The Los Angeles Angels added a pair of left handed outfielders to their lineup by acquiring outfielder David Murphy from the Cleveland Indians and David DeJesus from the Tampa Bay Rays, just days after adding outfielder Shane Victorino to their lineup. The Angels are sending AA shortstop Eric Stamets to the Indians and rookie league pitcher Eduar Lopez to the Rays.
The Boston Red Sox chose Murphy as the 17th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft. His 10 year career includes stints with the Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians. Murphy is primarily a corner outfielder, though he can play in center. He will add depth to the Angels outfield as well as a solid left handed bat.
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DeJesus was a 4th round selection by the Kansas City Royals in the 2000 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 2003 and the Angels will be his 6th Major League team. DeJesus is in his 13th season and is a career .276 hitter that can play all 3 outfield positions.
The outfield depth could prove crucial. Matt Joyce was just placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list and Mike Trout hurt his wrist on Sunday. It did not seem to bother him as he went on to get 3 hits after that, including a grand slam. Trout is out of the lineup, however, in the opening game against the Houston Astros. It definitely does not hurt to have extra outfielders at this time of year.
That depth can also help at designated hitter. Their current DH, C.J. Cron, is hitting just .258 in that role. Rotating Murphy, DeJesus, and Victorino in the DH slot can improve the offense even more.
Murphy is having a good year at the plate, hitting .296 with an OPS of .781. DeJesus is a notch below that with a .259 batting average and .698 OPS. It looks like Murphy will get a chance to start in left with DeJesus and Victorino backing up all 3 outfield positions.
The Angels find themselves just a game ahead of the surprising Astros, who have also improved their team by adding Scott Kazmir. The Angels and Astros are starting a 3 game series against each other today.
Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
