ANAHEIM -- Left fielder Reggie Willits' slender, 185-pound frame is anything but imposing when compared to the hulking 6'3, 235-pound Vladimir Guerrero, playing opposite his post at right field.

Though Guerrero -- All-Star balloters' top draw among American League outfielders -- may garner more headline attention with the impending MidSummer Classic drawing ever closer and talk of legitimate contention for the league's Most Valuable Player Award, he can do nothing in the way of dwarfing his teammate's indisputable contributions.

Since manning the left-field position after Garret Anderson was sidelined by a torn right hip flexor, Willits, a 26-year-old Oklahoman, has quietly amassed a resume that belies his relative inexperience at the Major League level.

Heading into Monday's contest, Willits had hit safely in 38 of his last 50 games, while reaching base safely in 43 of 51 games with an at-bat. He is first among American League rookies in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.433), runs scored (34) and stolen bases (16). His 57 hits are second among his rookie peers.

Any talk of a legitimate bid for Rookie of the Year honors was met with little more than a smile.

"I don't think about stuff like that," the mild-mannered Willits said. "I just try to go out and play. It's such a long season. It's hard to say what's going to happen throughout the year.

"I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to play, and so far, I've played, in my opinion, pretty well. I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I don't mean that to sound cocky or anything like that, but as a baseball player, you have to have confidence in your abilities or you probably wouldn't be here."

Willits has proven especially adept at decoding the pitching cipher in foreign ballparks, boasting a .376 road average. But his most recent road trip, a nine-game, 10-day excursion through St. Louis, Cincinnati and Dodger Stadium, caused a bit of discomfort -- or a glimmer of discomfort in his mind at least.

"There was about a week and a half period -- this last road trip -- where I wasn't feeling as good at the plate," Willits said. "It really wasn't my swing or nothing. It was just that teams were attacking me a little bit, and I had to adjust to that."

Flaunting a .376 road average usually will incite that sort of "attack," but Willits responded with eight hits in 20 plate appearances while drawing six walks for a .400 average during that span. He scored four runs, drove in four more and stole a pair of bases.

Some adjustment.

"Reggie has been a catalyst," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's allowed us to move Gary Matthews down [to the No. 4 spot] and added depth to our lineup. He's had a profound effect on what we've done offensively. He brought balance into a lineup that was really looking for a guy who could work counts and could get on base. He's been a great fit."

Willits has been working counts better than any batter in the league, ranking first in percentage of pitches taken with 68 percent (626 pitches taken of 920 seen).

"I've always looked at a lot of pitches," Willits said. "I feel like there's a certain area I can attack a ball. If it's not in that area, I just don't swing at it until I get two strikes. If a pitcher gets up there and throws two good pitches -- even though they're strikes, but they're not in a zone that I can do something with -- then I'm not going to swing at them."

Willits apparently knows what he's doing.

Kotchman update: After suffering a concussion-inducing blow to the head by a throw at second base from Dodgers catcher Russell Martin on Saturday, first baseman Casey Kotchman said he felt "better than yesterday," but has no timetable in mind for his return.

"I'm just trying to feel better every day," he said. "Once I knock out the symptoms, I can get back after it."

The symptoms include "mild and periodic" headaches, lightheadedness and ocular sensitivity to light. A steady dose of sleep, inactivity and Tylenol have yielded positive results thus far, and Kotchman plans to follow this regimen until he can return to physical activity.

"I'll take it easy today," Kotchman said. "Until the headaches go away, it's good not to do anything else, or the headaches aren't going to go away. If you're doing stuff with the headaches, you're going to make it worse."

The injury will grant opposing pitchers temporary reprieve from the offensively apt first baseman's ever-progressing command in the batter's box. In his last 10 games, Kotchman racked up 17 hits with three jacks and nine RBIs for a staggering .472 average over that span. Against Cincinnati, Kotchman recorded three-hit performances last Tuesday and Thursday.

"It's always frustrating not being able to contribute, but it's one of those things you can't really do anything about."

Down on the farm: Outfielder Chris Pettit and designated hitter Matt Sweeney of the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels were named starters for the West roster of the Midwest League's All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Catcher Hank Conger, the Angels' first pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, was selected as a reserve for the contest, along with infielder P.J. Phillips and pitchers Doug Brandt and Tim Schoeninger.

On deck: Burly right-hander Bartolo Colon (6-2, 5.73 ERA) looks to ride the momentum of Thursday's win against Cincinnati when he faces Houston's Jason Jennings (0-1, 3.18) to resume Interleague Play at Angel Stadium on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. PT.