Angels’ Unknown Shortstop Making Impact
The playoffs are a time where players carve out their reputations when the spotlight is brightest. The American League Championship Series features two marquee franchises with some of Baseball’s best players. Names like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, John Lackey, and Kendry Morales grab the spotlight. Certainly, Bobby Abreu has received quite a bit of attention for his excellent year and his perceived positive effect on the Angels’ plate discipline and increased on base percentage. Yes, the Angels’ team on base percentage rose from .330 in 2008 to .350 in 2009. It cannot be denied that Abreu’s impact has been significant. However, there is another player who was on the roster last season that has made an even more significant impact on the Angels in 2009 due to his remarkable development in just one season. With his improvement at the plate and excellence in the field 25-year-old switch-hitter, Erick Aybar has been one of the key reasons why the Angels’ offense has been able to withstand an uneven pitching performance. Considering how Aybar’s 2008 season ended, it is quite an accomplishment for him to perform so well in his first full season as a Major League shortstop. In fact, without his steady presence, the Angels may not be in New York playing for a trip to the World Series.
Bouncing Back
The 2008 season didn’t end so well for Aybar who had laid claim to the starting shortstop job by the end of the season. Aybar somewhat struggled offensively as the 24 year old hit .277/.314/.423 with 3 homeruns and 39 RBI in 375 at bats. His fielding was a mixed bag as he committed 18 errors, but had a UZR of 6.2. He was an inexperienced hitter who showed moderate improvement during each of his seven minor league seasons (he was signed as an 18 year old). Although Aybar seems to have a dislike for the walk, he doesn’t strikeout very much.
For all of his rookie struggles, Aybar was the starter heading into the 2008 Division Series against the Red Sox. He struggled in the post-season as well, finishing the four game division series 2 for 18. Again, he didn’t walk, but only struck out twice. It was his last at bat that was the lasting memory of his 2008 season. With pinch runner Reggie Willits on third in the top of the ninth inning, Mike Scioscia called for the squeeze play with Aybar at the plate. If it worked, Scioscia looked like a genius and Aybar was a hero to execute a play to get to a decisive game five. The opposite happened; Aybar failed to execute and Willits was caught. Aybar grounded out to first base end the inning. The Red Sox won the following inning, which shined an intense light on both the decision and the lack of execution. Scioscia took the blame, but Aybar couldn’t execute. Luckily for Aybar, he doesn’t play for a New York, Chicago, or Boston team. His lack of execution was noted, but didn’t make national headlines. It could’ve been something to derail a career; however, Aybar seemed more focused and more determined heading into the 2009 season.
Breakthrough
The 2009 Angels seemingly defied the odds as they began the season with key injuries to John Lackey and Ervin Santana, and a poor early season performance from Joe Saunders. The Angels also had Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter miss significant time this season due to injury. Yet, the team that began the season with a 9 win April (12 losses), went on to win the American League West Division by winning at least 16 games each month for the rest of the season. As the rotation began to get healthy, the offense remained consistent. Bobby Abreu, Chone Figgins, and Kendry Morales were the offensive stars, but lost in that shuffle was Aybar.
Aybar finished 2009 with a .312/.353/.423 batting line with 5 homeruns and 58 RBI. He walked a career high 30 times in 556 plate appearances while striking out just 54 times. He added 14 stolen bases and 12 sacrifice bunts. One possible reason for his spike in on base percentage and batting average is his .338 BABIP (Batting Average of Balls Put in Play), which rose from .311 in 2008. It could be some luck mixed in with being more selective as evidenced by the additional walks and a slight decrease in pitches swung at (swung at 50 percent of pitches compared to 52 percent in 2008). Whatever the reason, Aybar’s improvement is one reason for the Angels’ offensive improvement. While everyone else in the Angels’ lineup performed close to expectations (although Mike Napoli and Kendry Morales were pleasant surprises), Aybar far exceeded expectations. His .312 batting average ranked 5th amongst shortstops in all of Baseball while his 12 sacrifice hits were second most. His .353 on base percentage was 8th best amongst shortstops. What was to be a position with little offensive production for the Angels became one of the most productive positions in Baseball.
The improvement, according to Aybar, is his new found work ethic and influence of his veteran teammates and coaches. “I’ve been coming to the ballpark earlier. I’ve been getting a lot of advice from Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, and Mick Hatcher. And I’ve been watching a lot of videos from the opposing pitchers”, explains Aybar.
Even more important for the Angels is Aybar’s improvement on defense. Aybar always had range, but made at least 30 errors in three of his five complete Minor League seasons. Last season, he made 18 errors in 96 games at the Major League level. This season, Aybar made just 11 errors and had a .983 fielding percentage in 136 games, both ranking 9th in Baseball. His 7.8 UZR is the 6th best in the sport. He won’t get the national recognition, but Aybar has been one of the best defensive shortstops in the game in 2009. Perhaps a strong League Championship Series against the Yankees can help Aybar garner some recognition.
If his regular season statistics against the Yankees are any indication, Aybar may get that publicity. In nine regular season games, Aybar hit the Yankees’ pitching to the tune of .353/.353/.588 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun, and 5 RBI. Yes, he didn’t draw a walk, but he did, obviously, hit Yankees’ pitching well. He’s not a star player and may never be a star if he does not continue to develop more plate discipline. However, Erick Aybar is quite possibly the unsung hero of the 2009 Angels. The Yankees will correctly focus on keeping Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu off of the base paths, but they will have to contend with a developing shortstop who has already experienced failure in a tense situation only to bounce back. That type of player can be dangerous. That type of player tends to have an impact in a playoff series.
