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| Wells does not make the Halos World Series contenders |
First off, I know the Angels have a hot prospect in Hank Conger ready to catch for the Halos, but shouldn't they wait and see if he is ready for the big leagues? It's a bold move to trade a catcher like Napoli unless the Halos know for damn sure that the incoming talent is ready to play. Conger is better hitter for average and his OBP, OPS is pretty good. I also don't watch enough Angels games to know how Napoli calls a game, and his defensive statistics do not wow anybody.
The thing with Juan Rivera is he isn't going to give you a ton of homers, but the guy is pretty consistent when in the lineup. He is a career .280 hitter with a solid .789 OBP. Not to mention, he only strikeouts about 50 times a year. Rivera is a valuable sixth hitter in most lineups, and last year, Rivera played three different positions. My two worries about him would be his age (31) and durability. He missed a year with injury, and around 50-55 games this season.
I like Vernon Wells, he is a good player but is nowhere near worth that heavy contract. He is abysmal against left handers only hitting .195 and hitting 4 homers against them thus you see no production when facing a lefty in a big game situation. Wells stays healthy though. Only once has he missed significant amount of time during his 8 year career. Additionally, he is pretty good defensive outfielder. It will be interesting to see what position he will play, I assume left field or in the DH role.
In my opinion, it's a rush move by the Angels. They want to get back to the World Series, and just adding Wells will not help that. He will be thirty-six when he gets done with that contract. The Halos are a bit better than they were on Friday, but did it put them over the top into the realm of the Red Sox and Yankees? Nope, not one bit.
-Charlie.
