How Do Los Angeles Angels Address Hole At 2nd Base?

6 of 6

New York Mets infielder Neil Walker (20) slides safely under the tag of San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) . Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports /

Neil Walker – 2B – New York Mets – .282 AVG. 23 HR’s 55 RBI’s .347 OBP

Neil Walker is the perfect combination of power and batting average. He is also a switch-hitter which the Angels are looking for as well, and Walker is a good defender. Walker is someone the Angels looked at last season, but decided to stand pat with Johnny Giavotella.

Walker is a free agent again after only signing a one-year deal with Mets after last season worth about 10.5 Million Dollars. Walker is a seven-year veteran playing his first six years with the Pittsburgh Pirates before leaving for the Mets last season. Walker will probably command a contract in the neighborhood of around 14 million a season. He is only 31 years old so Walker has still four or five productive years left.

If the Angels do decide to sign Walker to a multi-year contract he should still be productive throughout the duration of the contract. Walker has hit a total of 116 homers in his career and has driven in 473 runs with a .273 career batting average. Walker’s OBP is .339 with a .982 career fielding percentage.

Walker is willing to be a team player and would fit nicely into the Angels bottom third of the order. The only drawback is his expected salary might be prohibitive to the Angels budget. However, to get something of quality you have to be willing to pay for it.

Grade: A+ -Likelihood of Angels Signing Him – B

Next: Will J.C. Ramirez Be Able To Make Transistion?

So whatever the Angels decide to do to fill their hole at second base, hopefully it will be an upgrade from this season. Any of the options above would be a positive step in the right direction in helping the Angels return to playoff contention in 2017.