Spring Training Questions by Positional Area

[Angelsjunky]

Catcher: Is Stassi healthy? 

If so, he will be the larger part of a platoon with Suzuki; if not, Bemboom will be the weaker half of the platoon until Stassi is healthy. Pretty straightforward.

Infield: Who is the utility guy?

The starting four is set with Walsh at 1B, Fletcher at 2B, Iglesias at SS, and Rendon at 3B; and, of course, Pujols will be there, splitting time between 1B, DH, and the bench. The biggest question going into spring training is the utility infielder, with the Angels having three options for one spot: Rengifo, Barreto, and newly acquired Gosselin. Rengifo still has a minor league option and will likely start the year in AAA, which is probably for the best as it gives him the regular playing time he has been lacking for two years. The Gosselin signing implies lack of confidence in Barreto, whether his hitting or his ability to play SS. But certainly they'll enter ST with a competition for the starting utility player. While neither have options, I believe that Gosselin--because he signed a minor league contract--could start the year in AAA, if they're worried about losing Barreto to waivers. If Barreto looks lost, they could risk sending him to AAA, with Gosselin earning the job and Rengifo waiting for another chance.

Outfield: How will the outfield look later in the year? 

The big outfield question isn't how it will look in April, but in August. The Opening Day starters will almost certainly be Upton, Trout, and Fowler, with Juan Lagares likely the 4th outfielder. This means that there's no place for Ward on the major league team, and thus he will likely join a crowded AAA outfield that includes Adell, Marsh, Schebler, and Lund. Ward could continue to raise his stock by playing multiple positions in Salt Lake, maybe getting some games in at catcher. 

Angels will also be taking a close look at Adell and Marsh and while it is probable that both start in AAA (definite for Adell), they'll want to get a sense of how close they are to major league readiness. Even if Marsh looks ready, they'll probably start him in AAA where he'll wait for injury or for one (or both) of Upton and Fowler to struggle. Adell will be given plenty of time to work on his defense and plate discipline, but both should be up sometime in 2021.

Rotation: Shohei Ohtani - Is he healthy? 

Ahh, the perennial question. The perennial answer: who tf knows. One would think that Bundy, Heaney, Quintana, and Canning are locks for the starting rotation. Cobb is likely the fifth starter, and option-less Barria in the bullpen, with Sandoval starting the year in AAA. But the big question is Ohtani and whether or not he can stay healthy and if so, how to work him into the rotation. I guess we'll just have to see.

If Ohtani isn't healthy, the Angels will likely go with a five-man rotation, with Barria first in line to get starts when the injury bug inevitably strikes, followed by Sandoval and some combination of Suarez, Faria, McNaughton, and Ortega. There's a chance that Detmers and/or Rodriguez makes some major league starts, but it almost certainly won't be until late in the year.

Bullpen: Who is the eighth man? 

The locks are Raisel Iglesias, Mayers, Pena, Buttrey, Claudio, Barria, and Rivera. It would seem that rules are, once again, determining the roster. Rivera was acquired in the Rule 5 draft so needs to stay on the major league roster all year or risk being lost on waivers. While he could probably do with some more time in the minors, stashing him in the bullpen for low leverage situations isn't such a terrible thing, but it does mean that the Angels will only have a spot for one of Guerra, Slegers, Sandoval, Suarez, Quijada and Reyes, all of whom have at least one option--except for Guerra, who like Gosselin is on a minor league contract (which means he can start the year in the minors, but if called up would have to pass through waivers before being sent down).

Sandoval and Suarez will probably start the year in the AAA rotation. One would think that flame-throwing Reyes is the most likely to win the final spot, but Slegers and Guerra are also possible. Quijada will probably be stashed in AAA as depth.

Bonus Question: Any last-minute trades?

While the roster seems complete, it also includes quite a few stray ends, as well as areas of potential upgrade. While it seems unlikely, there is still the off chance that the Angels upgrade their rotation or bullpen with a trade.

[floplag]

Great summary.  I personally thing a trade is what they are trying to do.  There are too many redundant parts that make little sense to keep them all.  Nothing wrong with Depth of course but i dont see how more time in AAA helps many of them.  I think thats what they have set themselves up for whether its now or at the deadline.
I would like to see them still go get one of the FA SP weve discussed like Odorizzi, Walker, or Paxton, and a Rosenthal to finish the pen maybe, if they can fit them under the tax but im not holding my breath at this point.
unless they find the right trade, this is likely who were are to start ST. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

I think Ward will make the team to be half of a platoon in RF with Fowler, while backing up third, being the third catcher and being randomly placed at DH every so often.

I suppose the alternative is you keep Lagares on the roster and he rarely plays, then you give Walsh reps in RF when there is a leftie on the mound and Pujols gets his cracks at first base. The big difference here being more at bats for Pujols at the expense of Ward.

[totdprods]

Rivera is far from a lock, even if he is the last man in the pen and the Angels don’t acquire anyone else. A good chunk of R5 guys are returned in ST. 

[Second Base]

 I know this isn't a popular take, but it should be brought up nonetheless. 

- Is Walsh's breakout real and sustainable?

If the answer to that question is no, then you're looking at Pujols or Thaiss at 1B. Or, if there is an injury to Fowler, it's no guarantee the replacement would be Lagares, Ward, Adell or Marsh. It could be Walsh, with Pujols or Thaiss to 1B. An outside the box look could be Marsh at 1B as well. 

But to answer the question, I don't believe Walsh's breakout is sustainable, because that was an epic September, but I do believe it was real. The swing change, and the numbers in AAA back up the fact that Walsh probably should be able to hit major league pitching in some capacity. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Second Base

[BTH]

13 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Rivera is far from a lock, even if he is the last man in the pen and the Angels don’t acquire anyone else. A good chunk of R5 guys are returned in ST. 

Yeah, I agree with this. The Angels had the 40-man roster space to pick Rivera at the time, so they did. That allows them to get a look at him in ST and if he looks awful they can just send him back to Houston. The odds are far more likely that he gets sent back to Houston than him staying with the Angels.

[totdprods]

7 minutes ago, Second Base said:

 I know this isn't a popular take, but it should be brought up nonetheless. 

- Is Walsh's breakout real and sustainable?

If the answer to that question is no, then you're looking at Pujols or Thaiss at 1B. Or, if there is an injury to Fowler, it's no guarantee the replacement would be Lagares, Ward, Adell or Marsh. It could be Walsh, with Pujols or Thaiss to 1B. An outside the box look could be Marsh at 1B as well. 

But to answer the question, I don't believe Walsh's breakout is sustainable, because that was an epic September, but I do believe it was real. The swing change, and the numbers in AAA back up the fact that Walsh probably should be able to hit major league pitching in some capacity. 

I figure at the very least Walsh has earned himself the opening day spot and probably a leash long enough into early May. 

I think Walsh is a .260/.325/.500 type...very solid but not spectacular. 

[BTH]

I think Taylor Ward' ideal spot on the team is the spot that is currently occupied by Albert Pujols, as the 4th player on the bench who occasionally gets AB's in the starting lineup. They aren't going to do it, but Ward would be way more valuable than Pujols.

Ward would provide a RH bat on the bench that could play 1B if Walsh sits vs. a LHP, has some decent offensive upside, can run fairly fast, would provide versatility as he can play the outfield, and would be the emergency catcher. That's a way better use of a roster spot than a 40 something year old who can't run and can only play 1B and DH.

[Chuck]

1 minute ago, totdprods said:

I figure at the very least Walsh has earned himself the opening day spot and probably a leash long enough into early May. 

I think Walsh is a .260/.325/.500 type...very solid but not spectacular. 

Yep. CBS projections of Jared Walsh have him hitting .258 with 35 HR and 103 RBI. 

[totdprods]

I’m guessing before all is said and done, the Angels add at least one, and maybe even two or three, more relievers, perhaps all on minor league deals. There’s simply too many intriguing arms left to not try and grab a couple of them.

And, unless any of those guys totally blow in ST, the Angels should slot as many of them into the opening day bullpen, even ahead of guys like Buttrey, and certainly guys like Reyes and Slegers. Stack the depth. If any vet minor league invite guys blow a couple weeks into April turn them loose and bring up Buttrey or whomever is performing at AAA.

Still think Sandoval should be in the pen but all for giving him a shot at starting to begin the year, be it SLC or Anaheim.

Edited February 10, 2021 by totdprods

[totdprods]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yep. CBS projections of Jared Walsh have him hitting .258 with 35 HR and 103 RBI. 

I see him potentially matching up with what we got from Calhoun, though with a little higher OBP and a lesser BB%. I don’t think shifting will hurt him as bad, and he won’t walk or K as much, but the power will match up similarly. 

[Second Base]

3 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yep. CBS projections of Jared Walsh have him hitting .258 with 35 HR and 103 RBI. 

I think the 35 HR is a tad optimistic, particularly with a deadened ball, but I think .260 with 25 HR could be in play. 

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Second Base said:

I think the 35 HR is a tad optimistic, particularly with a deadened ball, but I think .260 with 25 HR could be in play. 

Agree, he strikes me as more of a 20-25 guy, but also someone who can club a good 30-35 doubles. He makes really solid contact andputs the ball in play quite a bit for a power guy. 

That said, Jeremy Reed seemingly found a way to unlock a big power boost in Calhoun, possibly La Stella and Goodwin as well. Even Bemboom, Thaiss, and Castro seemed to have some more power in their swings, even if it didn’t translate in small sample size. I really think Reed might have an eye for boosting lefty slugging, so who knows. No way a projection is catching that though.

[Chuck]

12 minutes ago, Second Base said:

I think the 35 HR is a tad optimistic, particularly with a deadened ball, but I think .260 with 25 HR could be in play. 

 

7 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Agree, he strikes me as more of a 20-25 guy, but also someone who can club a good 30-35 doubles. He makes really solid contact andputs the ball in play quite a bit for a power guy. 

That said, Jeremy Reed seemingly found a way to unlock a big power boost in Calhoun, possibly La Stella and Goodwin as well. Even Bemboom, Thaiss, and Castro seemed to have some more power in their swings, even if it didn’t translate in small sample size. I really think Reed might have an eye for boosting lefty slugging, so who knows. No way a projection is catching that though.

Yeah, those projections came out a couple weeks ago -- before the dead ball news. 

[Chuck]

23 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Agree, he strikes me as more of a 20-25 guy, but also someone who can club a good 30-35 doubles. He makes really solid contact andputs the ball in play quite a bit for a power guy. 

I dunno, Walsh has always shown power in the minors. He has a career minor league slash of .301/.375/.538 with a .913 OPS. His last two minor league seasons he blasted 29 HR's over just 128 games & 36 HR's over just 98 games (adding another when with the team in Sept in 2019). 

[Second Base]

11 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I dunno, Walsh has always shown power in the minors. He has a career minor league slash of .301/.375/.538 with a .913 OPS. His last two minor league seasons he blasted 29 HR's over just 128 games & 36 HR's over just 98 games (adding another when with the team in Sept in 2019). 

Stupid yellow line in RF could help that number as well. But he makes great contact and rips the ball. I think the debate here is how many of those too for HR's versus doubles. At any rate, he should have a ton of XBH.

 

[totdprods]

25 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I dunno, Walsh has always shown power in the minors. He has a career minor league slash of .301/.375/.538 with a .913 OPS. His last two minor league seasons he blasted 29 HR's over just 128 games & 36 HR's over just 98 games (adding another when with the team in Sept in 2019). 

Right, but everyone was hitting HR out of their mind the last two seasons in AAA.

He’s a power threat, no doubt, but I still think it’s more in the 20-25 HR, 30-35 double mold, rather than the light tower 30-35+ HR guys. 

That’s not to say if he has a lengthy career he doesn’t pop 30-35 once or twice. 

Closer to the Eric Hosmer and Carlos Santana-types, with obvious differences in their BA and OBP skills respectively. 

Off-topic, but it’s interesting how the massive light tower power left-handed 1B types aren’t as prevalent right now...guys like Giambi, Thome, Fielder...seemed like 95-15 almost every team had a big dude mashing them. Obviously steroids were prevalent but overall just seemed there were more lefty big boys. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by totdprods

[eligrba]

Thanks @Angelsjunky for another great reading. I always enjoy reading your perspective. 

[Pancake Bear]

I don't think anyone does (or should) believe that Walsh now is who he was for one month. I think it's very possible that he is good enough to be an everyday 1B. We'll have to wait and see. I doubt he's worse than Pujols, in any case. 

Seems likely the Angels believe it was somewhat legit as opposed to Stassi. Look which one they were trying to find a replacement for. 

[totdprods]

21 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

I don't think anyone does (or should) believe that Walsh now is who he was for one month. I think it's very possible that he is good enough to be an everyday 1B. We'll have to wait and see. I doubt he's worse than Pujols, in any case. 

Seems likely the Angels believe it was somewhat legit as opposed to Stassi. Look which one they were trying to find a replacement for. 

Part of that is also just depth. It is Stassi (he of two hip surgeries in two years) and Bemboom, who is a fringe back-up/3rd string guy, and then literally no one else in the org (at least before Graterol was picked up).

1B has Pujols, Walsh, Thaiss, then any combo of Rojas, Ward, theoretically potentially Marsh...plus finding 1B replacements aren’t too difficult. 

Stassi is a weird one. Last year was fun but I’m suspect still. 100 ABs...he clubbed the shit out of the Mariners, hitting .364/.467/1.455/1.921 with 4 HR in 5 games, plus he had one 2-HR game against the Padres, and a good two games against the Diamondbacks

But aside from playing against the Mariners and those two very small samples, he was pretty bad....hit under .200 vs. everyone else in ~60 other ABs with 1 XBH, 9 BBs and 19 Ks.

 I’d be very surprised if he came close to repeating anything like ‘20. I imagine he’ll be much closer to Stassi pre-‘20.

Edited February 11, 2021 by totdprods

[totdprods]

Walsh’s success on the other hand was quite consistent, also across ~100 AB like Stassi. 

• vs. ARI: 14 PA, 6 H, 4 XBH, BB, K
• vs. COL: 15 PA, 6 H, 2 XBH, K
• vs. TEX: 25 PA, 7 H, 4 XBH, BB, 6 K
• vs. LAD: 14 PA, 4 H, 2 XBH, BB, 2 K
• vs. HOU: 16 PA, 3 H, 1 XBH, BB, 4 K
• vs. SDP: 14 PA, 2 H, BB, K
• and he was a combined 0-10 vs Seattle and Oakland, all of which came before his breakout.

Stassi’s ‘breakout’ looks good in sum, but it was really punctuated by a couple good games/series. 

[Pancake Bear]

28 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Part of that is also just depth. It is Stassi (he of two hip surgeries in two years) and Bemboom, who is a fringe back-up/3rd string guy, and then literally no one else in the org (at least before Graterol was picked up).

1B has Pujols, Walsh, Thaiss, then any combo of Rojas, Ward, theoretically potentially Marsh...plus finding 1B replacements aren’t too difficult. 

Stassi is a weird one. Last year was fun but I’m suspect still. 100 ABs...he clubbed the shit out of the Mariners, hitting .364/.467/1.455/1.921 with 4 HR in 5 games, plus he had one 2-HR game against the Padres, and a good two games against the Diamondbacks

But aside from playing against the Mariners and those two very small samples, he was pretty bad....hit under .200 vs. everyone else in ~60 other ABs with 1 XBH, 9 BBs and 19 Ks.

 I’d be very surprised if he came close to repeating anything like ‘20. I imagine he’ll be much closer to Stassi pre-‘20.

I don't mean bringing in Suzuki. They were reportedly still looking for another catcher (such as Contreras) after that. That indicates to me that they were cool just moving on from Stassi. That could be related to his injury history, though, as you noted. 

[T.G.]

Taylor Ward is 27 years old... Seems like we've been waiting forever for him to prove himself. 

[Second Base]

I'm curious to find out how Pujols will handle a reduced role. He'll probably get one start a week at 1B, and two per week at DH. That's going to be 50% of the games though, which is probably more than most other teams would give him. 

I wonder if he'll handle it with grace, serving a greater role in a mentoring capacity or if the competitor in him will be bothered by it.

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, T.G. said:

Taylor Ward is 27 years old... Seems like we've been waiting forever for him to prove himself. 

"Our parting gift!"