Mike

Napoli

Napoli, who was really struggled to hit for average the last couple of months, is batting .232/.369/.494 in 110 games this season. He’s not going to be a starting catcher in the majors, so he needs to up his average to have a future as a bench player.

He posted a long letter on Twitter to announce that his playing days are over. He retires with a career .246/.346/.475 slash line with 267 home runs and 744 RBI. His career began in 2006 with the Angels and he went on to become one of the best catchers to own in the fantasy game. He eventually moved out from behind the plate and became predominantly a first baseman and designated hitter. In addition to the Angels he played for the Rangers, Red Sox and Indians during his 12 seasons in the majors. His most impressive campaign came in 2011 when he slugged .320/.414/.631 with 30 homers and 75 RBI in just 113 games. He last appeared in the majors in 2017 with the Rangers and missed all of the 2018 season after suffering a severe knee injury in April while playing for the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate.

Just another sign of how well Napoli has played and how much respect he’s earned from manager Mike Scioscia. “Those guys eventually had to work together,” Scioscia said. “Napoli has done a great job with all our pitchers and he has to start catching Bart sometime.”

Napoli has four homers in his last five starts. Jose Molina is also swinging the bat better lately, but Napoli needs to be the Angels’ primary catcher.

Napoli was available Sunday but didn’t play, saying his ankle was “pretty sore.”

Napoli is bothered by a sprained left ankle he suffered on Saturday. He could rejoin the starting lineup on Tuesday or Wednesday.

After taking a backseat to Jose Molina at the end of last month, Napoli has started four of the Angels’ six games during June. He’s going to continue hitting for power, so if can keep his average up, the Angels will have to play him, making him a solid AL-only catcher.

Napoli’s remarkable run continues. He’s batting .310/.444/.629 in 116 at-bats since replacing Jeff Mathis on the roster. We still doubt that he’s going to keep hitting for average like this, but he could remain a decent mixed-league catcher for the rest of the season.

Napoli’s blast gives him a new Angels’ record for the most home runs in a season by a rookie catcher. It’s been a tough second half for Napoli, so a big September would sure help him heading into 2007.

Napoli’s 30 home run campaign set career highs across the board with his .320/.414/.631 line in 427 plate apperances. His first base eligibility will give the Rangers more lineup options this postseason. The bullpen will be right-handers Mike Adams, Scott Feldman, Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando, and Koji Uehara, and left-handers Michael Gonzalez and Darren Oliver.