In many ways writing this column becomes easier when Cactus League games start and there are storied to cover. On the other hand, sometimes there’s just too much stuff to cohesively fit into one column. This week is largely that.
On the Angels front, most news out of camp is surprisingly good. Injury news is even good as Robert Stephenson is pitching to live hitters.
We even got a glimpse of second overall pick Tyler Bremner on the hill on Wednesday.
Bremner did not turn heads, but a forgotten utility player is smoking the ball right now and deserves some notice.
Also, our forgotten first round pick is throwing 98 MPH sinkers and looking like a bullpen piece. That’s obviously not what you really want for a top 10 pick but after years of getting no value I’ll take anything.
As of today, I’m predicting Bachman wins a bullpen job out of camp. Here’s my full bullpen prediction.
Pretty crazy to get this deep into an article talking about young kids (outside of Stephenson). This camp is full of them and several interesting names are being reassigned to the minor league camp. The Angels are telling us they are in a rebuild (or perhaps just a build for them) even if they aren’t saying it.
You know who is really shining at the World Baseball Classic? Angels players and prospects. Najer Victor and Samy Natera Jr. were great against Team USA. Meanwhile on Sunday, Sam Aldegheri dominated for Team Italy while Ryan Johnson had a stellar game in the Cactus League.
Yoan Moncada made a sick bare handed play and cracked a homer for Cuba in the same game. Nobody had a better showing than Lucas Ramirez.
Yes, the youngster took Jacob DeGrom, Logan Webb, then lefty specialist Justin Speier yard in the same week; the latter two in the same game. The following night he looked like Vladdy’s son on this throw from right field.
One hot week does not make a Top 100 prospect but Ramirez showed the type of ability very few ballplayers possess. He’ll be an interesting name to watch when mid season prospect lists come out.
About the only bad news from camp is Alek Manoah. His struggles prove the Angels have a wide open competition for the fifth starter’s spot. I went with a semi hot take and predicted George Klassen will get the nod. It is just too easy to dream on this kid’s stuff + Mike Maddux as his coach.
There will be ups and downs with Klassen as there will be with any young player. But the fact he came out attacking hitters after getting roughed up a little in his previous start showed a competitive mentality. I really believe he has the best upside of all the options and he’s the guy who would most benefit from being around Maddux this season.
I’d still like to bring in another arm or two. There’s simply no depth. Now that the Angels have a TV network in place, perhaps they could reunite with an old friend or two.
TV deal? Yes, the Angels bought out Main Street Sport’s half of FanDuel Sports West and will keep all their games there. Somehow they will also pay the LA Kings and keep them on the network. After a season of angst it turns out Angels fans won’t need to do anything different at all to watch games this season.
Meanwhile, the World Baseball Classic is moving to the quarterfinals. Here’s all you need to know (and how cool is it to see former writer Brent Maguire in the byline?)
The biggest story in sports this week was the massive upset by Team Italian-Americans over Team USA. The Italia squad has been a ton of fun to watch both on the field and in the dugout.
The fact that game came down to Aaron Judge in the batters box as the tying run illustrates just how exciting a lot of these games have been. Puerto Rico vs. Panama and Korea vs. Taipei were both incredible as well.
Thankfully the Italian-American team came through and beat a tough Team Mexico squad to keep USA in the tourney. I know I’ll be tuned in tonight.
Enjoy the weekend and link what I missed. A promising young fighter from Bakersfield is in the ring tomorrow night at the Honda Center so I just might mozy on over there. Warm weather, no work, and time with my family are on the agenda for sure. And watching the Classic.
Have a great weekend and stay hydrated. If you haven’t yet, follow me on X @angels_on_SI to keep up with all my stuff. I’m working on a couple of interviews and have a contact in the Angels media department so hopefully I’ll have some good stuff for you soon.
