Homer Bailey and Brandon Wood are two players who haven’t gotten it to click for a major league season. In fairness neither has spent a full season in the majors but it’s also worth nothing neither has exactly done anything during their playing time to suggest they should be regulars.
Maybe it changes this year. Bailey has already been named to the Cincinnati Reds rotation and Brandon Wood is again atop the LA Angels depth chart at third base.
Will this chance for Wood pay dividends for the Angels?
Over parts of the last three seasons Wood has amassed 224 at-bats and a dismal .192/.222/.313 line. While few expect Wood to thrill everyone with his batting average it’s his low on-base and slugging percentages that really put a damper on him going forward.
Wood has been blocked on the Angels depth chart for one reason or another for the last three years. He’s been moved from short to third and back. When Chone Figgings left for Seattle it opened up a position at third base and Wood was placed in it.
He’s done a fair job this spring but after a bit of a slump has seen his numbers tumble to .259/.348/.395.
Wood has constantly been compared to another former Angel third basemen in Troy Glaus. And while the raw talent may be there I must point out that Glaus is much bigger then Wood and by this point in his career had already led the AL in home runs and had his first 100 RBI season.
I don’t point that all out to be a knock against Wood but to simply point out that Glaus had already had two productive major league seasons by this age and if Wood wants to live up to those expectations he best get-a hitting.
Wood exploded on the minor league radar in 2005 when he hit 43 home runs as a 20 year old in the California league. Since then he’s remained a constant power threat. His homer and double numbers have been effected by call ups to the majors so a quick glance at the numbers paints an inaccurate story. His OPS has gone .907, .835, .970, .910 in his last four minor league seasons.
His defense very much remains a work in progress but he’s certainly one worth keeping an eye on this season.
