Around the Horn: Corner infielders

01/25/2006
Casey Kotchman had the hottest bat of any Angel last spring and all it did was earn him a trip to Salt Lake.
When he heads to Tempe, Ariz., next month, though, Kotchman can plan ahead for the 2006 season as the leading candidate to take over at first base for the Angels from Darin Erstad, who is heading to the outfield.
A year ago, Dallas McPherson was the starting third baseman and despite suffering a back injury to open the Cactus League schedule, he remained No. 1 on the depth chart at the position and returned to the lineup by mid-April. For an encore, McPherson will be looking to carve a niche.
The new year has brought a few changes and this spring will be a bit different for these two.
When the Angels traded Steve Finley to the Giants for infielder Edgardo Alfonzo just before Christmas, a hole opened in center field. But instead of filling it with Chone Figgins, the club's Mr. Everywhere, Erstad was told to find his outfielder's glove and get his legs ready for running fly balls down in the gaps.
Figgins would have been an easy fix, but that would have relegated Kotchman to a bench role or designated hitter at best and the Angels felt it was time to open first base to a talented prospect that was ready for the opportunity to play.
"He's earned this chance," general manager Bill Stoneman said of Kotchman. "He came on very strong for us in the second half of last season and moving Darin to the outfield opens this spot for him."
Kotchman had two stints with the big club last season, the first of which he would rather forget. After a slow start at Salt Lake, he got the call on May 30 only to go hitless in 10 games. But Kotchman got another chance and made the most of it, hitting .302 in 40 games following an Aug. 4 recall that included seven homers.
The Angels were pleased if not somewhat surprised at the emergence of his power stroke, but they will point more to Kotchman's .323 average with runners in scoring position as something they will expect from him this season.
Kotchman will also be counted on heavily for his defense. Erstad won a Gold Glove at first base in 2004 and the Angels ranked first in fielding percentage in the Majors last season, tying Oakland, Seattle and Atlanta. Proving his worth at the position, Kotchman did not commit an error in 20 games at first last season.
A player with a shot at becoming the second-string first baseman will be Kendry Morales, someone who will also get serious consideration at DH.
The switch-hitter appeared at two levels in the organization last season, Class A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Arkansas, and excelled at both stops. After missing all of last spring as the Cuban defector settled document issues to enter the United States, the Angels will get their first look at Morales in big league camp.
Across the diamond, McPherson is in a position with plenty to prove and foremost is that he belongs on the Major League roster.
Hip and back problems limited him to 61 games last season and McPherson had surgery Aug. 30 to shave a bone spur on his left hip. Last year's heir apparent at third base will be faced with two issues this spring: He must show he can physically withstand the demands of playing every day, but he also must demonstrate he can consistently handle big league pitching.
McPherson hit eight homers in 205 at-bats while striking out 64 times. But he has also demonstrated the ability to change a game with one swing, and power hitters will not be a long suit for the Angels this season. McPherson played better than expected in the field and is confident he'll be 100 percent for Spring Training.
"I know that I have to go out and win the job all over again," McPherson said. "I'll play wherever they think is best -- DH, whatever. I just want to be on the field. I just want to play."
While McPherson will try and craft a role, Figgins already knows his and that is to play where he's needed. Last season, that was at second base to open the year and center field to finish the year. In between, he made starts at four other positions and also at DH.
Barring a change of events this spring, Figgins will open the year at third. He logged 56 games at the position in 2005 and performed well defensively, committing three errors there.
But finding a position for Figgins is more about getting him into the lineup. He led the Majors with 62 stolen bases last season while taking hold of the leadoff spot. Figgins led the club with 113 runs last season and the Angels are 133-53 when Figgins scores at least once in a game. Projected reserves will be Alfonzo and Maicer Izturis.
"A strength of this club is our flexibility and we're able to make these changes because of the players that we have here now and coming up," Stoneman said.

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