Brandon Wood never got much time to unpack his bags while with the Los Angeles Angels.

Last year, Wood, who was rated by Baseball America as the Angels' top prospect, was with the big club four times and, in all, spent 31 days there.

He hit just .152 with a double, homer and three RBIs in 33 at-bats (13 games) with the Angels.

While Wood is considered the future for the Angels, they don't want him to sit. They want him to see pitches and play every day until he is needed. For this reason, the 23-year-old infielder started the season with the Salt Lake Bees for the second straight year.

He sees it as a good thing.

"I don't look at myself as somebody that can take seven or eight days from seeing live pitching and go in there and play well," he said. "Some guys can do it, but that's tough for me. Being here and getting consistent at-bats here — working on what I worked on this offseason and spring training — and taking it into games day in and day out is something I can benefit from, which in the end will help me out in my future."

Between Salt Lake, where he hit .272 with 27 doubles, a triple, 23 homers and 77 RBIs, and Los Angeles, Wood got 470 at-bats, some 85 at-bats shy of his career high when he had 555 at-bats in 2005 between Rancho Cucamonga and Salt Lake.

"There are guys like Howie Kendrick that can wake up in November and hit, but guys like me need a little more fine-tuning," he said. "I'll take care of business and get where I need to be with the help of Jim Eppard, our hitting coach."

In the offseason, Wood worked on staying through the middle, keeping his weight back and quieting his hands, and he thinks all those will help him get to the next level.

This year, Wood will start the year at shortstop instead of third base.

"I have played shortstop since I was nine years old so that's my natural position and that's where I have felt most comfortable," he said. "But playing enough at third base last year got me comfortable over there as well."

Knowing how to play both positions well will only help him, he said.

"I think it gives me a little more versatility. If something happened up in the big leagues or whatever their needs are, I can go at short or third," he said.

Wood made his first trip to the big leagues April 26 and went 1-for-8 before being sent back down to Salt Lake four days later.

He was recalled three days later, and in his six-day stay went 0-for-3.

He stayed in Salt Lake for nearly a month before being recalled on July 14. In that stay, which lasted until July 30, he was just 2-for-10. He was called up a final time for three days in August but didn't see any time while there.

"I want to get there now just as much as I did before I was ever there," he said. "You get a taste and see what it is like, and that's where you want to be."

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com