Around the horn: Catcher

01/18/2006
The battle to win the starting catcher's job will be as competitive as any other for the Angels this spring.
Incumbent Bengie Molina left the club this winter to pursue free agent dollars, though the two-time Gold Glove winner remains unsigned. Looking to take over behind the plate is brother Jose Molina with two highly-regarded prospects, Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli, hoping to break through and win a job on the Opening Day roster.
Five more catchers will also be in Tempe, Ariz., on non-roster invitations when camp opens Feb. 15: Ryan Budde, Michael Collins, Brent Del Chiaro, Brett Martinez and Bobby Wilson.
Jose Molina, who just signed a two-year deal worth $2.1 million, has the lead going into camp at least from the perspective of experience. The 30-year-old has logged 255 games at the Major League level, encompassing parts of six seasons.
Mathis appeared in five games for the Angels last season and collected his first big league hit. Napoli has not appeared above Double-A, but whoever wins the job has a tough act to follow.
Not only was Bengie Molina an award-winning catcher, but he developed a strong rapport with the pitching staff and was an overall good receiver. The aspect of Bengie Molina's game that may be toughest for this group to duplicate, though, at least initially, is his offense.
He hit .295 last season and matched Juan Rivera for third on the club with 15 homers. His batting average ranked second among catchers in the Major Leagues and he led the American League by hitting .393 against left-handers. Bengie Molina also hit .361 with two out and runners in scoring position, which was second to Garret Anderson on the Angels.
But Bengie Molina played in an average of 112 games in the last three seasons and the Angels are as deep as any organization in baseball at the catching position. It was a combination of those factors that start moving some of those catchers up through the system.
"It is the emergence of Mathis and right behind him Mike Napoli," general manager Bill Stoneman said in December, when he declined to offer Bengie Molina salary arbitration and effectively cut ties with one of their World Series stars. "I didn't want to throw up a road block that would possibly impede Mathis or would impede Jose Molina."
There are no questions surrounding Jose Molina's abilities behind the plate. He led the AL by throwing out 49 percent of would-be base stealers last season and posted a .993 fielding percentage. In 2004, Jose Molina threw out potential base stealers at a 45-percent clip and led the league with five pickoffs while making just 56 starts.
But his offensive skills are not nearly as developed and that may pose a problem for a lineup that will need production throughout the order in 2006. Jose Molina hit .228 last season with six homers to establish a career high, but slumped to .189 against right-handers.
Mathis has risen steadily through the Angels' system. Selected in the first round of the 2001 draft, Mathis is well-regarded defensively but he has also shown some skills at the plate. In 112 games at Triple-A Salt Lake last season, Mathis hit .276 with 21 homers, 26 doubles and 73 RBIs.
He was the only member of the team to be selected to the postseason Pacific Coast League All-Star team and the Angels named Mathis the organization's Minor League defensive player of the year.
While Jose Molina has an edge in experience, Mathis enters camp on essentially equal footing.
"No one is closer to winning the starting job than the other and no one is calling Jose Molina the starting catcher. We'll see how it develops in Spring Training," Stoneman said. "There is no question about Jose Molina's defense -- that is the strength of his game. Mathis has a more balanced game. We'll see how it goes."
Napoli has posted some offensive numbers that are tough to ignore. He led the Texas League with 31 homers and 99 RBIs last season while hitting .237 in 131 games at Arkansas. This winter in the Dominican Republic, Napoli hit two home runs and went 9-for-25 in eight games for Aguilas.
In 2004, Napoli hit 29 homers and drove in 118 runs at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. Napoli is on the 40-man roster and will be in camp this spring, but Stoneman said he is a long shot to win a spot with the Angels given his lack of Triple-A experience.
And, unlike recent years when the Angels carried three catchers, Stoneman said there will probably be only two catchers on the Opening Day roster when the season begins April 3 in Seattle.
In an offseason that has been largely defined by the value of the Angels' prospects, the first test of that approach will likely take place behind the plate.

Source: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/