Howard Kendrick

Howie Kendrick is the starting second baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Kendrick was born July 12, 1983 in Jacksonville, Fla. He is 5-foot-10, 215 pounds and attended St. John's River Community College in Florida before being drafted in the 10th round (294th overall) of the 2002 amateur entry draft by the Angels. Kendrick made his major league debut in 2006 for the Angels, playing both second base and first base. Rated as Angels #2 prospect by Baseball America for 2006, Kendrick was tabbed as #1 prospect in Texas League by Baseball America in 2005. Kendrick was selected as one of 24 players to represent the United States at the 2005 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Phoenix. There, he led all players in tournament with seven RBIs and three stolen bases.

Howie Kendrick had a solid 2009 season. He batted .291 in 105 games for the Halos. Kendrick also displayed power by hitting 10 home runs and knocking in 61 RBIs. He was also versatile on the base paths, scoring 61 runs and racking up 11 stolen bases. In addition, his on-base percentage was .344, while he posted a slugging percentage of .444.

Kendrick also played 20 games for the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Triple A minor league affiliate. He hit .346 in his short time there, with two home runs, 11 RBIs, 27 hits, 11 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Kendrick hit .306 in 92 games for the Angels, despite being plagued by injuries and spending time on the disabled list. He had three home runs to go with 37 RBIs. In addition, Kendrick scored 43 runs and swiped 11 stolen bases. He also had an on-base percentage of .333 and a slugging percentage of .421.

Kendrick's bat was on fire in 2007 -- his second season in the majors -- finishing with a .322 batting average. In 88 games for the first place Angels, Kendrick hit five home runs and knocked in 39 RBIs, scoring 55 runs and stealing five bases. His on-base percentage was .347 while his slugging percentage was .450.