He really has come a long way. As a rookie, he literally swung at every first pitch. His at-bats have improved greatly and I think he has really improved recognizing different pitches this season (especially when he sat a game after half assing it to first base).
I agree. He was garbage against the Angels and pitching against the As allows at least a chance to rebound from that. He is pretty fragile mentally. Despite what his dad says...