The first quarter of the season is over and things haven’t exactly gone to plan for the Angels, so let’s take them back to school, pull out the red pen and grade everyone’s performance from the first 40+ games of the season, starting with the position players.
Why didn’t I ever have teachers like that when I went to school?
Bobby Abreu: Bobby has had his ups and downs so far, but his grades are beginning to creep up to where we expected them to be. However, as one of the leaders of the class, Bobby doesn’t seem to be having nearly the same effect that he had last year. He is often asked to be a mentor to the younger children in the class, but he just isn’t getting through to them as well. Just look at what has happened to his little friend, Erick? We might be asking too much of Bobby, so he won’t get graded down too much. – Grade = B-
Erick Aybar: We tried to have Aybar skip a grade by moving him into the leadoff spot while learning how to be a top of the order threat on the job. Erick dedicates himself to the work and shows strong effort, but the results just aren’t there, he might have to move back down a grade to continue his education before returning to leadoff. – Grade = D+
Torii Hunter: Quite possibly the only member of the class that is living up to expectations. Torii should be proud of his resilience as he has battled some physical hurdles so far this year. Most of all, Torii has been an excellent role model as always and if he continues to perform like this, his fellow classmates should be able to rally around him. – Grade = A-
Maicer Izturis: A teacher’s pet as always, Maicer has been forced to take more of a back seat in class this year to try and let some younger students get a shot and he has done so without so much as a grumble. We find his attitude refreshing and hope to reward him over the rest of the season, but he is going to have to buckle down and starting putting up some better marks if we are really going to commit to him. – Grade = B
Howie Kendrick: Howie performs well in the subject of hitting, but still isn’t maximizing his potential in that area. His glovework leaves much to be desired though and I strongly recommend he find a tutor. – Grade = C
Jeff Mathis: I was very impressed by the progress made to start the year, clearly he has been doing a lot of studying and extra credit work in his spare time. His unfortunate injury might have derailed that progress though, but if he doesn’t get discouraged he should be able to pick up where he left off once he is healthy. – Grade = INCOMPLETE
Hideki Matsui: Hideki started the school year off quite well and seemed to be destined to make honor roll, but he has since fallen behind the rest of the class. Is there something bothering Hideki? Is he feeling OK? Is everything alright at home? – Grade = D+
Kendry Morales: There have been some flashes of brilliance with Kendry this year, but he still isn’t meeting expectations. While he has passed some tests with flying colors, he has really mailed it in on some others. He has the ability to be the best student in not just the class, but possibly the entire school, but we just aren’t seeing that ability manifest itself on a frequent enough basis. – Grade = B-
Mike Napoli: Michael has shown little improvement in the areas he was asked to improve upon when school was out of session. This still hasn’t prevented him from coming to class this year with an unjustified sense of entitlement. We were ready to send him to detention and give his seat to Jeff Mathis, but because of some injuries, we are giving Mike another chance and he hasn’t impressed yet. We are going to give him a few more weeks to show an improved work ethic and attitude, but only because we have no other choice. – Grade = D
Juan Rivera: Juan has shown the ability to excel, but mostly appears to be indifferent or lackadaisical in his approach to the curriculum, especially when we work in the field. I’d like to see more consistent effort from Juan going forward, otherwise I am going to have to consider disciplinary measures. – Grade = C-
Reggie Willits: Reggie is a delight to have in the classroom. He doesn’t get to participate very much, but he always provides a spark when he does get called up on for an assignment. – Grade = B+
Bobby Wilson: Bobby is a perfectly adequate student but needs to be more aware of his surroundings as it is creating a personal safety issue. – Grade = C+
Brandon Wood: Brandon has a had a great deal of difficulty with the material this year. He is clearly far, far behind the rest of the class and it is starting to drag everyone else down. It is my professional opinion that Brandon needs to move to a different class with a “special” curriculum. I have already reserved a seat for him on the short bus. – Grade = F-
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