What Happened to Howie Kendrick?

Once upon a time Howie Kendrick was rated the 12th best prospect in the game by Baseball America, ahead of future All-Stars like Jonathan Papelbon, Carlos Quentin, Ryan Braun and Cole Hamels and a whole 65 spots in front of reigning American League MVP Dustin Pedroia, also a second baseman.

That was 2006.

Three years later Kendrick has failed to establish himself in a meaningful way at the major league level, and it could cost him his job according to the Los Angeles Times.

As for Kendrick, [Mike] Scioscia said, "We're not contemplating a move at this point, but it's something we're watching very closely."

Kendrick seemed to find his stroke during a six-game stretch from May 18 to 23, when he was eight for 23 with three RBI, raising his average from .230 to .247.

But Kendrick went hitless in his next 11 at-bats and did not start Saturday night against Seattle.

"At times, he looks like he's getting comfortable in the box, at times he looks a little frustrated, like he's trying to do too much," Scioscia said. "If a couple hits fall in, I think this guy will start to relax and be productive."

So what exactly happened here?

Way back when he was a prospect, Kendrick was billed as a future batting champ. A .360 career average over almost 1,700 plate appearances in the minors has a way of building up the hype.

Kendrick's main problem over the last couple of seasons has been staying in the lineup because of physical ailments. He hit .322 in 2007 and .306 last year, but played 88 and 92 games, respectively, in those seasons.

This year has been another story entirely. He's played in 43 of the Angels' 49 games, but has also seen his average tumble from .256 on May 1 all the way to .225 at the end of the month. His 12.7 percent line-drive rate -- down 7.3 percent from last season -- offers little comfort or hope that he is merely going through an unusually long patch of bad luck, and he has to hit for average to be an asset offensively.

The Angels justifiably have to be thinking about other options, especially considering the fact that they rank 10th in the American League in runs scored and are going to have to chase down Texas over the final four months of the season if they wish to return to the playoffs.

All of that means that the enigmatic Kendrick, who will turn 26 in July and is three years removed from being one of the best young prospects in the game, is at a bit of a crossroads.

Is he hiding an injury? Is he just not that good? It's awfully hard to say at this juncture, but the Angels probably aren't going to wait much longer to find out the answer.