And just lack that, baseball is back. Last weekend NCAA action kicked off and yesterday the Cubs and Dodgers kicked off the 2025 Cactus League season.
There are four games out in the Valley of the Sun today and another two in the Grapefruit League.
MLB Network will air a ton of Spring Training games to scratch our baseball itch. MLB.tv will have lots of free games as well. A new wrinkle will appear this Spring, an automated strike zone with player challenges. I saw this in AAA action last season and liked it.
The Angels kick off their Cactus League season tomorrow and wrap it up on March 21st. Join your fellow Angels fans in gamethreads here. I have them scheduled for every game.
When the games start there will be one significant change: Mike Trout is moving to right field. Trout and team hope the move will save some wear and tear on his body, including his surgically repaired meniscus, and help him stay on the field.
This begs the question of who plays center field. Jo Adell looks to establish himself in centerfield after dramatically improving his defense in right field last season.
Angels GM Perry Minasian jumped on MLB Network to discuss Trout’s move and the team’s off season. Note the nod to playing the kids.
Here’s a look at Trout in right field from Tempe.
Before taking those reps in right field, Mike and his buddy Freddie Freeman did some important work and put smiles on kids faces. This stuff right here means far more than any accolades they receive for their play and is important to highlight.
Another player who needs to stay healthy is shortstop Zach Neto. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and appears to be ahead of schedule. He’s doing drills and throwing from short distances.
Part of what made the early 2000s Angels so much fun to watch was the fact many of them came up together and formed genuine bonds as teammates. There was a family feel with Salmon, Anderson, Percival, and the bunch. We watched them grow and develop as players and men and enjoyed in their success. The same thing seems to be happening with this group.
Yes, all things begin anew in Spring. Even the outlook from Angels owner Arte Moreno, who spoke with the media this week. He stated the team will lose a cool $50 million this year but then spoke about acquiring and developing young players.
“You have to continue to put up good building blocks. And then the reality is being able to supplement everything.” – Arte Moreno
When combined with the comments above by Perry and the obvious huge roster turnover the next two seasons, the plan is pretty obvious: find some kids who can really play then spend the freed up salary supplementing and extending them.
The plan was to keep this column 100% Angels but late breaking news yesterday must be mentioned. MLB and ESPN are mutually parting ways after this season. ESPN wanted MLB to take a pay cut from the $550 million per year it currently receives, MLB is complaining about a lack of coverage. What is significant here is that national contracts are divided equally per team, so this will impact the amount of revenue the Angels receive. MLB is discussing other broadcast partnerships.
I will link this absolute bomb from my draft crush, Fresno State third baseman Murf Gray. That is an epic name, my favorite school, and a position of need. Hopefully he’s there at 47 or we snag a competitive balance pick and get him at 31 or so.
Enjoy this blessed weekend of baseball and link what I missed. We have Opening Day ceremonies for Little League and I am the manager of the farm level Angels. It is a great group of kids and we are going to have a blast this season. We will win some games, ha ha. The opportunity to spend this time at the ballpark with my son is beyond description. Look for me in the gamethread when I get home.
