There hasn’t been a normal Spring Training since 2019. It was cut short in 2020, didn’t have split squad games in 2021, and got off to a late start last year.
Thanks to the World Baseball Classic, this one won’t be normal either. However, it should be pretty eventful and give the Angels ample opportunity to get good looks at some prospects.
Here are the stories to follow as camp gets underway.
Name Tags Everybody
The turnover at the Major League level this off season was pretty remarkable. Perry Minasian brought in Tyler Anderson, Carlos Estevez, Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, and Brandon Drury to hopefully provide depth to the club.
In addition to all those faces, the club has announced a record number of non-roster invitees to big league camp. We have real prospects now in guys like Zach Neto, Edgar Quero, and Logan O’Hoppe. Plus there’s some intriguing talent from last year’s AA bullpen in Eric Torres, Luke Murphy, and Ben Joyce.
Here’s a list of all the NRI (non-roster invitees) heading to Tempe:
Where is everybody?
While you’ll get a good look at the future of the franchise, don’t expect to see many of the fan favorites for much of camp. The Angels have 19 players on WBC rosters with several playing overseas in the first round. Shohei Ohtani will leave for Japan. David Fletcher will join his brother on Team Italy and play in Taipei.
Mike Trout, captain of Team USA, will leave a week into March to play in the Team USA games in Phoenix. When he leaves, so will Patrick Sandoval (Mexico), Luis Rengifo (Venezuela), Gio Urshela (Columbia), Carlos Estevez (Dom. Rep.) and a host of others.
If their teams advance to the next round, they’ll need to leave again to play in the following rounds. With Team USA, Japan, and the Dominican Republic heavy favorites to advance we could be without Trout, Ohtani, and Estevez for quite a bit.
This Opens Doors
If we went back to March of 2019 and I told you the Angels would have Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak starting next to each other in Spring Training games, you’d be stoked and think the franchise was in good hands. Alas, neither player has lived up to billing thus far.
But both are still young. Both have the tools that made scouts drool. And both will get plenty of opportunities with Trout playing for our country.
Most of the real prospects on that list above are pitchers and with 9 of the Angels 19 WBC participants being pitchers, this will give them some time to shine.
Davis Daniel is a great guy who has done multiple interviews here. That always makes rooting for a guy more fun.
Ben Joyce has a 105 MPH fastball. Eric Torres was nails in AA last year.
Griffin Canning is supposedly healthy as is Chris Rodriguez and there’s a rotation job up for grabs.
New Rules
MLB has instituted a slew of new rules designed to speed up game play and make the games more exciting. There’s no need to adjust your screen, the bases are larger, there is a pitch clock, and the pitchers can only disengage from the rubber twice with runners on. That’s a good link on which rules changed, why, and how they impacted the minor leagues.
There will be no phase in period. All of these rules will be instituted on the first day of Spring Training games. There will definitely be an adjustment period for players, umpires, announcers, and fans.
Split Squad Games Are Back
As if the players leaving for the WBC doesn’t offer enough playing time, the Angels will play a couple of split squad games and host a couple of split squads. This year’s schedule doesn’t feature as many two for one days as in years past, but that is largely due to none being scheduled around the WBC.
In the coming days I’ll preview the pitching and position player depth charts and look into the handful of position battles taking place. But for those of you just jumping back in after a long off season, this is what to look for as camp opens.
Would like to see CRod to the pen. Also Torres or Sammy B. Developing a lights-out pen will go a long way to mask the club deficiencies.
CRod has borderline plus arm talent, but this camp might be
his last stand with the club if he goes down again.
Ditto for Canning.
I’m still hoping that Joe Adell “arrives”, though it seems pretty damn forlorn at this point.
I was at his Blue Jays start 2 years ago. It was a thing of beauty watching him control that high powered line up.
But from an injury stand point I don’t know whether a starting role or relief role would be better for him. With starting he can methodically prepare for his start over the course of a week but with a relief role there would be multiple warmups with short notice . But If we relegate him to a multi inning mop up role like Barria to avoid this, then I don’t think this would be the most judicious use of his abilities.
Bottom line is whatever they can come up with to minimize the stress on his back ( is that even possible?) I’m in favor of. His arm is too electric to waste.
I think that Blue Jays game is stuck in almost everyone’s head. I’m sure C Rod can be good. No reason to believe he can’t be. But it’s pretty funny how we’ll abandon all sad sack skepticism for players we fall in love with. The guy had a good ERA+ in 2021…. for less than 30 innings. Those innings include that Blue Jays start.
He also had 9K per 9, which isn’t all that impressive now days. He had 4.6 BB/9. That’s a 1.93 ratio. None of that is very impressive at all. A 1.45 WHIP? Basically the same as Jhonathan Diaz’s career WHIP this far. Who’s got a CRod size chubby for JhDZ? No?
As I said, no reason to believe that he isn’t better than those numbers with more innings. But there’s also no reason to believe he’s any more likely to be good than Sam Bachman. Bachman throws harder. Has had a back problem like CRod, but not as bad. We’ve all decided he’s going to the pen while the team has shown no inclination to do that yet and doesn’t have to rush to do that because they took pen arms in the same draft. And yet Bachman’s a wash because “stupid GM” drafted him, but for some reason we all, myself included, think CRod is so much more than the Cy Rookie we saw for a few innings in 2021.
Life’s a trip homes.
I love C-Rod as a once through the lineup guy. In my dream scenario, I’d bring him in after 5 innings of Suarez’s left junk or maybe even Detmers to limit his innings and let Rodriguez pitch the next 2 to 3 innings.
That’s two outings per week at 2-3 innings per. Saves our bullpen, limits his innings.
How about as an opener? Suarez seemed to do better out of the pen when he didn’t have time to think but only pitch. Then again I’ve been thinking the pitch clock might be a really good thing for Suarez starting pitching career.
That’s a good idea.
Pitch clock is going to make or break Suarez. Either he’ll adjust and be fine or get caught in his own head and issue several free balls per game.
I like an increase in velocity from one guy to the next, unless you’re going full knuckle ball. I think after Rodriguez’s gas Suarez’s fastball will look meaty to big league hitters.
Yay! I’m excited to go check out Angels camp and some WBC games in Tempe next month
Here’s hoping that Ben is better than Matt.
Rounders was perfect. I hate that they let players use gloves now. Curses to Man Bear Fraud!
Thanks for this Jeff. I’ve been looking forward to seeing which Pandas will get invited.
Quite a few of them.
Even the Trash Pandas are excited about the Trash Pandas. https://twitter.com/trashpandas/status/1625680796333006848
I’ve read that fastball speed is measured differently now. If I knew where I’d read it I wouldn’t be asking this. Bobby Feller, for example, was timed at 98.7 mph as the ball crossed home plate. I don’t think that’s how they measure it now so I’m wondering if anyone knows how it’s currently done and then…how does that compare with the old?
It is measured differently, and it does make a difference. I believe they now measure the speed as it leaves the pitcher’s hand as opposed to when it crosses the plate as it used to be in the days of, for example, Nolan Ryan.
Here’s a good article about it. Basically a pitcher who threw an 85mph fastball in the 1980s (measured at the plate) would be throwing 93mph today (measured at the hand). It means that Ryan’s 100mph gas would likely be measured at 108mph+ today.
By the way, this also means that 96mph today is more like 89-90 in the 1970s and 1980s. So don’t be so impressed with guys throwing “98” in today’s game. Ryan was in a class of his own.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/the-measure-of-a-fastball-has-changed-over-the-years/?amphtml
So this is do to inflation ?
Form of marketing. The equivalent of making balls fly further for more HRs.
Or maybe Ozone depletion?
Thanks. That’s great info
Appreciate the bullet points – it’s late and my eyes are tired.
I’ve often heard “older fans” boast that Ryan threw harder than the flamethrowers now. I always felt that they we’re basically pulling the “everything was better in my day…” bit, but it sounds as though I was totally incorrect in my assumptions.
Well one thing is for sure. The Express was a better grunter than anyone today. And they weren’t any of those Lorenzen Faux grunts either.
So I actually “sat” 94 MPH in high school and toped out at 99 MPH?
No. I am 100% sure I did not.
I do think that guys like Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan, Maybe even Walter Johnson, threw as hard or harder than guys like Chapman and Joyce.
I’m not sure it matters though. I heard an ex-catcher speak once. He was talking about Rob Dibble, Billy Wagner and…. Brandon Webb of all guys. His main point was that Dibble had the highest radar gun number out of those guys but Wagner’s delivery was so low effort that the pitch, though maybe “only” 100MPH was “sudden”. Meanwhile, hitters/catchers are also aware of the “weight” or “heavy” feel of catching/hitting a pitch. Brandon Webb threw a pitch that was probably 5-7 MPH slower but felt like it weighed an extra ten ounces. Webbs mostly forgotten now, but there’s a reason he was an ace for a few years there in AZ.
That makes sense. Im sure those 82 MPH puss balls WTY was serving up there at the end probably “real feeled” like an 87 MPH rocket
Behold. The things I would like to behold an answer to this March.
Is Rendon healthy?
Jared Walsh. Healthy?
Is Canning healthy? Can he be #6?
Can Rengifo or Fletcher or both survive SS? Drury maybe?
Aaron Loup. Poop?
Sam Bachman. Do you throw 102 or 92 MPH from now on?
Max Stassi? Hey bro, why don’t you shut some of these sad sacks TFU?
Jo Adell? Mikey Moniak? Anybody want to play MLB baseball?
Killer Panda Pen? Si o no?
Matt Thaiss? Still not dead?
Who will starve to death this March?
Will anyone be killed in the fights to see who gets to sleep in a bed?
Trey Cabbage. Future legend?
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/b1d45977-f440-4d9b-aed4-90c6fe99b8db