When you judge Howie, you must realize what type of hitter he is.  When you think Howie, think of a young Pete Rose.  A contact hitter who hits singles and doubles with great frequency. 

He’s not a power hitter, per se, although management believes that when he reaches his prime years he’ll be capable of hitting twenty home runs.  What they do expect from him in the near future is a batting title.   In his first 3, injury plagued, years he has hit .285, .322, and .306, while hitting just 12  homers.

My guy for the upcoming season is Kendry Moralas, a switch hitting Cuban who has had 3 strong seasons at Salt Lake City (AAA).   I hated to see Tex go, but there is a possibility that this guy could be as good, or  better.  Now, I know that’s a big statement, and probably, it will not  happen, but it could, he has the tools.  After all, he hit over .400 in the Dominican League this winter.  

The thing about the Angels is their farm system.  They take a lot of pride in it; they honestly believe that they have the best minor league organization in  MLB.  Teams are always plucking players who aren’t protected on their 40 man roster, and they seldom trade any of  their minor league players.  

Likewise, they also have a great management team, starting with Arte Moreno the owner, and ending with Mike Scioscia, whom some consider the best manager in baseball.  As you know, Mike’s a Philly guy, and proud of it.   

In closing let me, once again, commend you on your review of the Angels, and, also, let me add one more thing, GO  SIXERS, I love the Sixers.

thanks for stopping by. certainly love having people closer to the teams than I am sharing opinions. 

Napoli was my second choice for player to watch, but I though Kendrick will have the bigger impact.

You are absolutely right that this team needs a bat. There are some out there too, and I would really be surprised if they didn’t go out and get one. Usually, the ownership isn’t shy about spending to win. 

1.) When I read offseason additions and there was just one name I cringed. We’ve lost two big sluggers in Mark Teixeira and to a lesser extent Garret Anderson. But Reagins has failed to bring in ONE additional bat. They won’t even consider Manny and seem to be content with starting Gary Matthews Jr. or Reggie Willits at LF/RF/DH. That ain’t a championship formula. 

2.) I think you’re right Howie Kendrick is going to have a big year. At times, Scioscia has had him back second in the lineup but on other occasions he’s batting seventh, eighth. I think he needs to be up in the order.

3.) Another player to watch is Mike Napoli. In Game 3 of the ALDS, Napoli hit two home runs over the green moster. He’s kinda like a catchers version of Adam Dunn. He has a lot of power and could hit 25-30+ HRs if healthy but he tends to strike out a lot.

Once again great job with this preview.

BTW, you’re right, those 2001 jerseys were hideous. 

By Tim Dierkes [January 22, 2009 at 3:33pm CST]
Chuck Hixson of PhillyBaseballNews.com recently asked Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about free agent starters Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Randy Wolf. Amaro responded: “I’d like to think that we’re at the point on our payroll, where those guys wouldn’t fit. We’re really kind of looking more for bullpen help. We are looking at some guys from outside the organization to add some depth and experience for us in the bullpen.”

So, he won’t be coming to Philly.  He could possibly end up with the Dodgers or the Mets though, as I also found this:

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 22, 2009 at 5:43pm CST]
According to Ken Rosenthal, major league sources say the Dodgers have the “inside track” on signing Randy Wolf. Such a deal would likely be for one or two years. The Dodgers are talking with Jon Garland and Braden Looper as well as Wolf. The Mets, who consider Wolf an alternative to Oliver Perez, are still talking with Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez as well as Garland and Perez.

That’s all I’ve got for you on Garland.