With Jeff Mathis to the DL, Mike Napoli gets a second chance
Just how much does Mike Scioscia not want to play Mike Napoli(notes)? We're about to find out.
The Angels got the worst possible news on Jeff Mathis(notes) Tuesday – he's got a broken bone in his right wrist and early speculation says he'll miss 6-8 weeks. Mathis was off to a roaring start at the plate (10-game hitting streak) and it's well-documented that Scioscia would rather play Mathis than Napoli because of their defensive skills (Mathis has them, Napoli doesn't).
Now the skipper's hand is basically forced – Napoli should settle in as the everyday catcher. Yahoo! owners were busy dropping Napoli the last week or so, with good reason, but it's time to jump back in. Bobby Wilson(notes) is the other catcher on the Los Angeles roster; he carried a .271/.316/.398 line over 354 at-bats at Triple-A Salt Lake last year. Unless Wilson can convince the Angels brass that he's the second coming of Matt Wieters(notes) Johnny Bench, Napoli is set to get his chance.
The Napoli Era has is off to a slow start Tuesday – he's 0-for-2 through four innings with a strikeout and double-play grounder. He's also batting ninth in the order, not surprisingly. But there aren't that many catchers that can push 20-plus homers if given regular playing time, and Napoli is one of them. Kick the tires here, give him a shot.
