Cactus League play wraps up for our Halos today and the fellas will head home for the annual Freeway Series. It seems like Spring Training takes forever to get here and then is gone in a flash. I had a blast on my annual trip and still consider it my favorite time of year.
I don’t think I’m going on a limb by saying Kyren Paris is the breakout star of the Angels preseason. He’s really made a case for a roster spot and given fans a reason to dream about the near future.
Paris got some off season work with Aaron Judge’s swing coach and the results so far have been incredible.
In a perfect world, Kyren’s breakout is real and he teams with Zach Neto for a solid keystone combination for years to come. Neto will miss Opening Day but is ahead of schedule and eager to get into action. Joining them on the All Draft Pick infield later this year could be Christian Moore, who has looked decent this spring but clearly not MLB ready.
Paris and Moore look to be heading to the minors, but the Angels have several roster decisions to make. Ron Washington gave some answers but little insight into how those will go.
Health will dictate some of those decisions, at least early. Neto isn’t the only early question in the Angels infield. Luis Rengifo has been slowed by a combination of maladies but has been in game action this week. Starting third baseman Yoan Moncada has a bruised thumb that kept him sidelined but he expects to be ready on Opening Day.
Tim Anderson and JD Davis appear to have the bench roles locked up, particularly after Scott Kingery was DFA’d this week to make room for Angel Perdomo, creating a roster decision in the bullpen.
The Angels will have a new centerfielder when the regular season starts. Jo Adell’s defense has been a bit of an adventure but his bat is heating up as the season gets closer. If Jo can continue to improve as he did last year, he’s a very interesting part of the future.
Speaking of the Angels future, Matthew Lugo could also play a part in two ways. I’m just not sure if he will. If Lugo can post solid numbers in AAA that deserve a call up to MLB, he makes a Taylor Ward trade much more palatable. So far he’s shown both good and bad in the Cactus League.
One guy who will be joining Lugo in the minors is Chase Silseth, who was optioned this week.
From around the league:
The Dodgers are 2 and 0 after beating the Cubs twice in Japan with Ohtani thrilling the locals with a homer in game 2.
In a cool moment for me, Japanese boxing phenom “Monster” Inoue announced play ball. The kid is absolutely electric and I’m going to see him live again soon. How awesome is he? Even Ohtani walked over to tip his cap.
Jackie Robinson is a national hero who served our country in World War 2. But he wasn’t white so his military history was deleted by the Pentagon this week. After a social media outrage his page was restored and something that might somehow maybe pass for an apology was issued.
It is both astonishing and sad that nearly 78 years after he played his first MLB game he’s still a focal point for civil rights and a huge portion of our society learned nothing from his life.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. By this time next week we’ll have real games to discuss. I’ll be with family this weekend and will skip the Dodgers fan fest at the Big A this preseason. But it will be good to have baseball back.
