Orange County Register

Left-handed hitters NEED apply.
That sign doesn’t hang outside Angels Stadium these days. Perhaps it should.
With Garret Anderson almost certain to be wearing another uniform this year, Mark Teixeira in pinstripes and Casey Kotchman long since dispatched to Atlanta, the Angels are looking a little light on left-handed swingers.
They still have six switch-hitters on the roster — Chone Figgins, Erick Aybar, Gary Matthews Jr., Maicer Izturis, Kendry Morales (pictured), Reggie Willits — but outside of Morales’ considerable potential, not a lot of sock from the left side is apparent.
Morales, who will play first base with Teixeira gone, is having a super Dominican Winter League season for Gigantes del Cibao. He has eight homers, 29 RBIs and a .404 average in 26 games. His OBP/SLG/OPS numbers are a robust .450/.778/1.228.
The other top power sources the Angels will deploy in 2009 — Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Mike Napoli, Juan Rivera — all swing from the right side.
This might not matter against Oakland, which at one point last season had five left-handed starters in its rotation, but it will come into play over 162 games.
Here are the Angels’ team numbers from 2008:
                           AVG      OBP       SLG      OPS
vs. RHP               .265      .326      .414     .740
vs. LHP               .276      .340      .408     .748
Total                  .268      .330      .413     .743
Based on the club’s makeup thus far for 2009, there is no reason — other than possible individual improvement, which shouldn’t be dismissed – to expect the Angels to raise those numbers, which are rather pedestrian for an American League lineup.
While it seems this is likely the club the Angels will take to spring training, it would behoove general manager Tony Reagins to pick up at least one left-handed hitter with some sock. Among the fulltime options, Adam Dunn has been ruled out. Bobby Abreu and Milton Bradley don’t seem to be on the Angels’ radar.
With those big-ticket items not in the cards, one of the better, lefty hitting spare-part options available is a player who played in the past two World Series.
Yes, Eric Hinske made the last out of Game 5 by striking out against Brad Lidge. In his previous at-bat, he homered as a pinch-hitter in Game 4 (pictured).
Hinske, 31, went to camp with the Rays last spring as a non-roster player, made the club, and delivered 20 homers and 60 RBIs in only 381 at-bats. He even stole 10 bases in 13 tries, and played right field, left field, first base, DH and third base.
He cost the Rays $800,000, although he’s obviously in line to earn much more this time.
Hinske’s stats against RHP in 2008: .262/.344/.500/.844. Compare that to the top three Angels’ power sources against RHP: Guerrero (.309/.369)/.539/.907); Hunter (.268/.333/.457/.790); and Napoli (.270/.364/.590/.954).
Hinske has been a valuable spare part on the past two American League champions (Boston and Tampa Bay).
He wouldn’t satisfy the Angels fans who are constantly crying for a “big bat,” but indications are Hinske could certainly be a productive role player.
Among the players he is most comparable to, at ages 29-30,  on baseball-reference.com: Scott Spiezio. That worked out fairly well, Angels fans.
And, unlike past acquisition Shea Hillenbrand, who was always a regular before coming to Anaheim, Hinske already has adapted to that role.
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