Anaheim sent 1B-L David Erstad to join OF-L Garret Anderson and DH-R Tim Salmon on the disabled list on Sunday. Erstad injured his right hamstring while running the bases in the third inning of the Angels' May 8th game against Tampa Bay. Erstad reportedly significantly strained his hamstring in two areas, so Anaheim expects him to miss at least a month and the injuries could keep him out longer.

The Angels called up 1B-L Casey Kotchman to replace Erstad on the roster. Anaheim drafted Kotchman out of high school with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 draft. Injuries have interfered with his acceleration through the minors. Once he recovered from an injury to his right hamstring, Kotchman spent most of 2003 at A+ Rancho Cucamonga in the California League, where he hit .350 with a .441 OBP and .524 SLG on 72 H, 12 2B, and 8 HR with a 30:16 BB:K and 2 SB in 206 AB. He opened this season at AA Arkansas in the Texas League, where at the time of his call-up, he was hitting .368 with a .438 OBP and .544 SLG on 42 H, 11 2B, and 3 HR with a 10:7 BB:K in 114 AB.

While I would prefer to see him receive another 100 AB at AA and a few hundred at AAA before making his major league debut, the 21-year-old's strong grasp of the strike zone should help him make this jump to the majors. Hopefully, Kotchman will be able to maintain a solid on-base percentage during this stint in the big leagues, but I do not expect to see much power out of him until a few years from now when he's adjusted to his surroundings and more mature physically. Although a continuation of his minor league success in this major league opportunity may preclude a return to the farm, Kotchman is not likely to remain in the big leagues unless the Angels are able to provide him with regular playing time. He currently is Anaheim's starting first baseman.

CR-R Robb Quinlan, who was serving as AAA Salt Lake's first baseman, joined the Angels in the majors on May 6th while RHP Matt Hensley returned to the minors. Quinlan made his major league debut with the Angels last July and performed effectively as a part-time first baseman for Anaheim over the second half of the season. I fail to understand why the Angels did not allow Kotchman to continue his development in the minors while assigning Quinlan the first base job in Erstad's absence. Although Quinlan's upside does not match Kotchman's, the 27-year-old is far more prepared to fill the role now and likely to outperform the still developing Kotchman. In fact, Quinlan was more successful in his at-bats last year than Erstad. However, as long as Kotchman is in the majors, he will receive the playing time at first base, leaving Quinlan to serve as a back-up at first and third as well as a reserve left fielder.