Los Angeles Angels Should Not Trade Mike Napoli for Either Adam

Ryan VanderYachtJun 29, 2010

The latest L.A. Angels' trade rumors have revolved around acquiring one of two power-hitting first basemen. The first, veteran slugging machine Adam Dunn of the Washington Nationals; the second, veteran first baseman Adam LaRoche of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

At first glance, either of these players would seem to be a welcome addition to the Angels' lineup. Both are having strong seasons in the HR and RBI department; either would help fill the void created by the loss of Kendry Morales rather nicely.

However, here is where the concept of trading for one of these players loses me: the rumored cost of either of these players is Mike Napoli. That is the same Mike Napoli who is also providing HR and RBI for the Angels, and doing a pretty nice job of becoming the team's everyday first baseman.

In the interest of full disclosure: I have always been a big fan of Mike Napoli's. With perhaps the exception of Kendry Morales, there is no one in the Angels' lineup who has more power than Nap. While he has not been quite the defensive catcher that Jeff Mathis is, Mike does a serviceable job behind the plate (and seemed to improve with regular playing time during Mathis' absence).

Putting aside personal preferences, however, a statistical comparison of the three players in question- Napoli, Dunn, and LaRoche- is in order. Just how much would the Angels gain if they were to trade Mike Napoli for either Adam Dunn or Adam LaRoche? Here are the season numbers, as of June 27th, for each player (including another stat all three seem to excel at... striking out):