and 5 SB's. +24 bat, +14 glove, 4.5 WAR

14) Reggie Willits, 2006, AAA

.327/.448/.426 with 3 HR's and 15 SB's. +12 bat, +19 glove, 4.6 WAR

13) Alexander Torres, 2009, AA

13 wins, 4 losses. 147.1 IP, 2.75 ERA, 149 SO/80 BB. +28 runs saved, 4.7 WAR

12) Roberto Lopez, 2008, Advanced Rookie Ball

.400/.480/.667 with 14 HR's and 3 SB's. +42 bat, -3 glove, 4.7 WAR

11) Joe Saunders, 2006, AAA

10 wins, 3 losses. 135 IP, 2.67 ERA, 97 K/38 BB. +31 runs saved, 4.8 WAR

10) Clayton Fuller, 2008, A

.260/.379/.425 with 9 HR's and 36 SB's. +20 bat, +9 glove, 4.8 WAR

9) Sean Rodriguez, 2009, AAA

.299/.4 00/.616 with 29 HR's and 9 SB's. +36 bat, -2 glove, 5.0 WAR

8) Chris Pettit, 2007, A and High A

.327/.411/.538 with 18 HR's and 30 SB's. +43 bat, -7 glove, 5.1 WAR

7) Howie Kendrick, 2006, AAA

.369/.408/.631 with 13 HR's and 11 SB's. +33 bat, +7 glove, 5.2 WAR

6) Carlos Ramirez, 2009, Advanced Rookie Ball

.389/.514/.695 with 10 HR's and 0 SB's. +36 bat, +8 glove, 5.3 WAR

5) Stephen Marek, 2006, A and High A

12 wins, 5 losses. 151.1 IP, 2.38 ERA, 133 K/ 37 BB. +36 runs saved, 5.3 WAR

4) Alexia Amarista, 2009, A

.319/.390/.468 with 4 HR's and 38 SB's. +18 bat, +20 glove, 5.8 WAR

3) Howie Kendrick, 2005, High A and AA

.367/.406/.614 with 19 HR's and 25 SB's. +44 bat, +8 glove, 6.7 WAR

2) Sean Rodriguez, 2006, High A

.307/.387/.557 with 29 HR's and 15 SB's. +35 bat, +13 glove, 7.4 WAR

1) Brandon Wood, 2005, High A

.321/.383/.672 with 43 HR's and 7 SB's. +54 bat, +8 glove, 8.7 WAR

Trade Gary Matthews Jr. for Milton Bradley?

Rev Halofan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

Gary Matthews Jr. is a hot one... It's a Twister. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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With his three-year no-trade clause with the Angels expired and two years left on his contract, like clockwork, Gary Matthews Jr. announced that he wants to play every day. His salary pretty much demands that we trade him for someone else's overpaid headache and one dude sticks out like a sore thumb. Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley. And I give this trade thumbs up.

Yes I just heard you scream in protestation over his chemistry issues. His temper. His rage against the machine, the fans, the teammates, the coaches, hell, against the peanut vendors. But hear me out...

Would not Bradley benefit form the absolute terms of engagement set for him by an unassailable manager such as Mike Scioscia? Unlike Ron Washington, Mike has reached the playoffs with an iron hand. Unlike Lou Piniella, Mike is a fixture - there is no battle to be won with the Papacy-like permanence of Scioscia the First. Milton's trouble with authority could vanish when Scioscia's reasonable expectations and culture of winning are presented as a chance at redemption and his only option to get a ring.

Bradley quit on the Cubs and blamed racist fans. With Torii Hunter a fixture in Centerfield and Wally George dead, ya can't say that about the O.C.!

Gary is owed $23 Million over the next two seasons. He turned 35 in August.

Bradley is owed $21 Million over the next two seasons. He will turn 32 a week after opening day.

The Angels could use Bradley in RF and at DH and toss in a speedy leadoff hitter in the field when Milton needs the rest that comes from DHing. With Brandon Wood at 3B, Mike Napoli DHing when Milton was in the field and Reggie Willits or Chris Pettit in RF on the days he DHs, we get speedy leadoff hitters to replace Chone Figgins, and two power bats to replace Bobby Abreu and Vladimir Guerrero (bot over 35 on opening day). We get younger, have the bucks to re-sign John Lackey and the Gary Matthews contract is suddenly giving us and OPS of .900 ... I dunno, think about it...

Hey, Bud! It's Time For Replay Review: NLCS Game 5 Preview, Dodgers vs. Phillies, Wednesday 10/21, 7:07 CT

Al — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:09:34 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Photographic evidence of The Worst Call of All Time.

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Fortunately, they had nothing to do with the outcome of ALCS game four, which the Yankees won 10-1. But there were three horrendous umpiring calls in consecutive innings in last night's game -- and two of them were made by Tim McClelland, who has a reputation as one of the best in baseball. The one that everyone's talking about has been termed by Kevin Kaduk ("Duk") of Yahoo sports as "The Worst Call of All Time".

I don't think I'd go that far, because as noted above, even all three calls put together had negligible impact on the game. Had 2B umpire Dale Scott made the right call when Erick Aybar had Nick Swisher picked off second base in the fourth, that inning would have been over -- but McClelland made the wrong call in saying that Swisher, later in the inning, left third base too early and thus was out instead of scoring. No harm done, right? Well, maybe. If Swisher is called out at second, the inning would have been over, and Scott Kazmir wouldn't have had to pitch to two extra hitters in that inning.

But McClelland's call in the fifth -- how can you miss that when it's right in front of you? Angels catcher Mike Napoli tagged two runners, neither of whom was standing on third base at the time. They were both out. True, again, no "harm" was done, because the Yankees failed to score after that. But Darren Oliver, as Kazmir had to do in the previous inning, had to throw to another hitter. Who knows what the pitch sequences would have been, or whether Kazmir might have been able to settle down when it was only 3-0? After the game, McClelland said:

As far as the two calls that I had at third base. The first one with Swisher leaving too soon. In my heart I thought he left too soon.

On the play with Cano and Posada, I thought Cano was on the base. I was waiting for two players to be on the base, and when there was never the situation where both of them were on the base at the same time. When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base, and when Jorge touched the base and continued and tagged Posada out, I thought Posada was out.

In his heart??? You're not supposed to make calls with your heart, Tim. You're supposed to watch the game with your eyes. And you "thought" Cano was on the base? How about checking with your eyes?

I'm being deliberately too tough on McClelland here -- he is, as I wrote above, generally respected as one of the best in the game. The real villain here is Bud Selig, because he refuses to admit that replay review of plays like this is necessary in modern baseball. Under a system that's been proposed by others and that I agree with, you could give each manager two "red flags" that he could throw for replay review. Last night, two plays went against the Angels and one against the Yankees -- you could have gotten those right under that system and everyone would be happy, I presume, that the right calls were made instead of having another postgame apology news conference from an umpire.

It's way past time, Bud. You already have review for home runs, and it's working well. Time to have review for other calls. The umpiring in the postseason has been atrociously bad. Let's fix it.

Dodgers at Phillies, 7:07 pm CDT. Phillies lead series 3-1. TV: TBS. Announcers: Chip Caray, Buck Martinez and Ron Darling.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA and Phillies site The Good Phight.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

CC Sabathia: Good Deal! Yanks win ALCS opener 4-1, work cold to their favor

CrazyYankeeChick — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:29:19 -0000

Man, it's cold out. When I started this whole watching-the-Yankees-bat-from-outside ritual, it was a 65 degree situation. But right now, my digits are creamsicles as I'm typing this. So when I think of the fact CC Sabathia went 8 innings and let up 1 run, I'm more in awe of him, his fat, and this team than ever.

The Yankees beat the Angels 4-1 tonight, thanks to Porky's 7K gem, unrelenting bats against John Lackey, and 3 errors--THREE--from a team that hasn't logged an error since the Cowboys dynasty.

I don't why it feels like Maine in January when it's not even freezing temperature. But it is. Maybe Jorge Posada's right. Maybe it IS "Yankee weather."

Ghosts and unseasonably chilly temperature. Yankee Stadium's answers to all things inexplicable. You can't discount the 10 hits and flat-out absurd defensive that came from a determined New York squad. But on the other hand...there's Torii Hunter letting a single get by him which allowed Derek Jeter to score in the 6th, a throwing error from Lackey, a do-you-have-ir-ok-got-it-wait-what? pop-up blooper between Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar...and that was just on defense.

CC held the slugging monsters from LA to only 4 hits and 1 walk...and zero stolen bases. For all the rampant concern about how in the world the Yankees were ever going to manage the team who's speed can break the sound barrier...there wasn't even so much as an attempt.

The Yanks took an early 2-0 lead with Alex Rodriguez's (who else) sac fly that scored Jeter, and an infield single from Hideki that plated Johnny Damon.

Hideki can thank the 400 pounds of sweatshirt coating Aybar's ears, who couldn't make heads or tails of the whole calling the pop-up thing. Bundled up in so much insulation that I wouldn't be surprised if they all had Pink Panther padding in there, the Angels played like an old school Nintendo baseball game where no player can run in a straight line, and no matter how angrily you bang on the control pad, the player won't move beneath the ball to catch a routine pop up.

This same play engendered ridiculous blown call #3,801 of the playoffs, when A-Rod darted home only to find Jeff Mathis patiently waiting for him with the ball. HOWEVAH, no tag was ever successfully made as A-Rod barrelled over him and touched home. I've been saying for the past week that all these bad calls work both ways, and that it all evens out in the end.

(But there's no reasoning with someone people, as my Mets fan buddy argued that not only does this not come close to making up for the Mauer call--yup, he's still on that--but he also insinuated that the errors weren't entirely accidental. This is what I'm up against.)

Vladimir Guerrero, who ranks 3rd in my Favorite Players Who Aren't Yankees list,' doubled in the 4th, and after Juan Rivera's groundout advanced him to third, Kendry Morales brought him home with a single to left center. Such would be the first and last time an Angel got to see homeplate.

CC never faltered, only going to 3 balls only twice. Thanks to this lights-out dominance when they absolutely needed it the most, the Yankees bullpen is as fresh as ever, with Mariano Rivera serving as the only reliever to enter the game. Anaheim's bullpen, on the other hand, threw a combined 52 pitches over 2 IP of work....35 more than Mo did in a little less than the same amount of time.

Overall another paragon of an outing from the New York Yankees. The ONLY drawbacks of the night:

Someone tried to launch a Joba-as-starter symposium while I was outside. Last thing I heard was "he has 4 pitches!" before he deemed it too cold to argue and retreated indoors.
11 runners left on base.
3-for-12 with RISP. I'm okay with this, though, since I don't think everyone needs to play 100 percent every game. Just enough percent to win.

I can't say enough about the defense that backed Tubbo up. After Nick Swisher met quota for the requisite "where-is-your-head?!" move in the outfield, it was nothing but remarkably fluid efforts that saved more than a few runs. "Ok, CC. You scratch our back, we'll ~~scratch yours~~ buy you a cheesesteak."

And no one is happier about this win than Brian Cashman, who tonight saw his off-season Christmas shopping for the Big Boss excel in spades. Mark Teixeira's defense on 1st was mind-blowing, to say the least. When his old pal (and #2 on the aforementioned list) tried to run out a single in the 6th, Tex lunged for the toss to 1st and ended up in a move that looked like he belonged at the top of a pyramid in the National Cheerleading Championships.

The Yanks played smart tonight. They kept it simple, and deserve to win for how patiently and evenly they played this one out. You don't need to look any further than their opponents to see what a frantic, jumpy, uncomfortable, and overanxious team looks like.

And the Angels don't need to look any further than their opponents to see what greatness looks like.

-CYC

2009 Catcher Defense: Filling in the Holes (yet again)

devil_fingers — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:17:43 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

That Minnesota pretty boy might be in the playoffs, but he's go nuthin on One Man, Five Tools.

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Even if you aren't a FanGraphs junkie like myself and so many others, if you spend any time there looking at the WAR rankings in order to, say, evaluate who should be the 2009 MVP candidates, you've undoubtedly noticed (due to Joe Mauer's incredible season) that currently, they do not have a system in place to evaluate catcher fielding. Hey, no one's perfect, and knowing Mr. Appleman and his crew, they're probably waiting until they get a system they're happy with before they implement something.

I don't make any great claim to originality here, as you will see if you read on, but for those of you who want a rough idea of how different catchers "measure up" behind the plate for your MVP arguments or to settle the eternal "I wonder just how bad a guy can be at blocking pitches," question, here is a rough attempt to evaluate every catcher's defensive 2009.

Choosing a Methodology (With Qualifications)

Before I go any further, I should make clear that for the purposes of this post that I assume that it is well-established that the differences between catchers with regard to gamecalling (as expressed in, e.g., "catcher's ERA") are negligible, and thus such issues will not be discussed in this post. When I discuss catcher defense, like most others, I will be discussing preventing stolen bases, blocking pitches, etc.

One of the difficulties with evaluating catcher defense with regard to even these issues is that, much more than with other fielding positions, the catcher's performance is dependent on another player -- namely, the pitcher. No matter now strong or weak the catcher's arm is, he can't escape the reality that he depends on the pitcher's skill with regard to holding runners, quickness to the plate, etc. While the catcher's skill with regard to blocking pitches that are off the mark is clearly important, catching Tim Wakefield poses a unique challenge (just ask Josh Bard). And so on.

For these reasons, probably the best way of measuring catcher defense is Tom Tango's WOWY (With or Without You) method of defensive evaluation as detailed the 2008 Hardball Times Annual. You can read about the details in the links provided. Versions of WOWY for catchers have also been done by Brian Cartwright and Dan Turkenkopf. I would do it that way if I could. The main issue is that 1) it's pretty complicated, and beyond my present capabilities, and 2) it requires something like Retrosheet, which isn't available until after the World Series is over, so even if I could do it, I couldn't get the numbers during the season of even now...

In lieu of that, I'm going to be doing something much simpler, which, while not quite as good, is, I think, pretty decent. Just keep in mind the qualifications about not adjusting for particular pitchers made above.

The Method Used Here

For non-WOWY catcher defense, the basic idea is to 1) choose what events you're going to deal with, 2) determine each catchers performance with respect to league average, and 3) decide the run value of each event. Like I said, this post isn't that original: very similar methods are used/suggested by Rally and chuckb. I have most closely modeled my "catcher defense metric" on the method outlined by the Amazing Justin Inaz (now a regular at Beyond the Box Score). His weights for each event seem about right to me, and the general principles are sound. One modification I've made (I'll note the other as I go along) is in the denominator of some stats. when Justin did his version, he was using THT's catcher defense stats, which only recorded catcher innings. Since then, the new Baseball Reference has come out with more detailed individual catcher defense stats, including plate appearances. While the difference isn't huge, I feel that it's more accurate to use plate appearances (batters faced) as the denominator for things like pitch blocking and errors, since while every inning (other than some ninth [or later] innings) has 3 outs, the catcher has to be out there whether there are 3 or 10 batters during those three outs. Otherwise, I'm pretty close to Justin's method, and you can read there for more details.

Stolen Bases/Caught Stealing: First, we figure out the league rate for caught stealing. One cool thing about the new Baseball Reference is that it separates out the catcher caught stealings from the pitcher pickoffs, so we can exclude the pickoffs (not under the catcher's control) from the equation. So we total the CSctch +SB to get total stolen base attempts (SBA) and then to total CSctch/total SBA for the lgCS rate. We use the weight of .63 runs for each caught stealing, which represents the average linear weight of the caught stealing (.44 runs) plus the weight of the stolen base not achieved (.19 runs). The formula for runs above/below average for each catcher is thus (CS - (lgCSrate) * SBA) * 0.63.

Wild pitches/passed balls: The league rate is (WPlg + PBlg)/lgPA. The linear weight for each passed ball/wild pitch is 0.28 runs, which we make negative since the more WP/PBs a catcher has, the worse his defense is. The formula for each player is ((WP + PB) - (lgWPPBrate * PA)) * -0.28.

Errors: Justin accounts for two kinds of errors -- throwing errors and fielding errors. Baseball Reference also includes catching errors (on throws). I've assimilated catching errors to fielding errors. There are separate linear weights for throwing errors (-0.48) and fielding errors (-0.75). The method is the same as above. Get the league rate, then see how far over/under the player is. For throwing errors: (TE - (lgTErate * PA)) * -0.48. Fielding errors: (FE - (lgFErate * PA)) * -0.75.

Then you just add them all up to get the total runs above/below average. It's not perfect, and hopefully, there will be some improved options soon, but the results do seem to reflect reality. I thought about coming up with a "rate" version like UZR/150, but that isn't as simple as prorating for innings caught/PA -- one needs to normalize each sort of event separately, the chart is confusing enough as it is. For now, this is just a value measurement of what each player did this season. But before the big chart, let's take a look at some standout performances. I've rounded to one decimal place to tone down the illusion of great precision.

Standouts and "Standouts"

Caught Stealing: Gerald Laird of the Tigers dominates here at + 11 runs. The next closest player was Johjima at +6.5 runs, then Koyie Hill at +5.4. Now, Laird had a lot more time behind the plate to accomplish that, but one wonders why teams kept trying to run on him. At the bottom of the rankings for CS runs are fan favorite A.J. Pierzynski at -4.5 runs, Yorvit Torrealbea at -5.1 runs, and blowing away the field is defensive legend and Boston Red Sox stalwart Jason Varitek, at -10.7 runs.

Pitch blocking: As for the actual "catching" part of catching, the best in baseball this season was the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz, at +5.6 runs. Jason Varitek gains some of his cred back here at +5.1 runs (I wonder what it would be if he had to catch Wakefield). The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Matt Wieters may not have quite cemented his Hall of Fame credentials, but he can block a pitch decently at +3.9 runs. The players are grouped by their performance for separate teams, so I just noticed that one of my favorites, Gregg Zaun, was +2.9 for the Orioles, and +1.4 for the Rays, which puts him at +4.3, or the real number 3. Maybe Baltimore let him go to soon -- he definite brings his Z-Game when he's blocking pitches. At the bottom of the rankings, Jorge Posada, Josh Bard, and and Rob Johnson (why did he get so much playing time?) are all tied at -3.8, Russell Martin (?!) is at -5.1 (although he saw more PA than just about any other catcher on the list). And bringing up the rear... this is going to be a shock, prepare yourself... Miguel Olivo, at -7.8. Think about that -- it's only -0.28 runs per WP/PB. Sure, he's "only" -2.7 runs worse thatn Martin, but Martin saw almost 1400 more PA than Olivo this season. This shows we're on the right track, as Brian Cartwright's WOWY study done previous to this season showed Olivo to be historically terrible at blocking the plate. Another great job of scouting by Dayton Moore and the Process Servers.

Throwing errors: Given that there's so little variance with this stat, there's probably less of a repeatable "skill" when it comes to this stuff. In other words, if we were doing a projection, there would be much more regression for TE and FE runs than others. Still, we're measuring value here, so it goes on the record. Gerald Laird leads the pack again at +1.5 runs, followed closely by Yorvit Torrealbea at +1.3 the Kurt Suzuki and Henry Blanco at +1.2 each. At the bottom, we have Rod Barajas (otherwise a good defensive catcher) at -1.6, Miguel Montero at -1.7, and sadly, my boy John Buck at -3.0. He had some really, really horrible games at the beginning of the season. At least he can move two inches to his right or left.

Fielding errors: Jason Kendall justifies his major league status with a +1.0 here, as does Russell Martin. Rod Barajas shows he's Joe Mauer's equal, as they both have +0.8. Mike Napoli is -1.6, the traitorous Paul Bako is at -2.0, and Brian McCann, who's decent at everything else, has an anomalous -3.6.

The Best and The Worst, and Others of Note: One Man, Five Tools, Indeed: Gerald Laird blows away the field at +13.3 runs. The Tigers made a conscious effort to improve their defense in the offseason, and whatever else happened, with Laird they certainly succeeded. At 0.9 WAR player without defense, with it he's about 2.2. Kenji Johjima might be overpaid, but at +8.8 runs defensively, he seems a bit less ridiculous. Dave Ross and Ryan Hanigan come in at +7.0 runs. Yadier Molina was very good, if not quite as godlike as some would think, but +6.6 runs is nothing to sneeze at, and makes him about a 4 WAR player this season. Joe Mauer's +4.3 is good, but he's not the best in baseball or the league, and that certainly doesn't make him a better MVP candidate than Zack Greinke. Matt Wieters is +2.5, so he'll probably stick at catcher, at least for a while.

Victor Martinez isn't as bad as some would say, being only -2.2 betweeen Boston and Cleveland. Jeff Mathis is a "great" defensive backup at -2.0. Or how about Jose Molina at -1.1 backing up Jorge Posada at -5.9? Giants cleanup hitter Bengie Molina is at -3.4

As for the bottom ranks... Josh Bard is at -7.3, the human swing machine, Miguel Olivo, is at -8.8, and the Living Stereotype, Mike Napoli, is at -9.7. No wonder the Angels think Mathis is a good defender.

The Big Chart

That's it. Keep in mind (along with the limitations mentioned above) that current season performance is not the same thing as true talent. I hope you will find this handy when trying to get various catchers' "real" WAR, and let others know about it. Let the arguments begin!

Rank	Player	Tm	PA	CSRuns	WP/PBRns	TERns	FERns	TotalRuns
1	Gerald Laird	DET	4842	11.0	0.6	1.5	0.2	13.3
2	Kenji Johjima	SEA	2597	6.5	0.9	0.9	0.5	8.8
3	Dave Ross	ATL	1517	4.8	1.6	0.3	0.3	7.0
4	Ryan Hanigan	CIN	2913	4.7	0.7	1.0	0.5	7.0
5	Yadier Molina	STL	5045	3.2	2.6	0.7	0.2	6.6
6	Koyie Hill	CHC	2755	5.4	0.2	0.0	0.5	6.1
7	Henry Blanco	SDP	2278	2.9	1.2	1.2	0.4	5.7
8	Carlos Ruiz	PHI	3887	-1.5	5.6	0.6	0.7	5.4
9	Raul Chavez	TOR	1818	3.6	0.5	0.0	0.3	4.4
10	Joe Mauer	MIN	4153	0.5	2.4	0.7	0.8	4.3
11	Rod Barajas	TOR	4298	2.6	2.5	-1.6	0.8	4.2
12	Brian Schneider	NYM	1976	1.6	1.2	1.0	-0.4	3.5
13	Ramon Hernandez	CIN	2069	0.6	1.7	0.6	0.4	3.3
14	Francisco Cervelli	NYY	1024	2.0	0.8	0.0	0.2	3.1
15	Lou Marson	CLE	572	1.6	1.0	-0.2	0.1	2.5
16	Eliezer Alfonzo	SDP	1128	2.2	0.3	0.6	-0.5	2.5
17	Matt Wieters	BAL	3384	-1.1	3.9	-0.2	-0.1	2.5
18	Ronny Paulino	FLA	2609	2.1	-0.4	0.4	0.5	2.5
19	Landon Powell	OAK	1205	2.8	0.5	-0.3	-0.5	2.4
20	Taylor Teagarden	TEX	2180	3.1	0.9	-1.3	-0.3	2.4
21	Omir Santos	NYM	3092	-0.7	2.8	1.1	-0.9	2.4
22	Ivan Rodriguez	HOU	3327	1.4	0.4	-0.2	0.6	2.2
23	Chris Iannetta	COL	3362	0.1	1.9	-0.7	0.6	2.0
24	Gregg Zaun	BAL	1974	0.2	2.9	-0.9	-0.4	1.8
25	Humberto Quintero	HOU	1893	2.4	0.4	-1.4	0.4	1.7
26	Corky Miller	CIN	702	0.4	0.8	0.4	0.1	1.7
27	Ramon Castro	NYM	822	1.8	0.6	0.4	-1.3	1.4
28	Mike Rivera	MIL	1227	-0.2	0.5	0.6	0.2	1.3
29	Lou Marson	PHI	245	0.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	1.2
30	Jason LaRue	STL	1139	0.0	0.9	0.1	0.2	1.2
31	Craig Tatum	CIN	749	0.5	0.6	-0.1	0.1	1.1
32	Chris Coste	PHI	925	-1.0	1.4	0.5	0.2	1.0
33	Dusty Ryan	DET	337	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.1	1.0
34	Kurt Suzuki	OAK	5222	-3.4	3.6	1.2	-0.5	0.9
35	Michel Hernandez	TBR	1140	0.1	1.1	0.1	-0.5	0.8
36	Geovany Soto	CHC	3607	2.2	-1.1	0.4	-0.8	0.7
37	Clint Sammons	ATL	135	1.0	-0.5	0.1	0.0	0.6
38	Jamie Burke	WSN	155	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.6
39	Brad Ausmus	LAD	1086	-0.1	-0.1	0.6	0.2	0.6
40	Ivan Rodriguez	TEX	961	1.4	0.1	-0.5	-0.6	0.5
41	Matt Pagnozzi	STL	40	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.5
42	Chris Gimenez	CLE	245	-0.1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.5
43	Pablo Sandoval	SFG	113	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4
44	Buster Posey	SFG	179	0.3	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.4
45	Dioner Navarro	TBR	4097	0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.0	0.4
46	J.R. Towles	HOU	538	-1.0	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.3
47	Wyatt Toregas	CLE	710	-0.5	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.3
48	Alex Avila	DET	709	0.4	-0.6	0.4	0.1	0.3
49	Steve Holm	SFG	101	0.5	-0.3	0.1	0.0	0.3
50	Edwin Bellorin	COL	69	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2
51	Dusty Brown	BOS	49	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.2
52	Jose Lobaton	SDP	205	0.2	0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.1
53	Jason Jaramillo	PIT	2347	0.2	0.2	-0.7	0.4	0.1
54	Jake Fox	CHC	30	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1
55	Carlos Corporan	MIL	6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
56	Ryan Budde	LAA	38	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
57	A.J. Ellis	LAD	119	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
58	Guillermo Rodriguez	BAL	72	0.0	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
59	Bobby Wilson	LAA	98	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	-0.1
60	David Freese	STL	10	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	-0.1
61	Kevin Cash	NYY	297	-0.3	0.0	0.2	0.1	-0.1
62	Chris Coste	HOU	628	-1.2	0.6	0.3	0.1	-0.2
63	Adam Moore	SEA	241	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.0	-0.2
64	Corky Miller	CHW	383	-0.7	0.2	0.2	0.1	-0.2
65	Gregg Zaun	TBR	928	-1.5	1.4	0.5	-0.6	-0.2
66	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	3169	-0.5	1.6	-1.3	-0.2	-0.3
67	Wil Nieves	WSN	2538	1.4	-0.4	-1.1	-0.3	-0.3
68	John Hester	ARI	255	-0.4	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.3
69	Paul Hoover	PHI	55	-0.3	-0.1	0.0	0.0	-0.4
70	Guillermo Quiroz	SEA	161	-0.1	-0.4	0.1	0.0	-0.4
71	Dane Sardinha	DET	404	-0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.1	-0.5
72	Shawn Riggans	TBR	156	-0.3	0.1	-0.4	0.0	-0.5
73	Matt Treanor	DET	157	-0.6	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.6
74	Kevin Richardson	TEX	70	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.0	-0.6
75	Victor Martinez	CLE	1991	-2.7	0.7	1.0	0.4	-0.6
76	Josh Thole	NYM	551	-0.1	-0.5	-0.2	0.1	-0.6
77	Tyler Flowers	CHW	123	-0.3	-0.5	0.1	0.0	-0.7
78	Michael Barrett	TOR	174	-0.3	-0.6	0.1	0.0	-0.8
79	Luke Carlin	ARI	176	-0.9	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.8
80	Kyle Phillips	TOR	186	-0.2	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	-0.9
81	Jesus Flores	WSN	980	0.4	-1.2	0.5	-0.6	-0.9
82	Jose Molina	NYY	1533	-0.9	-0.9	0.3	0.3	-1.1
83	Jamie Burke	SEA	424	0.7	-0.8	0.2	-1.4	-1.3
84	Kelly Shoppach	CLE	3042	-0.7	-0.9	-0.4	0.6	-1.5
85	Victor Martinez	BOS	1173	-1.5	1.0	-1.3	0.2	-1.6
86	Ramon Castro	CHW	975	-1.8	1.0	-0.9	0.2	-1.6
87	Rob Johnson	SEA	2927	2.4	-3.8	0.5	-1.0	-1.8
88	Ryan Doumit	PIT	2754	-1.0	0.5	-0.5	-1.0	-2.0
89	Chad Moeller	BAL	1116	-3.1	0.2	0.6	0.2	-2.1
90	Jeff Mathis	LAA	2902	0.8	-1.0	-0.9	-1.0	-2.1
91	Paul Phillips	COL	502	-1.8	-0.3	-0.2	0.1	-2.3
92	Mike Redmond	MIN	1513	-4.1	0.5	0.8	0.3	-2.5
93	Robinzon Diaz	PIT	1268	-1.0	-1.6	-0.3	0.2	-2.6
94	Yorvit Torrealba	COL	2438	-5.1	0.5	1.3	0.5	-2.9
95	Brayan Pena	KCR	1012	-0.5	-3.1	0.5	0.2	-2.9
96	Brian McCann	ATL	4763	-0.7	1.8	-0.4	-3.6	-3.0
97	Chris Snyder	ARI	1962	-1.3	-3.0	1.0	0.4	-3.0
98	Eli Whiteside	SFG	1348	1.0	-2.2	-0.7	-1.2	-3.2
99	John Baker	FLA	3919	-2.6	-0.5	-0.9	0.7	-3.2
100	Paul Bako	PHI	1328	-0.7	-0.3	-0.3	-2.0	-3.3
101	Russell Martin	LAD	5205	1.5	-5.1	-0.7	1.0	-3.3
102	Bengie Molina	SFG	4582	-1.0	-2.6	0.9	-0.6	-3.4
103	Jason Varitek	BOS	4133	-10.7	5.1	0.7	0.8	-4.1
104	George Kottaras	BOS	1166	-1.8	-3.0	0.1	0.2	-4.4
105	Jason Kendall	MIL	5296	-2.9	-1.5	-1.1	1.0	-4.5
106	John Buck	KCR	1693	-2.0	-0.1	-3.0	0.3	-4.8
107	A.J. Pierzynski	CHW	4927	-4.5	-0.8	1.1	-0.6	-4.8
108	Jose Morales	MIN	812	-2.1	-1.7	-0.1	-1.3	-5.2
109	Jorge Posada	NYY	3653	-0.8	-3.8	-0.5	-0.8	-5.9
110	Miguel Montero	ARI	4094	-1.4	-3.4	-1.7	0.0	-6.5
111	Nick Hundley	SDP	2877	-3.7	-2.0	-0.9	-0.2	-6.8
112	Josh Bard	WSN	2902	-2.8	-3.8	-0.4	-0.2	-7.3
113	Miguel Olivo	KCR	3821	0.7	-7.8	-0.9	-0.8	-8.8
114	Mike Napoli	LAA	3468	-4.3	-3.1	-0.6	-1.6	-9.7

ALDS Preview: Breaking down the Los Angeles Angels' key players

Randy Booth — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:01:05 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

2 months ago: The Los Angeles Angels mob the field after clinching the AL West title with an 11-0 win over the Texas Rangers in an MLB baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Browse more photos »

Today is the day: the first game of the American League Division Series. The Red Sox are in Los Angeles prepping for the Halos as we speak. Jon Lester, getting warm. Jason Bay, doing voodoo on his bat. Terry Francona, shoving chew in his mouth like it's going out of style.

With that, her is your primer on the Angels' key players for the start of tonight's series.

Lineup

Chone Figgins

#9 / Third Base / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 5-8

Weight: 180

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Jan 22, 1978

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Chone Figgins	158	615	114	183	30	7	5	54	101	114	42	17	.298	.395	.393

Here's the good news: Tim Wakefield will not be pitching in the ALDS, meaning Chone Figgins can not steal off of him. Figgins' biggest asset is his speed. The Angels have stolen 15 bags against the Sox this year (second most against any team behind the Yankees), and Figgins has stolen six of those, the most steals he has against any team this season (and that's in just nine games). Figgins has gotten on base at a .395 clip against the Sox this season, so it'll be important to try and keep him off the basepaths or he'll do a lot of damage.

Bobby Abreu

#53 / Right Field / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Bobby Abreu	152	563	96	165	29	3	15	103	94	113	30	8	.293	.390	.435

Abreu was one of the best pickups of the offseason when it comes to "guys you don't expect much out of." The stats really don't lie with Abreu -- he's a solid player that doesn't have too many holes in his game (well, there's that defense thing. But that's negligible, right?). The way Abreu can hurt the Sox is just by forcing a lot of pitches. He's currently 5th in the AL in pitches per plate appearance at 4.21 (Figgins is 4th at 4.22, but our man Kevin Youkilis leads at 4.40). If the Sox can get Abreu out early in counts, they'll save a lot of pitches for later in the game.

Torii Hunter

#48 / Center Field / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-2

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 18, 1975

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Torii Hunter	119	451	74	135	26	1	22	90	47	92	18	4	.299	.366	.508

Hunter is one of the Halos' bigger power threats, but not their biggest. Hunter missed a lot of games this year, but he was still able to put up a lot of good numbers -- in 119 games, his .869 OPS was the best of his career. Like a lot of players in this lineup, he's a threat to do almost anything. He'll hit home runs, steal bases, walk at a pretty good rate; he's their No. 3 hitter for a reason.

Vladimir Guerrero

#27 / Designated Hitter / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-3

Weight: 235

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 09, 1976

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Vladimir Guerrero	100	383	59	113	16	1	15	50	19	56	2	1	.295	.334	.460

This is not the same Vladimir Guerrero you're used to, but he's still pretty good. With that said, he's striking out more this season and he's walking less than he ever has. His power is down, too, but he still can't be labeled a "non-threat." If you leave him a flat curveball, he probably will deposit it into the bleachers.

Juan Rivera

#20 / Left Field / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-2

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 03, 1978

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Juan Rivera	138	529	72	152	24	1	25	88	36	57	0	1	.287	.332	.478

Rivera is kind of going the opposite route of Vlad. Rivera, in his first full season, is walking more and striking out less, while putting up solid power numbers. He's also a pretty solid fielder in left (except this moment -- what happened there?). Fortunately, Rivera has struggled against the Sox this season, hitting just .194 in eight games.

Kendry Morales

#19 / First Base / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-1

Weight: 225

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Jun 20, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Kendry Morales	152	566	86	173	43	2	34	108	46	117	3	7	.306	.355	.569

Clearly the Angels' MVP this season, Morales is just one of many scary hitters in this lineup. He leads the team in home runs (34), RBIs (107), slugging (.571) and OPS (.927). He also leads in strikeouts, which may be one of his few weaknesses. The good thing is that he's cooled down this past month, hitting just .269 in September and October with four home runs. He also sported a .200 batting average against the Sox in 35 at-bats this year.

Howie Kendrick

#47 / Second Base / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 5-10

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 12, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Howie Kendrick	105	374	61	109	21	3	10	61	20	71	11	4	.291	.334	.444

Geez. There isn't a break in this lineup, is there? Kendrick doesn't walk a lot, but he can usually get a bat on the ball. He doesn't have much power, but he's decent on the basepaths and is an above-average defender. He'd probably be a bigger factor on a team without such a good lineup.

Mike Napoli

#44 / Catcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-0

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 31, 1981

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Mike Napoli	114	382	60	104	22	1	20	56	40	103	3	3	.272	.350	.492

Mike Napoli, or better known as this guy, has always seemed to be a thorn in the Sox's side. He has three home runs against the Sox this year, tied (with the Blue Jays) for the most he's hit against any team. Like Morales though, Napoli has struggled lately, hitting just .192 in September and October. He strikes out quite a bit, but he has a lot of power. Memo: don't give him anything to hit.

Erick Aybar

#2 / Short Stop / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 5-10

Weight: 170

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Jan 14, 1984

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Erick Aybar	137	504	70	157	23	9	5	58	30	54	14	7	.312	.353	.423

Another guy that hits for average. But luckily, Aybar doesn't have the power as most of his other teammates have. He is kind of a pest at the plate though, because he doesn't strike out very often. The Sox should be more worried about what he does on defense, as he mans the shortstop position pretty well. Aybar is expected to start against right handed pitchers.

Maicer Izturis

#13 / Short Stop / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 5-8

Weight: 170

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Sep 12, 1980

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Maicer Izturis	114	387	74	116	22	3	8	65	35	41	13	5	.300	.359	.434

There's not a big difference between Aybar and Izturis. Izturis hits for average, but not much power and plays solid defense. Just another guy that can make contact with the ball, basically.

Pitching Staff

John Lackey

#41 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-6

Weight: 245

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 23, 1978

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - John Lackey	11-8	27	27	1	1	0	0	176.1	177	84	75	17	47	139	3.83	1.27

The ace of this Angels staff will be on the hill for game one against the Sox. Lackey has pretty much been his normal self this season after a rocky start which saw his ERA at 6.05 after May. In the second half he rebounded though, going 7-4 with a 3.05 ERA. He only faced the Sox once this season, but it was a good start, holding the Sox to two runs in 7.2 innings. Thankfully, Dice-K was pretty good in that game, too. Lackey started two games in last year's ALDS and did pretty well against the Sox, allowing just four runs in 13.2 innings. The best thing the Sox can do against Lackey is what they try to do against any pitcher: make him throw, throw, throw. The Sox can beat Lackey -- they've done it before -- but patience is the best asset they can have against him.

Jered Weaver

#36 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-7

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 04, 1982

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jered Weaver	16-8	33	33	4	2	0	0	211.0	196	91	88	26	66	174	3.75	1.24

This season was Weaver's best since his rookie campaign. He's striking out batters at a consistent rate (7.42 per 9) and batters are hitting .248 off him. He is walking more batters and giving up more home runs than normal, but it's not too far off his career average. After a rough July (6.88 ERA) and August (4.58), he allowed just 13 runs in 37.2 innings in September and October. More bad news, though: Weaver is a deceptive pitcher who has handled the Sox this season in two starts. He allowed just one earned run in 13.2 innings and notched 12 strikeouts. He'll start game two.

Scott Kazmir

#22 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-0

Weight: 190

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jan 24, 1984

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Scott Kazmir	2-2	6	6	0	0	0	0	36.1	28	8	7	1	10	26	1.73	1.05

Yup, we have to face Kazmir again -- except this time he's not wearing Tampa Bay colors. And since that trade that sent him packing to the West Coast, Kazmir has been pretty dominate, allowing just seven runs in more than 36 innings of work. This looks more like the 2007 Kazmir than the pre-trade Kazmir of 2009. His strikeouts are actually down with the Halos, but so are his walks (from 4.05 per 9 to 2.48). Batters are also hitting just .215 against Kazmir since the trade. He has always pitched well in Fenway too, notching a 3.05 ERA in 73.2 innings. The Sox will find success against Kazmir if he sees the Sox and thinks he's a Ray again -- maybe he'll mentally crack. That'd be nice.

Joe Saunders

#51 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jun 16, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Joe Saunders	16-7	31	31	1	1	0	0	186.0	202	102	95	29	64	101	4.60	1.43

Saunders will start game No. 4, but let's hope we won't have to see him. The good thing is, if the Sox do face Saunders, he's not as good as he was last year. More walks, more home runs and overall, just better success for hitters this season against Saunders. He wasn't that good against the Sox this season either, allowing six walks and 15 hits in 12.2 innings.

Ervin Santana

#54 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 12, 1982

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ervin Santana	8-8	24	23	2	2	0	0	139.2	159	83	78	24	47	107	5.03	1.47

The Sox won't see Santana start a game, but will most likely see him come out of the bullpen. Santana missed a lot of time this season (trust me, I was his faithful fantasy owner) and just hasn't been able to replicate his 08 season. He struck out two less batters per nine innings than last season and is walking at a higher rate (1.93 in '08, 3.07 this season). The Sox shouldn't have a lot of trouble hitting Santana -- if they see him.

Brian Fuentes

#40 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Angels

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Aug 09, 1975

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Brian Fuentes	1-5	65	0	0	0	48	7	55.0	53	24	24	6	24	46	3.93	1.40

The closer of the staff, Fuentes jumped ship from Colorado last season to replace Francisco Rodriguez. The results haven't been to pleasant: his ERA is up more than a run, his WHIP is up 0.3 and his strikeouts are down. That's the NL-AL switch for you. Despite his struggles, he had 48 saves on the season, the best in baseball. (This doesn't really say much for him, except the opportunities given to him. He blew seven saves to go along with it -- fourth most in baseball.)

Poll

How will the ALDS between the Red Sox and Angels finish?

Red Sox in 3

22 votes

Red Sox in 4

153 votes

Red Sox in 5

62 votes

Angels in 3

36 votes

Angels in 4

57 votes

Angels in 5

28 votes

358 votes | Poll has closed

Playoff Rotations Set - John Lackey/Jon Lester: Monday Halolinks

WiHaloFan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:20:19 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

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Angels' season-ending sweep injects sense of optimism -- latimes.com
Joe Saunders called the decision to shut himself down and receive a cortisone injection in his sore shoulder in early August "one of the best I've made in my career," and the evidence was on display again Sunday in the Oakland Coliseum.

Angels 5, Athletics 3 - FOX Sports on MSN
Saunders pitched five effective innings, Mike Napoli homered and the Los Angeles Angels closed out an impressive regular season with a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. The AL West champions swept the three-game set against the A's and will host the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of their division series Wednesday or Thursday. Saunders (16-7) allowed two runs and six hits as the Angels marked their 100th day in first place.

ALDS matchup: Angels vs. Red Sox - Stan McNeal - Sporting News
Prediction: Red Sox in five. Too much power -- at the plate and on the mound.

Torii Hunter, Angels 'Doing Something Different' In Playoffs This Year - Bleacher Report
Earlier this week, Angels center fielder Torii Hunter appeared on a local sports talk radio show to discuss the playoffs, declaring in no uncertain terms that the Angels will be "doing something different" this year.

How they got there: 2009 Angels - Video - angelsbaseball.com
MLB.com takes an in-depth look at how the Angels made the 2009 postseason

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
About playing the Red Sox... "It's a different year, man," right-hander John Lackey said. "They've got different people. We've got different people. Don't read too much into it. "We're tired of answering these questions. You're probably tired of asking them. But until we win -- it's going to be there."

Team Reports II - CBSSports.com
The Angels confirmed their starting rotation for the first round of the playoffs. RHPs John Lackey and Jered Weaver will start Games 1 and 2 at Angel Stadium. LHP Scott Kazmir will start Game 3 in Fenway Park, and LHP Joe Saunders will pitch Game 4 (if necessary).

Video highlights from yesterday's game:

Figgins makes great stop and strong throw - MLB.com
Chone Figgins makes a great stop behind third base, then fires across the diamond in time to get the out at first

Napoli knocks a solo home run to right field - MLB.com
Mike Napoli knocks a solo home run over the left-field fence, his 20th of the season

Are The LA Angels Tough Enough To Beat Beantown? - Bleacher Report
Pressure. Who can handle it and who can’t. And that’s what’s going to decide whether west coast cool can beat east coast heavy in 2009.

It must be fun to be a Boston Red Sox fan - Joe Posnanski - SI.com
"You guys can talk about RBIs if you want, I just ... we ignore them in the front office ... and I think we've built some pretty good offensive clubs. If you want to talk about RBIs at all, talk about it as a percentage of opportunity, but it's just simply not a way or something we use to evaluate offensive players.", Theo Epstein, Red Sox General Manager

Hunter has postseason flair - OCRegister.com
In 25 postseason games with the Angels and Twins, Hunter is a .316 hitter (more than 40 points higher than his career average during the regular season) with three home runs, 13 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He led the Angels with five RBIs in last season's ALDS loss to the Red Sox and tied for the team lead with seven hits in the four games.

Boston Red Sox - Red Sox tab Lester, Beckett 1-2 - The Boston Globe
Lester will start Game 1, ahead of Josh Beckett, in a move that has much to do with his ability to bounce back if needed, but also much to do with the way he is pitching. Clay Buchholz will start Game 3 at Fenway Park.

Blyleven: How to handle the pressure of the playoffs - nbcsports.msnbc.com
Now that the playoffs have arrived, it’s time to look at a question that is as old as the game itself: Why do some players thrive under postseason pressure, while others wilt? What is the best way to approach the postseason and make the most of such a tremendous opportunity?

Keith Law: Scouting the Los Angeles Angels - ESPN
Finally, an Angels lineup built for the postseason (need ESPN Insider subscription)

Halos healthy, deep entering ALDS rematch - angelsbaseball.com: News
"I really like this team, where we are," veteran right fielder Bobby Abreu said. "I feel like it's our time, I really do."

ShysterBall: And that happened 10/05/09
Angels 5, Athletics 3: Has a team ever bounced back from as horrible an April as the Angels? We can't know because the reasons for the horribleness are partially unquantifiable, but hats off to Anaheim for a great season regardless. I have no rooting interests in this year's playoffs, and when that happens I tend to adopt a team. The Yankees and Red Sox are never going to be that team because they don't need me and I don't much like them. I have some historical issues with the Twins, and even if I didn't, if they pull it out on Tuesday, their bandwagon is going to be pretty full. The Tigers are an old flame, but I can't see myself getting involved with someone who doesn't have their stuff together. The Phillies are my team's division rival, and I can't bring myself to root for them at any time before the World Series, and maybe not at all. The Cardinals and Dodgers made that list of teams to whom I could conceivably sell my allegiance and I am an NL guy at heart, but the Angels are at least shaping up to be the team I'd like to see come out of the AL.

A Minor Review of 2009: Los Angeles Angeles - FanGraphs Baseball
Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists.

Oz says Figgins may cost too much :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
When asked Saturday about the reality of the Sox going after Los Angeles Angels leadoff hitter and free agent-to-be Chone Figgins this winter, Guillen spoke honestly. ''I don't think Figgins,'' Guillen said. ''To be honest with you, would we like to have players like him? [Bleep], everybody does. But this kid is going to cost you a lot of money. If we figure out this guy is going to solve our problem, then [chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] will take a shot because Jerry wants to win.

Torii's Storiis: Molitor, Abreu: two of a kind
When I first came up to big league camp with the Twins in 1997, Paul Molitor was nearing the end of his career, and he had a big impact on me. What's interesting is that I now see so many similarities between Molitor and Bobby Abreu, who has been such a great teammate this season.

Major League Baseball Standings and Team Records - ESPN
Major League Baseball (MLB) standings on ESPN.com

October 5 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 5.
2002 - The Anaheim Angels shock the New York Yankees by scoring eight runs in the fifth inning and going on to a 9 - 5 victory. The victory give Anaheim its first postseason series victory ever, as they win their ALDS matchup, three games to 1. Shawn Wooten hit a home run for Anaheim while Jorge Posada adds a round-tripper for New York. Jarrod Washburn gets the victory for the Angels.

Poll

In your opinion, who is the Red Sox best position player?

Kevin Youkilis

180 votes

David Ortiz

5 votes

Jacoby Ellsbury

45 votes

Dustin Pedroia

112 votes

Jason Bay

102 votes

Victor Martinez

51 votes

Other (comment below)

12 votes

507 votes | Poll has closed

Joe Saunders Wins Sweet 16, Mike Scioscia Wins 900th

Rev Halofan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:32:00 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Joe Saunders works against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Final Score in Oakland: Angels 5, Athletics 3

Mike Scioscia managed his 900th regular season victory, pitcher Joe Saunders won the 1st game of the Angels 2009 season and he won the 162nd and final regular season contest Sunday afternoon, but all fans are really wondering is whether or not he can win next Monday on the 23rd anniversary of the "Donnie Moore" Game, against the Halo's postseason nemesis Boston Red Sox.

Perhaps more important than Saunders 2 ER and 6 Hits surrendered in 5 smooth innings was Ervin Santana appearing out of the bullpen to toss 2 innings of 3 hit, no-run ball, striking out 3 in the process. Darren Oliver got his 20th Hold of the seasons and Kevin Jepsen had a sky 9th for his first Save of the year.

Mike Napoli hit his 20th homerun of the season, a solo shot, while Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales padded their 100+ RBI totals for the season Torii Hunter doubled in his 90th Ribby in a 3-run 5th inning. The Angels finish with 97 wins on the year, their 3rd best total in franchise history. They won 100 games last season and 99 games in their championship 2002 year.

Poll

Panther of the Game:

Mike Napoli

80 votes

Joe Saunders

168 votes

248 votes | Poll has closed

Angels Victory Tuesday Clinches Red Sox Rematch

Rev Halofan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:50:42 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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Final Score in Anaheim: Angels 5, Rangers 2

With a lineup featuring many Triple A players, the Angels eliminated the allegedly major league Texas Rangers from post-season contention. This assures the Halos of facing their postseason nemesis, the Boston Red Sox late next week in the American League Division Series.

Looming just a little further down the road, rookie starting pitcher Sean O`Sullivan dominated the Arlington Also-Rans and seems to be in contention for a 2010 rotation spot. The young Jack Black doppleganger struck out 3 Rangers in 5 innings, allowed 2 ER and gave up only 3 hits one night after giving a nationally televised and champagne-soaked locker-room popping demo, taking the team "best dancer" award uncontested.

Batting for Vladimir Guerrero in the 4th inning, Mike Napoli hit a 2 run single with the bases loaded and later in the game rookie Chris Pettit got a hit in his first major league plate appearance. Bobby Abreu went 2 for 3 with a solo HR off of 17-Game Winner Scott Feldman to get the night's scoring started. But according to some statistical analysts, WINS don't matter. Those analysts are not going to the postseason.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Sean O'Sullivan

194 votes

Mike Napoli

67 votes

261 votes | Poll has closed