Spring Training Spotlight: Howie Kendrick's Glove Is Less Than Gold

Like a sports car that's sat around the garage all winter, Howie Kendrick is having a hard time getting going this spring.

Of the seven Spring Training games the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have played, their second baseman has only participated in the first three.

Kendrick went just 1-for-8 at the plate in those games, though his one hit resulted in an RBI double.

However, given his professional history, there is every indication he will start swinging with authority, and soon.

This spring aside, Kendrick is a dynamic force at the plate. At all professional levels, he's made a living finding gaps and driving balls the opposite way. 

In the minors, he never hit below .360. In the majors, he's amassed a .302 career average. When he was sent to the minors last season to work on his inexplicably ailing swing, he responded by hitting at a near .375 clip the rest of the way.

Lesson learned.

No, Kendrick's bat is, by no means, a major concern just yet. His defense, however, is.

In those three Spring Training games he played this year, Kendrick was credited with three errors, the most of any Angel in camp.

Only two other Opening Day starters have errors, one apiece, while minor league second baseman Ryan Mount has two.

What's worse, Kendrick could easily have more.

Several times this spring, he's let grounders roll by him or fired the ball over his first baseman's head only to have the batter be awarded a hit. 

If the scoring were different, Kendrick's errors could double his games played, somewhat of a surprise considering he made just four errors in 95 regular season games last year.

But, before these figures are dismissed as anomalies that will quickly disappear like waning winter frost, keep in mind one simple fact: Kendrick's worth will always rest with his bat, not his glove.

As a rising star in 2006, he was touted as the next great thing to happen to the Angels' infield (before Kendry Morales slammed that book closed). 

Many baseball pundits picked Kendrick to win not just one, but multiple batting titles with his uncanny ability to zero in on pitches and drive them the other way.

No one ever said he'd be a Gold Glover.

And in four professional seasons, he's been anything but.

Kendrick is average at best in the field. Sure, he's shown some range and has yet to hit double figures in errors for a season. But he's also been less than impressive.

Just like his first three games this spring, Kendrick often fumbles seemingly routine plays, letting balls slip under his glove or out of his throwing hand. And just like this spring, those gaffs occasionally come back as hits in the box score.

Early as it may be, it is disturbing to see Kendrick, now entering his fifth big league season, fail to progress on defense. He might not be Alfonso Soriano out there, but he's far from Maicer Izturis or Erick Aybar.

And if his struggles in the field continue on into the regular season, don't think for a second that manager Mike Scioscia will put up with it.

He's already demoted the established Kendrick once for poor performance, and with steady defenders like Izturis and Freddy Sandoval waiting in the wings, Scioscia is sure to keep an eye on his glove.