Shuck & Harris filling in just fine

In order for a struggling team of all-stars to stay afloat, role players need to make strong contributions to the ball club. Both JB Shuck and Brendan Harris were two guys who came into the season with minimal responsibility. Only four active players on the Angels roster are hitting over .280, and they both have their name in that pot. Shuck is filling in for the injured Peter Borjous in left field while Harris replaces Aybar at short. They also hit back to back in the lineup in the nine and one spots, and both contributing to the win over the White Sox Friday night with each getting RBI's.

So who are these guys and where did they come from? As of right now, they look like small gifts from heaven for the Angels, as they continue to put in their two cents each night. JB Shuck came up for the first time with Houston for 37 games in 2011 and didn't get a chance in 2012. He is a career 300 hitter in the minors who held his own with a .272 average in those games with Houston. Born and raised in Ohio, Shuck did see the field a few innings in the Angels opener at Cincinnati. Shuck does a good job of putting the ball in play and has a strikeout to walk ratio of 1:1. Shuck has also been solid in the outfield with 2 assists and no errors

Brendan Harris made his major league debut in 2005 with Washington and was also a two-year starter for the Minnesota Twins where he hit .262 in 848 at-bats. After struggling in 2010, Harris was sent back down to the minors, finding his grove again in 2012 where he hit 317 in 106 games in AAA. Harris beat out Andrew Romine for the back-up middle infielder position during the spring. Romine has been up and down with the Angels since 2010 and has continued to struggle at the plate this season. Although Harris might not have the strikeout to walk ratio that Shuck has, Harris is hitting .288 in 66 at-bats with 3 home runs, which is right there with other Angels who have close to 100 at-bats.

These two guys have come in nicely for teammates who had to hit the shelf. Angel fans will be happy to see Aybar and Borjous return healthy. When they do, you can feel comfortable that if a player goes down again, there's someone to fill in right behind them and give the team 110%.