Major League Baseball

Angels have 3-way race for third base job

Published Feb. 21, 2011 3:18 a.m. ET

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A few days ago, outfielder Vernon Wells said how he'd love for the Angels to acquire his good friend Michael Young from the Texas Rangers to play third base.

That's not likely for a number of reasons, so the Angels are going to have a competition this spring for the starting job.

The three candidates right now are Brandon Wood, Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis, who seems to be the front-runner.

''We're really counting on what Izturis can bring. When he's in the lineup he'll be leading off,'' Manager Mike Scioscia said. ''We project Izturis and (Bobby) Abreu one and two. You're going to have as good a 1-2 punch as you could have.''

While Izturis is the most versatile of the three, he's had trouble staying healthy. Last season, he played in only 61 games after a career high 114 in 2009.

''If he was healthy, he might have been to 130 games,'' Scioscia said Sunday. ''If he gets out there for 90 to 110 games, you have a really good player. If we get anywhere from 90 to 110, we're going to be very happy.''

Wood, who turns 26 on March 2, is the owner of 161 minor-league home runs. He's also the owner of a .164 batting average over 450 big-league at bats, including a .146 average in 226 last season when he was the opening-day starter.

''Brandon's upside is every bit of what we thought it might be last year,'' Scioscia said. ''This year there's a huge competition for Brandon to earn some at bats and come out here and show that he's moving forward to reset the potential that he has.''

Wood has also been mentioned as a first base candidate in case Kendry Morales' recovery from a broken leg lasts into the regular season. Callaspo has been considered there, too. Like Izturis, he has played all over the field except first base and catcher since breaking in with Arizona in 2006.

Callaspo hit .265 with a .302 on-base percentage and 10 homers and 56 RBI over 562 at bats with Kansas City and the Angels in 2010. He tailed off once he got to the Angels, hitting .249 with a .291 OBP in 213 at bats.

He could make things interesting if he approaches his 2009 pace with Kansas City when he hit .300 with a .356 OBP with 11 homers and 73 RBI in 576 at bats.