July 28, 2007

Mathis’ time here, ‘and he’s ready for it’
matched his career high with three hits Saturday in the Angels’ 10-3 romp over the Tigers.

RANDY YOUNGMAN
Register columnist

ANAHEIM - Three years ago, catcher Jeff Mathis was regarded as an "untouchable" in the Angels farm system.

He was so highly regarded at that time, the Arizona Diamondbacks insisted he would have to be part of any package when the Angels were weighing the pros and cons of acquiring ace pitcher Randy Johnson before the 2004 interleague trading deadline.

That deal never was consummated — not surprising, considering that Arizona asked for Mathis, Brandon Wood, Casey Kotchman and, supposedly, Bill Stoneman’s first-born — but then the unexpected occurred on what was supposed to be Mathis’ meteoric rise to major-league stardom.

He was the only rookie to make the Angels’ opening-day roster in 2006, was handed the starting job vacated by departed star Bengie Molina — and promptly flopped.

For whatever reason, he wasn’t ready for prime time.

He batted .103 in the season’s opening month, was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on May 3, and did not return to the Angels until rosters expanded in September.

Untouchable? Hardly. This time, he was the guy nobody wanted to touch.

The can’t-miss prospect missed badly, especially when he was at the plate. He couldn’t even make the Angels opening-day roster this season as a backup.

But that was then. This is now. The same Jeff Mathis matched his career high with three hits Saturday in the Angels’ 10-3 romp over the Tigers, including a run-scoring single in the sixth inning that doubled his season RBI total, from one to two. His three-knock day also improved his batting average from an embarrassing .095 to a passable .200.

And now he will get an extended opportunity to prove it wasn’t a fluke, because starting catcher Mike Napoli went on the disabled list Saturday because of a hamstring strain — one week after backup catcher Jose Molina was traded to the Yankees, clearing a permanent roster spot for Mathis.

"It’s nice to know that there’s a really good chance I’ll be in there day in and day out," Mathis said after the game, speaking softly to a group of reporters who had surrounded his locker.

And when the team traded Molina last week?

"It made me feel good that the organization wanted me here and feel good about my future as an Angel," he said.

Manager Mike Scioscia said he is confident Mathis, 24, is ready to establish himself in the majors this time.

"He’s going to play a lot," Scioscia said after Saturday’s game. "And he’s ready for it."

Mathis said he used last year’s disappointment to fuel his competitive fire.

"I’m not going to make any excuses about last year," he said. "I didn’t play well the first month. But I learned a lot from that and went back to Triple-A and got my head straight."

Now he’s back again. For how long is up to him. His two-week audition began Saturday with a curtain call.

Still hurts: No comment on the youngster who leaned over the wall in right-center to catch a Garret Anderson drive that was ruled a three-run homer, much to the disgust of Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

Reminded me of Steve Bartman’s fan interference in the 2003 NLCS, and that dredges up painful memories.

Reprieve: For five innings Saturday, the Angels looked as if they desperately needed another bat in the middle of their order, managing only one run and five hits against Detroit rookie Andrew Miller. And the last time I saw Miller pitch, Cal State Fullerton was rocking the North Carolina left-hander in the 2005 College World Series.

But after Miller departed, the Angels bats awakened, so I’ll lay off Stoneman for a day.