ANGELS NOTEBOOK: HANGING TOUGH AS DH.Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer ANAHEIM - Bengie Molina Benjamin José ("Bengie" or "Ben") Molina (born July 20 1974 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico) is the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. After being initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher, Molina has developed into one of the better insists hitting is secondary to his catching duties, as far as his value to the team. That works well for him - he comes from the see-the-ball, hit-the-ball school of hitting. Molina is so focused on calling a good game for the pitcher that he doesn't get caught up in a guessing game when he's at the plate. And so it wasn't easy for him when he started at designated hitter designated hitter n. Baseball Abbr. DH A player designated at the start of a game to bat instead of the pitcher in the lineup. Noun 1. for the second time this season Wednesday afternoon, a day after taking two foul tips off the same spot on his left forearm. ``It's tough to be the DH,'' Molina said. ``You're on the bench, constantly thinking about hitting, which is something I don't want to do. As a DH, you think too much. 'What am I going to do? What is he (opposing pitcher) going to do?' When I'm catching, I concentrate on catching.'' Molina nonetheless is considered among the Angels' best clutch hitters. He drove in two runs Wednesday with a two-out, bases-loaded single on an 0-2 pitch in the fifth inning, tying the score at 3. --Minors get major mark: The Angels' minor-league system is ranked No. 1 by Baseball America  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , and the club is deepest in the middle infield. The Angels are thrilled with the double-play combination of shortstop Erick Aybar Erick Johan Aybar (born January 14, 1984 in Baní, Dominican Republic) He is a Major League Baseball shortstop with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has also previously played in the Dominican Republic. and second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Alberto Callaspo Alberto José Callaspo [ky-AS-po] (born April 19, 1983 in Maracay, Venezuela) is an infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Angels organization, but only played in their minor league system, and did not play with the big league club. at Double-A Arkansas, but close behind are shortstop Brandon Wood and second baseman Howie Kendrick at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. Wood leads all of professional baseball with 28 home runs, and he's hitting .304 with 71 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . Kendrick is hitting .375 with 10 homers and 40 RBI. --Finley takes swings: Center fielder Steve Finley (shoulder) hit batting practice in the underground cages Wednesday and will hit batting practice on the field today. He'll take BP on Friday, and if all goes well, he'll go on a rehab assignment at Rancho Cucamonga this weekend in hopes of returning to the active roster after the All-Star break. |
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