— Billy Eppler got a little defensive last week when reminded that his first three moves as Angels general manager were to acquire three players known primarily for their defense, slick-fielding shortstop Andrelton Simmons, utility infielder Cliff Pennington and catcher Geovany Soto.
"I'm probably getting a little bit of a rap for being all defensive-oriented," Eppler said. "You contribute on both sides of the baseball. Defense isn't everything."
But it's something, especially for players up the middle, which brings us to Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella. He was surprisingly strong at the plate last season, batting .