Mike Napoli Coming Into His Own for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Mike Napoli has been one of the hottest hitting catchers over the past week.  The Angels have to be extremely happy with this guy behind the plate and providing great at-bats for the team.  While manager Mike Scioscia has always been big on backup catcher Jeff Mathis, Napoli’s bat has heated up so much that he has stepped into the starting role for the team.

It has become clear that Napoli should be rostered in all fantasy baseball leagues, so let’s break down Napoli’s skill set and take a closer look.

Napoli makes decent bat contact, but over the past two weeks, he has hit 82% of balls into play.  If Napoli can possibly sustain this level of bat contact (highly unlikely, but possible), we are looking at a .300 hitter.  If he can make contact at a rate slightly above previous seasons (72-73%), we are looking at a guy who could hit a solid .275-.280 for your squad.

Napoli also has quite a batting eye, allowing for a great on-base percentage.  His propensity for being patient should benefit him greatly in the run category.

Since 2006, he has hit 16, 10, and 20 home runs.  He did all of this is no more than 268 at-bats in a single season.  If Napoli gets anywhere close to 400 at-bats, we could be looking at 25-30 home runs from your catcher position.  Not too shabby.

Napoli has a great skill set himself, and is surrounded by quality batters in the Los Angeles Angels lineup.  If he can bat fourth or fifth, look for plentiful opportunities for RBI and runs scored.

Not to mention, Napoli also has some wheels.  10 stolen bases isn’t far out of the question for him.

This guy can do it all, and if you don’t have him on your roster, you are really missing out on some elite production.  If you do have him though, you could be lucky enough to have the best hitting catcher in the game.