24-year old righty reliever Michael Kohn started this season as the Angels’ #30 prospect according to Baseball America. Kohn has been really outstanding in the minors and he could be pitching with the Angels soon if he keeps up the good work. Kohn has pitched in 37 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball this year and he is 4-4 with 10 saves, a 2.16 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has only given up 25 hits in 41 2/3 innings this season and he has whiffed 53 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. He will need to tighten his control a bit as he has walked 23 batters this season and that’s too many.

The Angels have designated 29-year old lefty swinging 1B Paul McAnulty for assignment. McAnulty played in 9 games for the Angels this year and he was 3 of 22 (.136 avg) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. The Angels have activated 29-year old switch hitting infielder Maicer Izturis off the D.L. to replace McAnulty on the roster. Izturis has played in 30 games for the Angels this year and he is 24 of 105 (.233 avg, .691 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 15 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Izturis will likely get a lot of P.T. at 3B right away for the Angels.

The Angels have placed 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Scott Kazmir on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. Kazmir has started 17 games for the Angels this season and he is 7-9 with a 6.92 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He has given up 102 hits (17 homers) in 92 1/3 innings so far this season. Kazmir has also been pretty wild walking 49 batters so far this year. The Angels were smart to shut Kazmir down as a little rest couldn’t possibly hurt him as poorly as he has been pitching. The Angels have yet to announce who will be replacing Kazmir in the starting rotation.

The Angels are in second place in the A.L. West with a 47-44 record which has them 4.5 games behind the Rangers. The Angels have had a lot of players not playing up to their ability which gives them hope as far as catching the Rangers in the 2nd half. Here is a closer look as the surprises and disappointments this year:

Pleasant Surprises: C/1B Mike Napoli has really done a solid job filling in for the injured Kendry Morales. Napoli has played in 80 games this season for the Angels and he is 64 of 260 (.246 avg, .786 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 14 homers, 37 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. 2B Howie Kendrick has been healthy all year which has been a pleasant surprise. Kendrick has played in 89 games for the Angels this season and he is 97 of 355 (.273 avg, .708 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 7 homers, 52 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. The Angels have had a lot of problems at 3B but Kevin Frandsen has played decent. He has played in 38 games for the Angels this year and he is 34 of 119 (.286 avg, .700 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 9 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. 27-year old starting pitcher Ervin Santana is having a good year for the Angels. He has started 18 games for the Angels this year and he is 8-7 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

Disappointments: 25-year old 3B Brandon Wood had a good spring and the Angels had him starting early this season. Wood has failed miserably so far this year. Wood has played in 55 games for the Angels this year and he is 29 of 170 (.171 avg, .418 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. Wood has whiffed 50 times already this season and walked only 4 times showing awful plate discipline. 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Scott Kazmir has also been pathetic this season for the Angels. He has started 17 games for the Angels this year and he is 7-9 with a 6.92 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Kazmir has walked 49 batters and has given up 17 homers in only 92 1/3 innings this year. Joe Saunders has also been disappointing this year. He has started 18 games for the Angels this year and he is 6-9 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. 31-year old righty starter/reliever Matt Palmer was a staff saver in 2009 for the Angels, but, he’s in the minors already. Palmer has pitched in 9 games (1 start) for the Angels this year and he is 0-1 with a 6.26 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP.

Outfielder Darin Erstad was one of the better player in Angels’ history. Erstad played 11 years for the Angels appearing in 1,320 games in which he was 1,505 for 5,258 (.286 avg, .756 OPS) with 818 runs scored, 114 homers, 625 RBIs and 170 stolen bases. He was a All-Star two times for the Angels and he won 3 Gold Gloves and 1 Silver Slugger Award with them. The 2000 season was easily Erstad’s best with the Angels. He played in 157 games that year for the Angels and he was 240 of 676 (.355 avg, .951 OPS) with 121 runs scored, 25 homers, 100 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. This was in the height of the steroids ERA however as despite his great numbers Erstad finished 8th in the voting for the A.L. MVP Award. Erstad finished his career #5 in Angels’ history in games played with 1,320. He also is #4 in runs scored (818), #4 in doubles (279), #6 in triples (30), #4 in RBIs (625), #7 in walks (419) and #4 in stolen bases (170) in Angels’ history. It certainly was fun to watch Erstad play as no one played harder than him.