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For all of Napoli's power production, he's yet to play more than 114 games in one season due largely to the presence of Jeff Mathis. And that doesn't figure to change anytime soon, either, not after the hair-raising postseason performance by Mathis.
Napoli ended the year by surpassing the .270 mark for the second straight time, despite the fact he also broke the 100-strikeout barrier for the first time. The backstop was a solid option in mixed formats as he cranked out 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and 60 runs. All good totals for a catcher who often flies under the radar.
That's two homers in three games for Napoli, who's established career highs with 19 homers, 52 RBIs and 56 runs. It looked earlier this year as though he might eclipse his .273 batting average from last season, but his current .268 mark will make it tough for Napoli to top last year's figure unless he gets on a roll.
The home run marked Napoli's first long ball since Aug. 21, the last game before an epic slide. He hit just .078 with two RBIs in 19 contests from Aug. 23 - Sept. 18, which crashed the backstop's ability to finish the season with a .300 batting average after he entered Aug. 22 with a .297 batting average.
It was clearly a tale of two halves for the catcher, as he stroked to the tune of a .400 batting average in nine games from Aug. 1-18 before freefalling with a .070 mark in his final nine contests. Even with the rough end to the month, the catcher is still batting at a career-high .281 clip.
Napoli has been swinging a hot stick lately, hitting safely in 10 of the last 11 games and going 18-for-44 (.409 AVG) with seven extra-base hits and eight runs. The Angels backstop may not play every day, but with a formidable .902 OPS, he has been a mainstay in all formats this season.
How do seven hits over two games from your catcher sound? That's what Napoli's owners have received as the backstop increased his batting average on Saturday to a career-high .293 mark. Just remember to always start him on the road, where he holds a .336 batting average vs. a .242 mark at home.
Napoli has been swinging the heavy stuff lately, smashing four homers and plating nine runners over his last 10 contests. The burly backstop is one of the game's most offensive-minded catchers and is hitting .287 with a .528 slugging percentage and 43 RBIs on the year.
Consistency remains the biggest hurdle for the talented Napoli, who sports a .230 batting average in July with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Although he does lose some at-bats to Jeff Mathis, Napoli remains the primary starter behind the plate and deserves to start in any league thanks to his consistent power production from the catcher position.
Napoli might be hitting just .245 in July, but he's managed to chip in with nine walks, four homers, 14 runs scored and 12 RBIs anyway. The veteran backstop clearly seems to be enjoying is time at designated hitter in Vladimir Guerrero's absence. When Vlad returns, Napoli should be rested and ready to go when he moves back behind the dish for the stretch run.
With Vlad Guerrero on the shelf, Napoli has enjoyed his stint as the Angels' designated hitter of choice, slamming the ball around the yard to the tune of a .408 average (20-for-49) as a DH. With Jeff Mathis donning the tools of ignorance in his place, Napoli figures to be fresh and healthy heading down the stretch, making him a great bet to eclipse his career highs in runs scored (47) and RBIs (49).
Only three starting AL backstops hit for a higher average than Napoli in the first half. The 27-year-old has not played in 100 games in any of his three previous big league seasons, but could approach 25 home runs if he reaches that benchmark this year. With Vladimir Guerrero on the DL, Napoli should see more at-bats as a DH in the second half with Jeff Mathis, who hit .289 with three home runs and 39 RBIs before the break, handling the catching duties.
Napoli had been in a 1-for-12 mini-slump coming into the contest, but broke out in a big way. Despite sharing time with Jeff Mathis, his 11 home runs are fifth among AL backstops, and he only figure to see more time with the DH slot opening up in Vladimir Guerrero's absence.
Napoli is doing everything a reasonable person could ask for in a backstop. He's hitting for a solid average (.297); he won't hurt you in runs (24) or RBIs (30); and he can actually bring the long ball, with 10 jacks on the year. What's not to like?
Who would've guessed that the strikeout-prone Napoli would hold a .295 batting average this deep into the season? He has three multi-hit efforts in his last five starts to keep his average at a surprisingly high mark considering he hit just .273 last year. A figure higher than that this year would give Napoli the distinction of having improved his average every year in which he's been in the bigs.
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