With more power in lineup, Angels hope for best of both worlds

The loss of speedy leadoff batter Chone Figgins and an infusion of power won’t transform an Angels offense that for years has relied heavily on small ball and aggressive baserunning into a station-to-station club.

New leadoff batter Erick Aybar is faster than Figgins, and he showed his blazing speed when he scored from first on a single to right-center field in an exhibition game last week.

No. 2 batter Bobby Abreu stole 30 bases in 2009 and, at 36, said he “still plays the game like I did when I was 22.” No. 3 batter Torii Hunter is quick to remind you, “I can still run.”

Second baseman Howie Kendrick and utility infielder Maicer Izturis have good speed, and going from first to third on singles still should be a prominent part of the team’s attack as it heads into Monday night’s season opener against Minnesota at Angel Stadium.

But the Angels, long considered a National League team in American League clothes, might not ride the high-speed rails nearly as much in 2010 as they have over the past decade.

When Mike Napoli catches and Brandon Wood plays third base, the Angels will have power threats from the second through ninth spots.

Abreu has averaged 17 home runs over the last three seasons, Hunter and new cleanup batter Hideki Matsui are 25-homer threats, and No. 5 hitter Kendry Morales hit 34 homers in his breakout 2009 season.

No. 6 batter Juan Rivera hit 25 homers last season; Kendrick showed he could hit with power with 10 home runs; Napoli hit 20 homers in each of the last two seasons; and Wood, who holds the franchise record for home runs at triple-A Salt Lake, could join this group depending on his playing time.

“We expect to drive the ball better than we have since maybe our first year here in 2000,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. That year, the Angels had four players with 34 or more home runs.

“It’s not a change of philosophy, where you’re saying you’re not going to be aggressive on the bases,” Scioscia said. “But the reality is, if you have a basketball team that’s been running up and down the court and all of a sudden you get two All-Star low-post players, you’re going to try to take advantage of that.”

With the slow-footed Matsui, Morales and Rivera in the fourth, fifth and sixth spots, the Angels won’t be as much of a fastbreak club. And though Napoli and Wood aren’t base-cloggers, neither has above-average speed.

“But that’s a lot of power, and if we hit doubles we won’t have to steal second,” Hunter said. “Yes, speed changes the game. It changes the pitcher’s approach; he has to throw more fastballs.

“But if Matsui hits a double, Kendry hits a double and Rivera hits a double, that’s a perfect world. We had a little bit of NL and AL styles in the past, but we’re more of an AL team now, hitting for power, getting the job done with the bats.”

The Angels ranked second in the major leagues with a franchise-record 883 runs last season. They led the majors in bunt hits (34) and advancing from first to third on singles (119 times), and they ranked second with 148 stolen bases.

Their offense has the potential to be just as prolific in 2010, but Scioscia might not have to push the envelope as much on the bases to get those runs.

“Some of the things like hit-and-run and run-and-hit plays, those opportunities probably are not going to be as prevalent as they have been in the past,” he said. “We feel we’re going to pressure teams every inning, maybe in a different way than before.”

Figgins, who had a .395 on-base percentage, 114 runs, a league-leading 101 walks and 42 stolen bases last season before signing with Seattle, will be difficult to replace. But the 26-year-old Aybar, who hit .312 with a .353 on-base percentage, 70 runs and 14 stolen bases in 2009, has made significant strides in plate discipline.

“He could be a real dynamic player,” Hunter said. “When he gets on base, watch out, he’s going to be Figgy times two. He’s still young. If he figures it out, he’ll be one of the best in the game.”

Perhaps the best indication of the Angels’ depth, Hunter said, is that Kendrick, a career .302 hitter, will bat seventh or eighth.

The second baseman was demoted to triple A last season after hitting .231 through June 11, but he was recalled three weeks later and hit .351 from July 4 on, the second-best average in the AL during that span.

“When I got here in 2008, I’ve never seen a guy hit the ball so flush every time, where the ball knuckles like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball,” Hunter said of Kendrick. “He got sent down, and I think he got a little angry. That’s something you need, that fire.”

Having Kendrick at the bottom of the order should put heat on opposing pitchers.

“They think they’re at the seventh or eighth spot, they can be comfortable. But no, you’ve got Kendrick coming up,” Hunter said. “It can be a fun lineup. We have speed at the top, then power, power, power, power, power, speed at the bottom. I’m excited.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com