Looking at the Potential 2017 25-man Roster For the LA Angels

Infielders –

First Base – C.J. Cron comes in as the incumbent at first base.  If not for an injury that sidelined Cron for nearly six weeks he would have hit 20 homers and driven in at least 90 runs.  As it was Cron played very well hitting .278 with 16 homers and driving in 69 runs.  He also improved his defense and will be solid in the middle of the lineup.

The only competition and it is only slight is from corner infielder Jefry Marte. Marte was solid in 2016 hitting .249 with 15 homers and 44 RBI’s.  he will most likely be a utility man playing some at first and third base and also some time in left field is possible.

Second Base- The second base job is Danny Espinosa’s to lose. Espinosa was acquired from the Washington Nationals this off-season. Espinosa brings a great glove and also some power to the second base spot.  his low batting average of .209 with 174 strikeouts worrisome he is a definite upgrade from last season. Cliff Pennington will be the primary backup for the Angels at second and shortstop both.  The slick fielder does not have much pop in his bat, but will be steady off the bench in 2017.

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Third Base – Yunel Escobar has this spot on lockdown after his stellar 2016 campaign that saw him hit .304 with five homers and 39 RBI’s.  Escobar will have totally tank, or God Forbid get injured for anyone else to start at third base.  The only other player to get significant time at third base is the before mentioned Jefry Marte.

Shortstop- Andrelton Simmons like Escobar has the shortstop position on lockdown.  Simmons was a defensive wizard in 2016 and he also showed steady skills at the plate.  Simmons hit .281 with four homers and drove in 44 runs in 2016.  Pennington may get a little time here as a back-up but not much.

Catcher – The catching spot will be an interesting battle of similar type players.  Both Carlos Perez and newly acquired Martin Maldonado can play defense.  However the one who wins the starting spot will probably be the player who hits better.  Perez finished with a ,209 average and Maldonado finished with a .209 average.

This will be an interesting battle to keep up with.