MVN: Most Valuable Network

Somehow despite losing Kelvim Escobar for the year, John Lackey for a month and having all of the offensive firepower of a Little League team, the Angels have reached the All-Star break with the best record in the American League and tied for the best record in the majors at 57-38.

The Angels also boast the best road record in baseball at 31-18 and also have the best mark in games decided by two runs or less (36-19).

It's a bit surprising that the Angels are in this position considering the offensive ineptitude that has occurred so far but that is because Mike Scioscia's bedrocks - pitching and defense - have carried this team.

So as I grade the hitters and pitchers for this team keep in mind that hitters are going to be graded far more harshly than pitchers.

Today I am going to focus on the hitters:

Catcher - Jeff Mathis/Mike Napoli - B - Mathis and Napoli get an A grade for the way they have handled the pitching staff but a B-for their actual hitting. Together, that comes out to a B grade. If the Angels could somehow merge Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli together, the team would have a pretty decent borderline All-Star catcher. The name of this creation? Jeffike Mathapoli!

First base - Casey Kotchman - A- - Casey has actually been one of the few Angels who has pulled his weight for this team. He has been willing to take pitches, get on base via walk and has shown some home run pop. And his glove has saved many a run for this team and he has quietly become one of the best first basemen in the American League.

Second base - Howie Kendrick - B- - Howie Kendrick is that talented kid in school who you know could perform better if he ever attended class. Kendrick again has managed to get hurt this year and has only played in 50 games after only playing in 88 last year. He is like the Rich Harden of hitters. Kendrick is hitting above .300 for the season but could stand to take a few more pitches and consider walking every now and then. Even Garret Anderson has more walks this year!

Shortstop - Maicier Izturis/Erick Aybar - B - The averages are not totally there and the glovework is not quite as smooth as Orlando Cabrera's but considering the shoes they had to fill, Izturis and Aybar have done pretty much the job the Angels expected when they traded Cabrera for Jon Garland. Both Aybar and Izturis have been dinged up and missed some time this year but both have also come through with some clutch hits.

Third base - Chone Figgins - B+ - Although he has been injured and as of late on the bereavement list because of health issues with his father, Chone Figgins is one of the Angels who has performed this year - and not in the usual ways. Figgins only has 16 stolen bases and is batting .275 but he has been an on-base machine and taking more walks than previous seasons. He is on pace to walk more than in previous seasons and touts a .380 on-base percentage. He would probably have more stolen bases except for the large number of times he has been the lead runner in a double play started by Vladimir Guerrero or Gary Matthews, Jr.

Left field - Garret Anderson - C - He is the Angels' all-time leader in several offensive categories but GA has not really been a key part of the offense in the first half of 2007 2008. Hopefully, Anderson can make another big turnaround in the second half of 2008 like he did in 2007.

Center field - Torii Hunter - C - You know Torii Hunter has not really been the offensive catalyst AKA the big bat that the Angels needed in the offseason. Hunter has provided sparkling defense and some key hits, including a memorable grand slam, but for $18 million the Angels were expecting a little more production.

Right field - Vladimir Guerrero - C+ - It's hard to imagine giving Vlad Guerrero a C grade but the Angels' one legitimate offensive threat struggled - by his standards - for the first two months of the season. He has turned it on in June and July, hitting above .300. Still, those first two months really hurt. But we expect Guerrero will turn it on in the second half and earn an A grade for the season.

The bench -

Gary Matthews Jr. - D - See previous Big A Baseball post.

Juan Rivera - B - Now that Matthews has effectively been benched, Rivera has gone on a tear and is playing his way into the lineup and into the DH/fourth outfielder role.

Reggie Willits - B - Reggie has been nowhere near the offensive sparkplug that he was last year but that may simply be due to limited playing time; he only has 61 at bats on the season. However, we have decided to give Reggie a B grade since he scored from second on an infield single to score the game-winning run in Sunday's game. That was pretty awesome.

Robb Quinlan - B- - Robb Quinlan is like the quiet kid in class who sits in the back and doesn't get called on and is picked last at recess. But he is also the quiet kid who can still hit left-handed pitching with a .293 average against southpaws in limited duty this year.

So there you have it - my letter grades for the hitters.

For the Angels to succeed in the second half and hopefully in the postseason, the outfield - heralded by some as one of the best in the American League - needs to improve.

The infielders have done an adequate job of getting on base and making things happen but the outfielders have failed in their role as run producers. That will need to change for this team to have any chance to advance deep in the postseason.