MVN: Most Valuable Network

I admit, I miss Bengie Molina.

Since the Angels let the best Molina brother depart for free agency after the 2005 season, catching has been a question mark for the Angels.

Granted, Mike Napoli seems to be the No. 1 catcher with Jeff Mathis serving as a capable No. 2. But it seems like the Angels would have had better offensive and defensive continuity with Bengie behind the plate.

Let's take a quick look at the numbers for Angels catchers behind the plate compared with Bengie Molina's stats since 2006; (I excluded Jose Molina here because he is no longer with the team):

B. Molina - 251 games, 260 hits, 39 doubles, 38 home runs, 138 RBIs, .280 average, and 82 runs scored. And just for the hell of it, let's also mention that somehow Bengie Molina stole a base - we are assuming it was on the back end of a double steal.

Jeff Mathis/Mike Napoli - 256 games, 159 hits, 38 doubles, 32 home runs, 105 RBI, .223 average and 110 runs scored. And seven stolen bases - all by Napoli.

The Halos gained some in runs and stolen bases - because that's what you rely on a catcher for, right?! And to some degree, the Angels also gain in on base percentage, certainly when Napoli plays. Bengie Molina owns a career .309 OBP while Napoli has a healthier .356 OBP.

But overall Molina has had better numbers for home runs, RBI and hits and batting average. Had the Angels kept Molina for the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the offensive numbers would look a lot better for this club.

I understand why the Angels had to let Bengie Molina go; it was a matter of health, age and money. But I can't help but think that the Angels would have been better off the past two seasons.

But that is the past and 2008 may be the season that the Angels start to reap the rewards of letting B. Mo go.

Both Mathis and Napoli now have 75+ games of catching experience in the major leagues. They are both under 30 and should be able to handle the rigors of catching a major league game - knock on wood, cross your fingers - especially regarding Napoli who has been beat up his first two seasons.

The Angels banked on youth - and barring injury to Napoli, now could be the time they reap the rewards. Mike Napoli could provide the pop the Angels have missed since Molina left.

Nap hit 16 home runs in 99 games in 2006 and, if he can play more than 120 games, could reach 20 homes runs. Add in those walks and the Angels have some power at the bottom of the order.

Understand, that Napoli is never going to be the offensive threat that Bengie Molina is from a runs driven in standpoint.

B. Mo hit at various times in the No. 5 hole in 2005, protecting Vladimir Guerrero. (Of course, when you have to count on Bengie Molina to protect Vlad in the batting order, you begin to understand why Angels fans wanted a "big bat" for the Halos for the past few years. C'mon Torii Hunter!) And this year, in San Francisco, Bengie Molina is slated to be the cleanup hitter.

Bengie Molina is a contact hitter, a guy who will swing at the first pitch and drive in runs but also kill some rallies.

Mike Napoli is essentially more patient and will draw more walks and will give you about the same amount of "Oomph!' as far as home runs. Napoli has scored 87 runs in 174 games compared with Molina's 82 runs in 251 games. Napoli will start some rallies because of his patience at the plate and with last year's experience, can only get better.

Jeff Mathis is more of a mystery. He was slated to take over in 2006 when Molina left the team but he pulled the equivalent of not being able to ski the K-12 against Roy Stalin when he reached the majors. Now it is up to Mathis to prove that he can catch and hit and ski the K-12 on one ski and win the heart of Beth only to realize that he loves Monique, the French foreign exchange student from next door.

(I was going to write that Mathis is at least a better offensive alternative to Jose Molina but when I looked up what Molina did after he was traded to the Yankees in mid-season 2007, I was shocked! Jose Molina actually hit .318 in 29 games with the Yankees in the second half last year. We need to get him back! Hanging around with A-Rod is having some kind of osmosis-like effect on Jose Molina. Maybe Jose Molina is rubbing A-Rod's highlight-streaked head for good luck.)

Anyways, on the defensive end, the Angels have one of the best catching coaches in the big leagues in Manager Mike Scioscia. He helped guide Bengie Molina at the catching position and turned Molina into one of the better game callers and base-runner thrower-outers in all of baseball. Both Mathis and Napoli can only benefit under his tutelage.

Having two younger catchers in their mid-20s behind the plate versus an aging Bengie Molina should also pay off for the Angels. An older catcher is not going to be as nimble around the plate.

I have written about a lot of "what ifs" and "could happens" for the Angels catchers this year and all of what I have written could come to naught. But at least the Angels are in a position where their youth at catching - combined with a little bit of experience - could give the Angels the defensive and offensive presence they have missed since Bengie Molina left the team.