thoughts: today's game, some ?s to ponder

Just some tidbits:

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Only caught some of today's game, but some observations:

- The Angels stranded way too many runners.
- Kaz seemed to work better when his pace seemed quicker than normal.
- Mathis caught Kaz again. If Sosh sticks with this + having Mathis catch Ervin (like he has in the past), Jeff would be paired with the dynamic-but-erratic pitchers in the rotation.
- Aybar stole 2nd and 3rd in one inning (and was stranded!) but the play at 3rd was very close. I agree that Aybar is bound to be scary on the basepaths, but I think he'll be learning (trial by fire!) at least.
- Mathis hit the ball hard, following a recent trend. Yeah, it's just spring training, but is it too naive to *hope* for some improvement in his bat?
- Jose Mota and Terry Smith seem to be gelling together. At least there isn't anymore of the awkward silences or interupting each other. Mota, in particular, seems to be growing into the role, though he does the Angels's promotional statements too often.
- Mathis threw out two baserunners on two very good throws, but had three baserunners steal on bad throws. Interestingly, one of the outs was at third base when he threw from his knees, like he did on Thursday.
- Kaz looked good for the most part. Though I suspect even if he'd bombed, I'd stay firm with my belief in him. Chalk it up to irrational fan faith!

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A great write-up by Sean Smith (of CHONE fame) about the challenges of this year's team. Intresting points include one about Wood:

"In another organization, I could see the team telling him not to worry about the strikeouts and just try to crush the ball. In that case, his upside would be similar to Mark Reynolds in Arizona. That is not going to happen with the Angels; manager Mike Scioscia will not tolerate that many strikeouts. A better bet is a career that looks a bit like that of Joe Crede, who also put himself on the prospect map at age 20 before stalling and getting three years of Triple-A."

and Aybar:

"I worry about Aybar trying to be Figgins and messing up his game. He's an aggressive hitter, and needs to stay with the approach that got him to the level of a starting major league shortstop... I hope he doesn't mess himself up trying to be something he's not. "

I'm kinda relieved to see that he (and others) are as concerned about the depth of the team as I am. Being a fan is inherently emotional, so its comforting to know that I'm not needlessly worrying. But like he notes, there's an exciting outfield prospect that's on the cusp.

"Peter Bourjos could represent the best backup option in the outfield. The 23-year-old is unproven with the bat but has great speed and instincts as a center fielder. If Bourjos develops quickly, he could change the whole makeup of the team, hurting a bit at the plate but greatly improving the outfield defense...Replacing Abreu's glove with that of Bourjos would save the team about 30 runs, and I don't think that is an exaggeration at all." [italics mine]

Bourjos been getting increased exposure and his hype is slowly growing - it'll be interesting to see if he can outshine the other older top prospects (Conger, Reckling).