The Angels let Andy Kennedy leave as a free agent to make room for prized prospect Howie Kendrick. Kendrick is a 23 year old pure hitter that had a .361 batting average in 1,475 at bats in the minor leagues for the Angels. He also played in 72 games for the Angels last season and hit .285 with 4 homers, 30 RBIs, 6 stolen bases and a .730 OPS. Kendrick was also flawless in 28 games at 2B but he didn’t show good range. He has been a solid defender his whole career in the minors and should do very well now that he can concentrate on playing only 2B. Look for Kendrick to hit over .300 for the Angels this season.

26 year old switch hitting Maicer Izturis will be Kendrick’s main back up and he will also back up at 3B and SS this season as he takes over Chone Figgins’ old job of utility man. Izturis had a solid year with the bat for the Angels as he hit .293 with 5 homers, 44 RBIs, 14 steals and a .777 OPS in 104 games. Izturis only played 4 games at 2B for the Angels and he didn’t make an error. Look for Izturis to play well for the Angels, but he won’t play near as much as he did last season.