TEMPE, Ariz. – It turns out that Chris Iannetta’s offensive and defensive issues last year might have been connected to something as simple as his eyes.
The Angels catcher revealed Thursday he got contact lenses around the end of July, which happened to coincide with a turnaround. Iannetta hit .208 with a .695 OPS through July 30, then hit .257 with an .803 OPS the rest of the way.
Iannetta said he has 20/20 vision and didn’t think he needed any correction, but he began to notice he was having trouble seeing signs relayed from the dugout.
“At the beginning of game, I could see pretty good, but in the fourth or fifth inning, as the eye muscle gets fatigued, it was tougher,” Iannetta said. “The power in my contacts is next to nothing, but it’s just enough to relax my eyes, and then everything else relaxed.”
NOTES
Albert Pujols chimed in with his homage to Derek Jeter, who announced a day earlier he will retire after this season: “He’s almost the way you want your kids to grow up. There is nobody perfect on this earth. Only Jesus was perfect, but he’s pretty close to being that perfect guy.” …
Manager Mike Scioscia reiterated he is expecting Mike Trout to hit in front of Pujols, and that means he won’t be batting leadoff. Trout is most likely to hit second, with Pujols third. Scioscia said he doesn’t want to leave Trout unprotected if he bats first and Pujols is third. Kole Calhoun is the leading candidate to bat leadoff. …
Scioscia said he’s seen Josh Hamilton, who gained more than 20 pounds this winter, and is expecting a better season: “He looks healthier, stronger … I’m very confident we’re going to see a different Josh, particularly earlier in the year.” …
Infielder John McDonald, 39, a veteran of 15 major league seasons, is in camp on a minor league deal, although he is a leading candidate to win a backup infield job. Asked if he would consider playing in the minors, McDonald said: “Given my age, having two small kids at home, it wouldn’t be ideal, but don’t think I’ll be able to answer that question truthfully until it’s actually presented to me by my GM.”
Contact the writer: jlfletcher@ocregister.com
