To Platoon or Not to Platoon

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With his power, Brandon Wood could become very valuable in the playoffs.

Erick Aybar, who had been sidelined since August 27th with tightness in his left hamstring, returned to the field for the first time this past week along with third baseman Chone Figgins, who has also been sidelined for the past few weeks. Prior to the injuries to Aybar and Figgins, Brandon Wood was seen by many as a scrub and even some “experts” had already written him off as the next Dallas McPherson, a minor league star who failed to succeed at the major league level.

Surrounded by criticism, Wood suddenly started to hit once he was called up for the second time this season in mid-August. Wood’s previous batting average was reaching Andruw Jones status at .125, but his second stint in the major this season has proven to be a lot more forgiving. Wood’s batting average sits at .257, and he also has an impressive. Additionally, he has displayed some raw power, which the scouts have been raving about since he hit 43 home runs at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga three years ago. His home run total now sits at three, and he has also collected 9 RBIs and 3 doubles.

Wood’s strong performance has enabled the Angels to continue their domination of the A.L. West despite losing one of the better players in Aybar. During the month of July, Aybar had arguably the best month of his career, going 13-41 in 10 games with a .317 BA and a .950 OPS. However, he began to slide during August where he had a .620 OPS over 22 games.

With two solid players now able to take over the everyday shortstop position, Mike Scioscia is faced with some series questions as the playoffs loom ever closer. Should he start the power hitter in Wood or the defensive wizard in Aybar? Or should there be a platoon with Aybar in the lineup for ground ball pitchers such as Jon Garland while Wood fills in for fly ball pitchers such as Jered Weaver in order to provide more offense?

For the first half of the season, Scioscia relied on a platoon featuring Aybar and Maicer Izturis, and the team was rewarded with a sizable lead in the division. With Wood’s power, I see no reason as to why a platoon wouldn’t make the most sense here.