LA Angels Instant Analysis: The New Guys

Danny Espinosa

Another new Angel playing a new position is Danny Espinosa. The Southern California native has been a shortstop all his career. However, he now resides as the everyday second baseman for the Halos. Espinosa has played remarkably in the field. Teaming him up with Andrelton Simmons in the middle of the infield makes hitting up the middle a tough task for opposing hitters. While his range is not that of an elite second baseman, his glove and arm are. This makes him an ideal fit and worthwhile player, defensively anyway, to be the team’s everyday second baseman.

On offense, Espinosa has had his ups and downs. There is not much to expect out of a career .228 hitter such as Espinosa, so the Angels can’t be too upset. While Espinosa is only batting .200, that number can be expected to climb closer to his career average, perhaps even surpassing it as he faces the lack of elite arms in the A.L West division. He has driven in 12 runs so far this season, which is a good number as Espinosa makes sure to capitalize with runners in scoring position. He has also hit three long balls this season. With a career high of 24 home runs in a season, Espinosa may be able to top that this season.

His home runs have come in clutch moments as well. In the Angels’ first victory of the season, Espinosa hit his first homer of the season to give the Angels a lead they would not let go of in the ninth inning. In the Angels comeback win over the Mariners last Tuesday, Espinosa hit another home run to get the ninth inning comeback started. If Espinosa and the rest of the newcomers can continue to play like this there is no reason the Angels shouldn’t be in the playoff race this season.