Sounding Off:

How much will the Angels miss Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson? That’s the big question for Halos fans.

Mathis, a 27-year-old catcher, was coming into his own before breaking his wrist last week in a 2-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers. Then on Friday, backup catcher Wilson was making his first Major League start and suffered a concussion and ankle injury in a collision with Yankee Mark Teixeira.

The good news is that, while both players will be missed, the Angels have the depth to stay competitive in the American League West race.

Mathis will be the more difficult to replace. He had become the team’s main starter this season because of his defense behind the plate and improved hitting. He was hitting .324 with one home run and three runs batted in before a breaking pitch from Kevin Jepsen danced in the dirt and ricocheted off his right wrist, breaking it and putting him on the disabled list for four-to-six weeks.

Mathis’ offensive surge goes back to last year’s AL Division and Championship Series, when he got a base hit in six consecutive plate appearances and won game three of the ALCS with an 11th-inning double. He finished the playoffs hitting .534, and scouts said they could see his confidence growing each game.

But what Angels Manager Mike Scioscia appreciates most is Mathis’ improved game-calling skills. Mathis must put his fingers down 150 or so times a game to tell a pitcher what he should throw, and that decision-making is much more important than his four at bats per game.

A catcher must not only understand what a pitcher throws well and what pitches are working for him at any given time, he must also develop trust with the pitchers so they can execute their pitches with conviction. Mathis did that better than any Angels catcher last year. In the 657 innings he caught, the staff earned run average was 3.99. By comparison, the team had a 4.86 ERA in the 758 innings fellow catcher Mike Napoli was behind the plate.

The key to the team’s continued success despite these injuries might be Scioscia himself. He is as good as it gets in coaching the catching position.

During spring training, you’ll find him down on the minor league fields working with the young catchers. He is extremely demanding that minor league backstops understand the fundamentals and details of the position.

Four years ago, when Mathis was a Triple-A prospect with the Salt Lake Bees, I asked if it was intimidating when Scioscia showed up to teach.

“I wouldn’t say intimidating,” Mathis replied, “but he is firm, and there certainly is a right way and wrong way to catch in the Scioscia system.”

While the Halos will miss Mathis, Napoli is an underrated signal-caller who also came up in the Scioscia system.

Left-handed starting pitcher Joe Saunders told me last year that Napoli has a great feel for the game, and Saunders once pitched a start without ever shaking Napoli off.

Friday’s injury will certainly test the team’s depth behind the plate. There’s former first-round pick Hank Conger out of Huntington Beach High School, who is starting at Triple-A Salt Lake.

He needs to stay in the minor leagues, catch every day and learn the nuances of working a pitching staff.

The natural fit to step up right away is Ryan Budde, who was called up last week from Salt Lake. He has nine years in the Scioscia system and 23 games of Major League experience. His strength is defense.

Angel pitchers have confidence in Budde; he gives a good, low target and has good footwork blocking balls in the dirt. Even if he hits only .150, Budde will be a capable backup to Napoli.

The key, though, is the man at the end of the dugout. As long as the Angels have Scioscia teaching young players how to be a Major League backstop, they will be fine at catcher.

The team certainly will miss Mathis and Wilson, but Napoli and Budde will keep the team in contention until the regulars return in late May.

OCLNN.com columnist STEVE PHYSIOC is a professional radio and television broadcaster and Orange County resident.