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THE GAME: Playing without most of their regulars, the Angels managed just five hits in a 5-1 Cactus League loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Tyler Anderson walked the first two hitters of the game, after not walking anyone in his first three outings this spring. Both came around to score. “It’s really frustrating,” Anderson said. “You never want to walk anyone ever, and especially the first two. It just reaffirms that when they both score.” Anderson gave up one more run in his outing, which lasted 3⅔ innings. He has not made it through four innings yet. Anderson has allowed six earned runs in 12 innings, with 14 strikeouts and two walks this spring. … Left-hander Drew Pomeranz pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings, with one walk and one strikeout. Pomeranz has allowed four runs in six innings this spring, and all four scored in one of his seven outings. … Left-hander José Suarez gave up two runs in three innings, the first two runs he’s allowed this spring. HITTING REPORT: The Angels had a patchwork lineup, even by spring training standards, with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Taylor Ward playing in a minor league game, and Zach Neto and Brandon Drury out with illnesses. … Miguel Sanó was hitless in three at-bats, with two strikeouts. Sanó, who is fighting for a roster spot, is 6 for 33 (.182) this spring. … Mickey Moniak lined a pair of singles into right field. Moniak is 10 for 30 (.333) this spring. … Jake Marisnick singled, improving to 12 for 31 (.387) this spring. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Aaron Hicks trying to work his way into everyday role with the Angels Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó homers again in Angels’ loss to Royals Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jordyn Adams: ‘I probably wasn’t ready’ for big-league debut Los Angeles Angels | Angels spring training Q&A Los Angeles Angels | Angels blown out in ‘sloppy’ Cactus League game against Rangers DEFENSE REPORT: Moniak made a nice catch at the right field warning track. … Sanó, who was playing third, had a grounder deflect off his glove, but shortstop Luis Rengifo picked it up quickly enough to get the out at first. … Suarez fielded a squeeze bunt, quickly tagged the runner but then made an errant throw home. Moments later, the White Sox tried to score when a ball got past catcher Caleb Hamilton, but he flipped the ball to Suarez covering the plate in time for the out. UP NEXT: Angels (RHP José Soriano) vs. Mariners (TBD) at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Friday, 1:10 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Angels signed outfielder Aaron Hicks in early February, he created a bit of a stir by telling reporters that he was going to be an everyday player. The Angels, it turns out, had never told Hicks or his agent that. Hicks was simply speaking from years of experience and voicing his plan to play his way into that role. “If you make yourself feel like you’re a bench player, you’re going to be a bench player,” Hicks said this week. “Obviously, I want to work my way into playing every single day. But, you know, whenever my name is called, I’ll be ready to go.” Hicks is doing all he can this spring. Through his first 29 plate appearances, Hicks was 8 for 21 (.381) with eight walks. Hicks said he’s been feeling good because he’s still sticking to the mechanical changes the Baltimore Orioles suggested last season, reviving his stalled career. Hicks, 34, signed a seven-year, $70 million extension with the New. York Yankees in February 2019. It came on the heels of his best season, when Hicks hit 27 homers with an .833 OPS in 2018. Ever since then, though, Hicks had been declining, to the point that the Yankees released him last May, when he was hitting .188. The Yankees still owed Hicks more than $27 million through the 2024 season. The Orioles, who had a vacancy because they’d just lost Cedric Mullins to an injury, picked up Hicks, with the Yankees still paying the bulk of his salary. Hicks hit .275 with seven homers and an .806 OPS over 236 plate appearances with the Orioles. He had a .381 on-base percentage. “When I got to Baltimore, they already had a plan for me,” Hicks said. “They figured out what made me click and had certain drills that got me the results I was getting, and a lot of those are still going today.” Part of his value to the Angels is that he’s a switch hitter who has a career .758 OPS against lefties. Last season he had a .970 OPS against lefties. That makes him the perfect platoon partner to go with left-handed hitting Mickey Moniak, if that’s the way the Angels choose to use him. Of course, all of that is subject to change. If Hicks, Moniak or Jo Adell gets hot, any of them could work into playing every day. “I’m just working hard and trying to make as big a splash in spring training as I possibly can,” Hicks said. “It seems like everybody’s having a good spring. It seems like this whole team is hitting. The vibes are good. The people here are all motivated to start off good and have a good season. That makes me happy, because all I want to do is win. So I’m excited.” DECISION LOOMING Angels manager Ron Washington said they are “close to coming to a decision” on an Opening Day starter. Although he wouldn’t drop any names, he said “there are a couple of them that are already in line for it.” Right-hander Griffin Canning and left-hander Reid Detmers both pitched on Wednesday, which would be perfectly in line to start the March 28 opener in Baltimore. Canning pitched five innings in an intrasquad game and Detmers pitched four in the regular exhibition against the Kansas City Royals. Each allowed one run. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval hasn’t been as good as either Canning or Detmers in spring training, but his career track record is the best of the three. He last pitched on Monday. If he pitched next on Sunday — a game for which the Angels haven’t listed a starter — he could easily be worked into a schedule for the opener. ROSTER BATTLES The Angels essentially have two roster spots still up for grabs, barring injuries in the last two weeks. The Angels optioned right-hander Kelvin Cáceres on Thursday, which reduced to four the number of candidates for the final bullpen spot. They will keep one from a group including right-handers Ben Joyce, Hunter Strickland and Guillo Zuñiga and left-hander Drew Pomeranz. They could keep two of those pitchers if Robert Stephenson (shoulder) doesn’t make it back in time, but Stephenson said he believes he can be ready. The rest of the bullpen will be right-handers Carlos Estévez, Adam Cimber, José Cisnero and Luis Garcia and left-handers Matt Moore and José Suarez. The candidates for the final position player spot are infielders Livan Soto, Ehire Adrianza and Miguel Sanó. Strickland, Pomeranz, Adrianza and Sanó would need to be added to the 40-man roster. NOTES Center fielder Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon were both scheduled to play in a minor league game on Thursday, the second straight day they got their work outside of the normal Cactus League game. Washington said both players are expected to be back in the lineup for the big league exhibition game on Friday, when the Angels are back at home. … Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó homers again in Angels’ loss to Royals Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jordyn Adams: ‘I probably wasn’t ready’ for big-league debut Los Angeles Angels | Angels spring training Q&A Los Angeles Angels | Angels blown out in ‘sloppy’ Cactus League game against Rangers Los Angeles Angels | It’s Baseball 101 for Angels pitchers: Throw strikes Shortstop Zach Neto and second baseman Brandon Drury have both been out with illnesses. Neto returned to the ballpark on Thursday and went through a workout. … Infielder Michael Stefanic (quad) said running on a treadmill on Wednesday went well, and he was set to run on the field on Thursday. Stefanic is expected to begin the season on the injured list. … Infielder Luis Rengifo just started doing Washington’s famed infield drills on Wednesday, having missed a couple weeks of work because of his hamstring injury. “That puts a lot of strain on your legs,” Washington said of the drills, which the infielders do from their knees. “Now, he’s ready to do it.” Washington said that Rengifo won’t complete the progression that the other infielders have done until after the season begins. View the full article

With most of the major player reassignment done, the Angels Opening Day roster is beginning to take shape. While a few questions still remain, I think I've seen enough to feel confident in posting my opinions here. I want to make it clear that I'm not a professional analyst, nor a professional hater. The things I'm talking about here are things I've been seeing and thinking all spring, and as much as I love the players the Angels have I'm an Angels fan above that. Anywhere I see shortcomings or inconsistencies on the roster I'll comment on it. With that said, let's talk about the roster: Too Many Angels In the Outfield? The entire Angels outfield has been absolutely stellar this Spring - Mike Trout (.694 OPS) has actually been the worst, but he remains Mike Trout. Taylor Ward (.753 OPS) looks to have left field locked up, new signings Aaron Hicks (1.314 OPS) and Jake Marisnick (1.164 OPS) have been outstanding, and the 25-and-under crowd have impressed as well with Mickey Moniak (.894 OPS), Jo Adell (.704 OPS), and Jordyn Adams (.844 OPS). That's 7 outfielders who have a chance at the 4 or possibly 5 outfield spots on the MLB roster. Getting the obvious out of the way, Mike Trout and Taylor Ward will be running center and left, respectively. Mickey Moniak has no remaining options, and has played great since his call up last May, making him the obvious choice for a potential platoon with recent Major League Signee Aaron Hicks in right. On the other hand Jordyn Adams appears slated to, at the very least, begin the season as a Bee. There's your 4 outfielders, however here's where things get tricky. Jo Adell has no options left, limiting the Angels choices to either A. Field him on the roster all year, B. Place him on waivers, or C. Try to find a trade partner for him. Option A seems most likely, bringing the total to 5 outfielders active for the Angels. In itself this isn't a problem, seeing as Trout will likely be getting a lot of looks at DH and Moniak is far better equipped to hit off righties. However, if we're fielding 5 outfielders, I'd almost prefer the 5th be Jake Marisnick. He's been outstanding this spring, is better defensively than Adell as well as better on the basepaths. Marisnick's 5 stolen bases lead the MLB (Adell is 4/4 in stolen base attempts, to be fair), and his defensive pedigree gives him value as both a defensive sub and a pinch runner, providing much needed versatility to an Angels bench that will likely consist of Matt Thaiss, Aaron Hicks, and Ehire Adrianza/Miguel Sano. Of course, I understand why Adell will likely be the 5th outfielder, as Marisnick is on a Minor League deal, so there's no harm no foul with him starting in Salt Lake while Adell makes the opening day roster. I just really hope we get to see if Marisnick can replicate this spring performance in the bigs at some point this year. Who Gets The 4th Bench Spot? Another internal battle is the battle for the 6th infielder/4th bench spot. It seems to have been cut down to Miguel Sano, Ehire Adrianza, and *maybe* Livan Soto. While Soto's performance should give him a real chance, I tend to believe he won't get the nod simply because he's younger and less experienced. Miguel Sano is incredibly fun to watch, however provides 0 value defensively, especially if Wash is trying to fit him in at 3rd on occasion. Adrianza provides familiarity for Washington from the Atlanta days and better positional versatility, albeit at a far lower offensive output than Sano. Adrianza's career high is a 102 wRC+, achieved in 2019 in Minnesota. His teammate, Miguel Sano, posted a 138 wRC+ in that same year, his best in a season with at least 100 games played. In my opinion, the spot should go to Sano, especially with the availability of DH at bats. Adrianza certainly provides value, but Rengifo, Drury, and Neto in the middle infield leaves less room for Adrianza to show it. Sano's role will likely be DHing, pinch hitting, and potentially covering first in case of Schanuel struggling, which I don't think he will. My only issue with this is it leaves Rengifo as the backup shortstop in case of Neto needing a day off, but here's to hoping that under Wash's guidance Rengifo can improve his shortstop defense to make that less of a problem. Who's the Closer? Last year, Carlos Estevez's first half was one of the most dominant Angels closer performances we've seen since K-Rod. He followed it up with a fine, not great, second half, and thus far in spring he's been very unimpressive. I'm not saying he can't bounce back, but I'd much rather see Robert Stephenson be the go to guy in high leverage situations - 9th inning or otherwise. However, assuming he's not ready to start the season - or struggles with injury during - who's the guy? We've seen Washington's teams close by committee before, with Gagne, Frank Francisco, and CJ Wilson sharing save opportunities before Neftali Feliz joined the team in 2010. Did Estevez's 2023 earn him the closer job this year? I kind of hope it didn't. There's too much talent in this group to be limited to traditional bullpen roles. I'd like to see Estevez, Stephenson, and Moore all get opportunities in the 9th. Rotational Problems? I will start this off by saying that, as a unit, the pitching has been incredible this spring, by Angels standards. Whether it's the new coaching or the new players, they've been throwing more strikes and it's been great to see. Last year, despite winning the Cactus League, the Angels were bottom 10 in ERA and walked more batters than everyone but the White Sox and A's in the spring. This year they've improved in both aspects, up to 17th in ERA and 22nd(!) in walks. While it's not indicative of a top 10 rotation, it's a nice change of pace from the past. That being said, within the rotation I've had some concerns. Reid Detmers has had a good spring in terms of making hitters miss and getting ground balls instead of fly balls, however mistake pitches still haunt him. Griffin Canning has looked excellent despite some control issues in a couple starts, but could be poised to make a huge jump this year. Chase Silseth looks outstanding, I still truly believe he could turn into a 120 ERA+ starter this year if given the opportunity to do so. Even Tyler Anderson has looked much better than he did last year, though time will tell with that one. Patrick Sandoval, though, hasn't looked very good. It's sad, because he flashed so much potential in 2022, followed it up with a dominant WBC before a disappointing 2023 and a 10.29 ERA this spring. Now, this is far from the end - Blake Snell posted a 5.62 ERA in spring last year and won the Cy Young. I bet Sandy will be very solid in our rotation this year, but it hurts to see this in terms of him becoming the ace it looked like he would become a couple years ago. A lot of his struggles seem rooted in getting behind in counts and getting frustrated with himself. Hopefully Barry Enright and Ron Washington can knock him out of that funk and get him into 2022 form again. Gotta root for the hometown kids. As Washington said in a recent interview with Rhett Bollinger, "Things can change where someone has to leave the rotation." This leads me to my last question - What Does Signing Blake Snell Do To The Angels Playoff Odds? Let me start off by saying this whole Snell situation is so very frustrating. If Heyman gets on a livestream and says "There's mutual interest between Snell and the Angels, but it's hard to tell if Arte is willing to spend" one more time I might delete Twitter. That being said, in this world we're gonna imagine Arte has a change of heart and the Angels sign Blake Snell. How much closer are we to the playoffs than we were without him? I think, honestly, quite a bit. I'm very publicly a supporter of Blake Snell, but I see the qualms people have with signing him. Giving up the 2nd round pick would certainly hurt, especially since our farm system isn't very good, but you can only hope that a second round pick becomes Blake Snell. Predictive stats and peripherals like Blake Snell more than results have even in his down years, and he's coming off a season where he won the ERA title by nearly 0.38 points, the biggest gap between #1 and #2 since 2007. The Angels lost Ohtani, and watching the team this spring has done nothing but make me believe the offense can hold their own without him, but the rotation is gonna miss him. Starting pitching is clearly the biggest hole this team has, and getting a clear top of the rotation arm fills that gap more than any other single player. We can throw 1 or 2 year prove it deals to players that used to be top of the line starters as much as we want, but to compete for a playoff spot in 2024 or even 2025, I think signing Snell now is the best chance we have. View the full article

THE GAME: Miguel Sanó, who is fighting to return to the major leagues for the first time since 2022, hit his third home run of the spring, but the Angels lost to the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, on Wednesday in Surprise, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Reid Detmers gave up a homer to the first batter of the first inning, but then he did not allow another run through his four innings. Detmers walked two and struck out five. Detmers has allowed four earned runs in 8⅔ innings this spring. Manager Ron Washington said Detmers was “awesome.” … Right-hander Ben Joyce pitched a perfect inning, with one strikeout. … Right-hander Kelvin Caceres, who is in the running for the final spot in the bullpen, gave up a run on a hit and a walk. He had not allowed a run in his first five games. … Right-hander Carlos Estévez pitched a perfect inning. HITTING REPORT: Miguel Sanó hit a homer to center field, tying him for the team lead. He also hit a line drive off the top of the right field fence, but the ball was hit so hard he was held to a single. “He’s starting to get his timing a little better,” Washington said. “The good thing is he’s using the whole field. That right fielder tried to make a move and the ball was over his head right away,” Washington said. Sanó also stole a base. He has only five stolen bases in 694 big league games. Sanó is 6 for 30 (.200) with four walks and an .814 OPS this spring. “I feel good,” Sanó said. “I’m healthy. I’ve been working every day in the cage with the hitting coaches and (guest instructor Vladimir Guerrero).” Sanó is competing with infielders Livan Soto and Ehire Adrianza for the final position player spot on the Opening Day roster. … Nolan Schanuel had two singles, improving to 10 for 35 (.286) this spring. … The Angels scored a run in the ninth and had the potential tying run at third when the game ended. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jordyn Adams: ‘I probably wasn’t ready’ for big-league debut Los Angeles Angels | Angels spring training Q&A Los Angeles Angels | Angels blown out in ‘sloppy’ Cactus League game against Rangers Los Angeles Angels | It’s Baseball 101 for Angels pitchers: Throw strikes Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Drury homer caps comeback for Angels in victory over Padres DEFENSE REPORT: Catcher Logan O’Hoppe picked a runner off first to end the fourth inning. … Right fielder Nelson Rada made a diving catch of a line drive in front of him. “When that ball was hit I thought for sure it was a double,” Washington said. “That’s a big league play.” UP NEXT: Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson) at White Sox (RHP Michael Soroka) at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Ariz., Thursday, 1:05 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — Jordyn Adams’ dream came true when he reached the big leagues, but it quickly became a nightmare. Adams, who had been known as an outstanding defender, misplayed a fly ball and made three bad throws in his first big-league game in August in Atlanta. He also went hitless in four at-bats, with two strikeouts. Now, the Angels’ 24-year-old prospect can look back on his big-league debut and appreciate what was missing. “Mentally, I probably wasn’t ready for that,” Adams said this week. “It probably showed. But now I’m ready for anything.” Angels manager Ron Washington, who was the Braves’ third-base coach when Adams made his debut, said he sees a different player now. “He finally matured,” Washington said. “The first time I saw him, he couldn’t hit a cutoff man. The first time I saw him, he got a ball and didn’t know where to throw it. Now, he’s learning the game.” Adams, who was optioned earlier this week, doesn’t have a spot in the Angels’ short-term plans because the outfield is crowded with Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Mickey Moniak and Aaron Hicks. In the long run, though, Adams could still work his way into a role. Adams hit .128 in the majors, with no extra base hits. He hit 15 homers with an .817 OPS last season at Triple-A. Adams said he’s been working on his defense and making more consistent contact. He struck out in 16 of his 40 plate appearances in the big leagues, and his 27% strikeout rate in the minors is also high. “As long as I get a good swing off, that’s the main part for me,” Adams said. “Last year, I was getting in position to not even get a good swing off.” Part of that involves “simplifying” his mechanics and turning back to his athleticism, Adams said. “Most guys when they get to pro ball, you try to change stuff and tweak stuff and just fit in,” Adams said. “But at the end of the day, you are yourself. Athleticism is my best tool, so I just tried to put myself in that position to let that come out and show.” Washington said there’s still more to come in that respect. “He’s got a little baby body,” Washington said of Adams, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. “He’s not a man yet. I told him that. He’s still got some shoulders to get. He’s still got some chest to get. He’s still got some legs to get. And he’s still got some knowledge he’s got to pick up. When all that comes together, he’s gonna be dangerous.” The knowledge comes with comfort in the big leagues, which Adams admittedly lacked last year, but not now. “The nerves are gone,” he said. “The butterflies are done. Now, it’s time to go out and perform.” STILL HERE Third baseman Cole Fontenelle, who was drafted last year, remains in big-league camp, even though almost all of the prospects who aren’t in the immediate big-league plans have now been sent to the minors. “If I was a betting man, I’d would have told you no,” Fontenelle said when asked if he expected to be around this long. “But I’m super grateful for every day here. I’m just trying to take advantage of it.” Washington said Fontenelle’s continued presence in big-league camp is because infield coach Ryan Goins wants to keep working with him. “He’s made tremendous strides in his game,” Washington said. “Ryan wanted to keep hitting him till he can’t keep him any more.” Fontenelle, 22, was the Angels’ seventh-round pick out of Texas Christian University last year. A left-handed hitter, Fontenelle hit .261 with a .738 OPS last summer in two Class-A stops. He has played in 13 big-league games this spring on Wednesday, with three hits in 19 at-bats. INTRASQAD ACTION Trout, third baseman Anthony Rendon and right-hander Griffin Canning remained in Tempe to get their work done while many of their teammates made the hourlong intrastate trip to Surprise for the game against the Kansas City Royals. Canning pitched five innings in the intrasquad game, allowing only one run on a Trout homer. Trout came to the plate five times, and he also reached on a walk. Rendon had a single to right field and an infield hit in three plate appearances. He also made a nice play charging a chopper to third. Aaron Hicks also played in the game, after being scratched from Monday’s lineup with what the Angels described as “body soreness.” Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels spring training Q&A Los Angeles Angels | Angels blown out in ‘sloppy’ Cactus League game against Rangers Los Angeles Angels | It’s Baseball 101 for Angels pitchers: Throw strikes Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Drury homer caps comeback for Angels in victory over Padres Los Angeles Angels | Angels non-roster invitee Jake Marisnick again fighting for a job to stay in majors NOTES Infielder Michael Stefanic (quad) resumed running Wednesday after taking a couple days off because he wasn’t feeling as good as he’d hoped. Stefanic has continued to hit and do defensive work. … Stefanic’s injury, and the recent demotion of Kyren Paris, has brought some clarity to the race for the final position player spot on the opening day roster. Infielders Livan Soto, Ehire Adrianza and Miguel Sanó are the remaining candidates for the job. Of those three, Soto is the only one on the 40-man roster. … Torii Hunter made his first appearance of the spring as a special instructor Wednesday. View the full article

On this episode of the AngelsWin Podcast, the guys welcome the television voice of the Angels, Wayne Randazzo! They discuss Wayne’s first season with the team, what he’s looking forward to in 2024, the differences between the Mets and Angels’ fanbases and much more. Geoff and Chuck wrap up the show with a recap of the AngelsWin 2024 Spring Training Fanfest in Tempe and Chuck’s thoughts about how the team looked. Grab a seat, grab and drink and enjoy Episode 31! If you missed our first interview with Wayne Randazzo last April, you can check that out here: Don't miss an episode by following us on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart Radio and Amazon Music. You can also watch or listen to the audio portion of all of our podcasts on our website here: https://www.angelswin.com/podcast/ View the full article

Hear that sound? It's the crack of the bat and roar of the crowd signalling America's pastime is BACK! There's no better way to kick off the MLB season than with an exclusive look at the future stars of the game. That's why we're going to knock your socks off with LIVE Spring Breakout action from March 14-16! Thanks to our amazing partners at Major League Baseball, you can livestream these top prospect matchups without paying a dime. MLB.com's Angels beat reporter has everything you need to know about this contest between the Dodgers and Angels farmhands that are set to square off this Saturday here: https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-angels-spring-breakout-2024-faq?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage If you'd like to watch one of the other games live on AngelsWin.com, please let us know and we can accommodate you due to our partnership with STN & MLB. You can watch the Angels vs. Dodgers game on March 16th at 4:10pm PST below.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Angels were just past halfway through the exhibition schedule as they reached their first off day on Tuesday, and little had changed from what we thought heading into the spring. There have been some encouraging signs and they’ve avoided any significant injuries. They also haven’t signed any of the prominent free agents who were available at the start of camp. Owner Arte Moreno said in an interview last month that he didn’t want to spend money “unless it’s going to substantially change the team,” and he seems to be sticking to that. So, no Blake Snell. At least, not now. Beyond that question, here’s what else was on your mind when we asked last week. Q: Any clue yet how the outfield at-bats will be divided up? Specifically curious if they’re viewing (Jo) Adell/(Mickey) Moniak as some kind of platoon or if they’re trying to get equal at-bats to all four outfielders with the DH slot being utilized at times. Thanks — @j_thomas_421 A: The more likely platoon is Moniak and Aaron Hicks, because their splits are both heavily slanted toward one side. Moniak would play against righties and Hicks, who is a switch-hitter, against lefties. Adell has performed equally against righties and lefties throughout his career. Given that, I think the only thing you can really predict about the way the Angels will use their outfielders is that Moniak and Hicks won’t play in the same lineup. Beyond that, there are plenty of configurations they could use, including putting one of the outfielders in the DH spot. I would expect Moniak, Hicks and Adell to all get plenty of opportunities to play alongside Mike Trout and Taylor Ward. Obviously, if one player separates himself with a better performance, he’ll get to play more. Q: What do you predict will be the 5-man rotation to start the season? — @mkl8522 A: Although the Angels – and most teams – often come into spring training with at least one rotation spot up for grabs, this year the Angels have stuck to the five they had when camp began. Barring injury, the five starters will be left-handers Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Tyler Anderson and right-handers Griffin Canning and Chase Silseth. It remains to be seen what order the Angels will use, including who will start on Opening Day. Q: Presumably, the Angels think they have enough starting pitching to begin the season. What makes them think so? — @taz1601 A: General Manager Perry Minasian would never say that he has “enough” starting pitching. The fact that they didn’t sign a premium free agent – yet? – is only an indication that so far the cost for a starting pitcher upgrade didn’t fit with what the Angels perceive their need to be. All of that being said, the Angels’ biggest hope for their starters is that all five of them have been successful, to varying degrees, in the majors. They also believe that they can get more out of the pitchers than they did last year simply from the way they use them, including a new philosophy from the pitching coach and the analytics team. Q: Do you think Perry and Arte’s approach to free agency is not as bad as people make it or will not spending enough this year be a major factor in their success in 2024? — @JCano89 A: I think people make too much of free agents, period. The Angels’ failure in the past has been more about underperformance of dozens of cheap, homegrown players than it is about the underperformance of a small number of free agents. If the Angels are good again in the next few years, it’s going to be because of guys like Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, Sandoval, Detmers … and Mike Trout. Not because of someone they signed over the winter. Q: Big fan in NC here – my question – Is the farm system really as bad as they rank us? — @tvcola A: The Angels certainly don’t believe that their farm system is that bad. They are particularly optimistic about pitchers like Caden Dana and Victor Mederos. It’s also worth noting that they are getting major league production from players like Neto, O’Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and Silseth. These players have crossed through the system so quickly that they don’t make much of a dent as “prospects” before becoming “major leaguers.” Q: Why is (Miguel) Sanó getting such a long look? Moniak and Adell should get DH AB’s when not playing and (Luis) Rengifo can back up third base, (Brandon) Drury can back up first, and Schanuel can hit against lefties regardless. — @Choleeco A: All of that sounds good, assuming no one underperforms and no one gets hurt. In reality, the Angels are in no position to stop looking for players who have a chance to help them, especially when the cost and risk are both minimal. There are plenty of at-bats in spring training to go around for Sanó to get an opportunity, while the other players you mention also get enough at-bats to be ready. Q: What do you feel is the most different about spring training compared to the past few years, in terms of practices, players’ approach, and other aspects? — @dru_tweety Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels blown out in ‘sloppy’ Cactus League game against Rangers Los Angeles Angels | It’s Baseball 101 for Angels pitchers: Throw strikes Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Drury homer caps comeback for Angels in victory over Padres Los Angeles Angels | Angels non-roster invitee Jake Marisnick again fighting for a job to stay in majors Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Schanuel hits first homer of the spring as Angels defeat Guardians A: Several elements seem different, starting with the Angels’ aggressiveness on the bases. They are running at every opportunity, not just stealing bases, but also taking extra bases. Defensively, the infielders have put in more time on fundamentals with early morning drills. The pitchers are putting much more emphasis on throwing strikes, which has helped to reduce their walks. Manager Ron Washington is also playing his regulars more than previous Angels managers, with veterans often starting two or three days in a row. Finally, the atmosphere is much different without the media horde that followed Shohei Ohtani. Players loved having Ohtani on the field, but they also seem to appreciate the extra space provided by his absence. View the full article

THE GAME: The Angels misplayed several balls and made two errors on their way to a 15-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on Monday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz. “It was very sloppy,” Manager Ron Washington. “When you go to spring training, a couple of those show up. So far that’s the only one we’ve had. Other than that we were always in the ballgame.” PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Patrick Sandoval recorded just seven outs over parts of four innings, re-entering the game in the fourth after getting knocked out in the third. Sandoval issued four walks, gave up five hits and was charged with seven runs. Only four runs were earned. The Angels made one error behind him, but they also failed to make other plays that were ruled hits. “It seemed like he was just having a little problem trying to find a pitch he could go to,” Washington said. “He started off trying to get his fastball. It was scattered. He threw a couple of good changeups and then he lost a feel for that. And his sweeper and his breaking ball, he just couldn’t land anything with any consistency that when he got into trouble he could go to.” … Right-hander Guillo Zuñiga gave up five runs while recording just one out. Zuñiga had allowed only one earned run in his first 5⅔ innings, moving himself into strong contention for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. … Left-hander Matt Moore pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. … Right-hander Ben Joyce gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. He struck out two. Joyce, who is also competing for a bullpen spot, was coming off two straight scoreless outings. HITTING REPORT: Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury had back-to-back two-out doubles in the third inning, producing two runs. Drury was then thrown out at the plate trying to score on a Luis Rengifo single. … Rendon walked in his other two trips to the plate. He played two straight games after missing a week with a groin injury. “He had three quality at-bats,” Washington said. “It’s coming.” … Rengifo had two hits, improving to 4 for 14 this spring. He had missed the first week and a half of spring training games because of a hamstring issue. … Jo Adell singled into left, and then took second when the ball was misplayed. He stole third – even though traditional baseball strategy is not to attempt to steal third with two outs – and scored when the catcher’s throw went into left field. … Jake Marisnick hit his team-leading third home run of the spring. Marisnick is 10 for 25 this spring. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | It’s Baseball 101 for Angels pitchers: Throw strikes Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Drury homer caps comeback for Angels in victory over Padres Los Angeles Angels | Angels non-roster invite Jake Marisnick is again fighting for a job to stay in the majors Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Schanuel hits first homer of the spring as Angels defeat Guardians Los Angeles Angels | Here’s how Ron Washington expects to improve the Angels’ infield DEFENSE REPORT: Shortstop Zach Neto made a backhand stop and a throw on the run to get an out at first. Neto also failed to catch a pop-up in foul territory after a long run. He also slipped after taking a throw at second, leaving him unable to complete the double play. … Catcher Logan O’Hoppe threw out a runner trying to steal second. … Drury, the second baseman, misplayed what would been a routine inning-ending double play. … Jo Adell couldn’t catch a fly ball at the warning track in left field. It went for a two-run double. … First baseman Nolan Schanuel hesitated when flipping a ball to Sandoval covering first base, resulting in an infield hit. UP NEXT: Angels (LHP Reid Detmers) at Royals (RHP Daniel Lynch) at Surprise Stadium, Wednesday, 1:05 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — Some philosophies of pitching are so obvious that it’s easy to take them for granted. The Angels are trying to change that. One of the major points of emphasis for Angels pitchers this spring has been the most fundamental skill, something that every kid is told the first time he steps on a mound. Throw the ball over the plate. “It sounds like Baseball 101,” Angels first-year pitching coach Barry Enright said. “Even in our messaging early on, I said this is Little League baseball, something we were taught throughout our entire lives. It’s just kind of more of a reminder. We want to make it a staple.” Veteran left-hander Tyler Anderson concedes that there’s nothing revolutionary about pitchers throwing strikes. The difference? “Now we’re talking about it,” Anderson said. Adds left-hander Patrick Sandoval: “I think it’s just something that gets forgotten. It’s so obvious: you want to throw strikes. Sometimes you forget to talk about it. You talk about your delivery or pitch sequencing or whatever it may be. I think it’s just having the constant reminder, kind of a mantra: Let’s get strike one.” The idea was borne out of Enright’s preparation for his interview for this job. He was studying the data from the 2023 Angels pitching staff to figure out what went wrong. He saw that the Angels were fifth in the majors in whiff percentage, which indicated the pitchers had plenty of raw stuff to get the job done. The problems were too many of those whiffs were coming when the pitchers were behind in the count, so they still weren’t finishing off hitters. They still had more pitches to throw, and eventually they would give up a hit. Even worse, they’d issue a walk. Angels pitchers were 28th in the majors in walks per nine innings. They were 22nd in first-pitch strikes. They were 20th in pitches per plate appearance. All of that leads to bad outcomes. The more pitches a pitcher throws, the sooner he has to come out of the game. More relievers have to pitch more often, which ultimately makes them less effective. Manager Ron Washington, who also trusts himself to make his players better defensively, is all about getting the ball in play as quickly as possible. “I want to get to two strikes quick and then make something happen, and not getting into 3-2 counts,” Washington said. The way the Angels are going about all of this is by discussing it every day. They also post a chart on the clubhouse wall showing the percentage of strikes each pitcher throws on the first pitch and on a 1-1 count. “Your average hitter, if it’s 2-1, is an All-Star,” Anderson said. “And he’s probably not in the league with his average on 1-2.” Last year, major league hitters had a .619 OPS after 0-1, and an .826 OPS after 1-0. It was .503 after 1-2, and .793 after 2-1. “Your thoughts tend to be what you listen to and what you read, so what we’re trying to do is just have our thoughts be a little bit more on those fundamentals of pitching,” left-hander Matt Moore said. “It’s early, just a couple weeks we’ve been working on it, but we’re trying to keep it at the forefront of our minds so that’s who we are.” Through the first 18 games, the Angels rank 11th in the majors with a 4.22 ERA, and fourth among the 15 teams that train in the more hitter-friendly Cactus League. They are fifth in the majors in walks per nine innings. “There’s definitely a big emphasis on it,” left-hander Reid Detmers said. “First day camp we had a meeting about throwing strikes. Not walking guys. And being around the zone. So every bullpen you are working on filling up the zone. And I think it’s translating for most for the most part. A lot of guys are pitching really well. Not a whole lot of walks.” Detmers said in particular the focus has shifted away from the actual characteristics of the pitch — the velocity or the break — and more on getting it in the strike zone. “It’s just throwing what you have over the plate, and not trying to throw the nastiest pitch every time,” Detmers said. “That’s really it.” Enright said Angels pitchers are not going to expand the zone so much with two strikes, in an effort to get the strikeout, that they end up throwing non-competitive pitches and working the count full. On Sunday, right-hander Chase Silseth had only two strikeouts in four innings and he was “pouting,” Enright said, calling himself “just a contact pitcher now.” Enright pointed out that he’d instead been efficiently getting outs. He did it so well that he had to go down to the bullpen after his four innings because he hadn’t reached his scheduled pitch count in getting those 12 outs. “Your strikeouts will come,” Enright told him. “You’ve got plenty of stuff. You’re getting weak contact. You get four innings on 46 pitches, and all of the sudden you’re getting into the seventh and eighth inning. Five and dive is out of here.” Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Drury homer caps comeback for Angels in victory over Padres Los Angeles Angels | Angels non-roster invite Jake Marisnick is again fighting for a job to stay in the majors Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Schanuel hits first homer of the spring as Angels defeat Guardians Los Angeles Angels | Here’s how Ron Washington expects to improve the Angels’ infield Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó blasts 3-run homer in Angels’ victory NOTES Although right-handers José Soriano and Andrew Wantz are still being stretched out as starters, and doing so in big league exhibition games, Washington said they aren’t currently candidates to open the season in the big league rotation, unless there is an injury among the top five. The starters will be Sandoval, Detmers, Anderson, Silseth and right-hander Griffin Canning. The order is still to be determined, including who will start on opening day, Washington said. … The Angels sent down outfielders Jordyn Adams and Jason Martin, infielder Kyren Paris and right-handers Caden Dana and Victor Mederos. … Right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder) said he is feeling “pretty good” and “moving in the right direction.” Stephenson said he’s expecting to throw another bullpen session later this week. He isn’t sure how soon he’ll be able to pitch in an exhibition game, but it’s “definitely possible” that he’ll get enough innings in the spring to be ready for opening day. “I’m not exactly sure of the timetable at the moment, but that’s the plan, to be ready for opening day,” Stephenson said. … Outfielder Aaron Hicks was a late scratch from Monday’s lineup because of what the Angels called “body soreness.” Willie Calhoun instead started in right field. View the full article

THE GAME: The Angels scored five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a four-run deficit, beating the Padres, 5-4, on Sunday in Tempe, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Chase Silseth gave up one run in four innings, making him the first Angels pitcher this spring to finish four innings. He allowed a run without a hit in the first inning, when he walked a batter and hit a batter. “Rough couple batters there in the first,” Silseth said. “I settled in, started throwing it through the zone. … Got that little feel and took it for the rest of the ballgame.” After that he retired nine out of 10 hitters, giving up one hit. Silseth, who had been scheduled for 55 pitches, was so efficient he had to throw another 15 in the bullpen after finishing in the game. Silseth, however, again saw his velocity drop slightly during his outing, from 96 mph in the first inning to 93 mph in the fourth. Silseth has allowed one run in 8-1/3 innings this spring. … Right-hander Victor Mederos, who hadn’t allowed a run in his first six innings this spring, gave up three runs in 2-2/3 innings. He worked a scoreless fifth. He gave up three in the sixth, getting pulled with two outs. He re-entered for the seventh and added a perfect inning. … Luis Garcia, who recorded the final out of the sixth inning, ended up getting credit for the victory. … Closer Carlos Estévez worked a perfect ninth to pick up the save. It was the first time this spring that Estévez had been used in a save situation. HITTING REPORT: Brandon Drury hit his first homer of the spring, a two-run shot that capped a five-run sixth inning to give the Angels their first lead of the game. The Angels had a single, double, triple and homer in the inning. … Mike Trout started the inning with a bloop triple. The ball was a popup that dropped just beyond the reach of the diving right fielder. Trout, who struck out in his other two trips, is 6 for 29 (.207) this spring. … Aaron Hicks yanked a two-run double into right field. Livan Soto scored from first on the play, sliding just under the tag. … Earlier in the game, Luis Rengifo lined a single into center field and he doubled. They were his first two hits of the spring. Rengifo, who is now 2 for 11, got a late start because of a hamstring issue. … Anthony Rendon grounded out twice in his first game after missing a week because of groin tightness. UP NEXT: Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval) vs. Rangers (RHP Nathan Eovaldi) at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Monday, 1:10 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels non-roster invite Jake Marisnick is again fighting for a job to stay in the majors Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Schanuel hits first homer of the spring as Angels defeat Guardians Los Angeles Angels | Here’s how Ron Washington expects to improve the Angels’ infield Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó blasts 3-run homer in Angels’ victory Los Angeles Angels | Angels prepare for second season with MLB’s pitch timer View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — Jake Marisnick is in a familiar position. The outfielder has more than nine years of major league service time, but this is the third straight season in which he’s been in spring training on a minor-league deal, fighting for a job. The last two times — with the Texas Rangers in 2022 and the Chicago White Sox in 2023 — he didn’t make it. Even though he started in the minors, he clawed his way back to the majors, adding new teams to his collection. Marisnick, 32, has been a part of 13 organizations, including the Angels, and he’s been in the majors with nine teams. Last season he hit .225 with a .662 OPS in 42 games, split between the White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Dodgers. His frequent uniform changes are likely why he doesn’t seem to be thinking too much about the fact that there’s no clear way for him to make the Angels roster, despite hitting .409 with two homers through his first 22 at-bats this spring. “At the end of the day, you don’t focus on (the roster),” Marisnick said. “You focus on fine-tuning your game, getting ready for the season. You can’t look over your shoulder. You look forward. You just stay in the moment.” Marisnick said he’s been working in particular on bunting for hits and stealing bases. He’s reached on one bunt single and he has five stolen bases this spring. “He’s been doing a great job,” manager Ron Washington said. “He’s hitting some bombs and running the bases, playing some defense. He’s been doing exactly what he needs to do. His spring training has been impressive.” The Angels, though, have a crowded outfield situation at the moment. Center fielder Mike Trout and left fielder Taylor Ward seem to be set for everyday jobs. The Angels have Mickey Moniak, Jo Adell and Aaron Hicks to fight for the remaining playing time. Moniak and Adell are both out of options, and all three players are currently on the 40-man roster, while Marisnick would need to be added. Marisnick will have the option of electing free agency if the Angels haven’t added him to the roster by March 24, which is five days before opening day. Marisnick, a native of Riverside, could also opt to stick around and bide his time at Triple-A Salt Lake to see if a later opportunity arises with the Angels. “I’m just looking to get myself ready for a full season,” Marisnick said. “You can’t control any decisions that are made. I can just go out and play and try to improve my game.” ZUÑIGA IMPRESSES Right-hander Guillo Zuñiga has put himself squarely in the competition for a spot on the opening day roster with his showing so far this spring. Zuñiga has allowed one earned run in 5-2/3 innings, but more significantly he’s got eight strikeouts with no walks. He’s scheduled to pitch again on Monday. The Angels picked up Zuñiga in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, for cash considerations. Zuñiga, 24, pitched in just two games with the Cardinals last season. In Triple-A, though, he had a 7.63 ERA, with 20 walks in 30-2/3 innings. “He’s been doing a good job of coming in and pounding the strike zone,” Washington said. “He’s been impressive. Just like the majority of our pitchers have been impressive. It’s not going to be an easy choice when we get down to the end, but at least we have choices.” The Angels seemingly have five of the eight bullpen spots settled, barring further injuries, with closer Carlos Estévez, left-hander Matt Moore and right-handers Luis Garcia, Adam Cimber and José Cisnero. Right-hander Robert Stephenson, who has been slowed this spring by a shoulder injury, will be in the bullpen as long as he can get enough innings in the spring to be ready. Left-hander José Suarez, who is out of options, would seem to be a lock for the long relief spot. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Schanuel hits first homer of the spring as Angels defeat Guardians Los Angeles Angels | Here’s how Ron Washington expects to improve the Angels’ infield Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó blasts 3-run homer in Angels’ victory Los Angeles Angels | Angels prepare for second season with MLB’s pitch timer Los Angeles Angels | Angels shut out by Mariners Right-hander José Soriano, who was seemingly a lock for the bullpen, is now working as a starter. Right-hander Andrew Wantz is also starting now. That leaves right-handers Ben Joyce, Hunter Strickland, Zuñiga and left-hander Drew Pomeranz as the most likely candidates for the final spot. Strickland and Pomeranz are not on the 40-man roster. NOTES Third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin) returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing a week. Washington said Rendon will DH on Monday. The team has a scheduled off day on Tuesday. Rendon will then play third Wednesday, DH on Thursday and return to third on Friday, Washington said. … Right-hander Caden Dana, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, is scheduled to start the Angels spring breakout game next Saturday. The seven-inning game matches some of the top prospects from the Angels and Dodgers. All 30 teams will play similar prospect games over the weekend. View the full article

THE GAME: Nolan Schanuel and Jake Marisnick homered in the Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon in Goodyear, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Tyler Anderson worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits and no walks while throwing 40 strikes among his 55 pitches. “He was outstanding,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He pounded the zone with everything. He even broke out his slider. He was in attack mode. He got it done.”… Right-hander José Cisnero followed Anderson and retired both hitters he faced. Cisnero, who arrived in camp late because of a visa issue, has not allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings this spring… Left-hander José Suarez worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out three and walking none. Suarez, who seems to be ticketed for a long relief spot, has not allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings this spring, with five strikeouts and no walks… Right-hander Caden Dana, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. All of the runs were in his first inning, and then he responded with a clean second, finishing the game. Dana had not allowed a run in his first four innings. HITTING REPORT: Nolan Schanuel hit his first homer of the spring, a towering blast that easily cleared the fence in right field. “I’ve been waiting,” Schanuel said. “I’ve been training all offseason to kind of unlock that power and came in to spring just trying to pick and choose when to do it. Don’t want to overdo myself trying to do it every at-bat when it’s not necessary, when my job is to get on base with the guys behind me. To be able to kind feel one go out like that was awesome.”… Jake Marisnick hit a two-run homer, his second of the spring, among his three hits. Marisnick is 9 for 22 (.409) this spring. The Angels must decide by Mar. 24 – five days before opening day – if they want to have Marisnick in the majors, otherwise he can become a free agent… Matt Thaiss drew two walks and stole his first base of the spring. Thaiss then scored on a Marisnick single…… Mike Trout was hitless in three trips to the plate, with a walk. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Here’s how Ron Washington expects to improve the Angels’ infield Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó blasts 3-run homer in Angels’ victory Los Angeles Angels | Angels prepare for second season with MLB’s pitch timer Los Angeles Angels | Angels shut out by Mariners Los Angeles Angels | Angels use ‘chaos’ to help Ben Joyce manage pressure DEFENSE REPORT: Third baseman Luis Rengifo misplayed a ground ball, but shortstop Zach Neto was backing him up and fielded the ball. Neto then threw to Rengifo to retire the runner, who was trying to go from first base… Neto made a bad throw after stepping on second to start what should have been a routine double play… Second baseman Kyren Paris made a nice play on a ball in the hole, recording the final out of the eighth inning and preserving a one-run lead. UP NEXT: Angels (RHP Chase Silseth) vs. Padres (RHP Jhony Brito), 1:10 p.m. PT Sunday, at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Bally Sports West, 830 AM. View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — Ehire Adrianza was a 30-year-old who had played professional baseball for more than 14 years, including parts of eight years in the majors, when he first worked with Ron Washington with the Atlanta Braves in 2021. It was then that Washington had Adrianza do something he’d never done: He put Adrianza on his knees and had him field baseballs on a hop, one after the other in quick succession. “It felt weird, to be honest,” said Adrianza, now a non-roster invitee in Angels camp. “It was the first time I had done it. Now, I can’t go out to the field without doing my drills. If I don’t do it, I feel kind of naked.” Washington proudly refers to himself as baseball’s best infield instructor, and the defining image of the Angels’ first-year manager’s work is a series of drills that he created more than three decades ago. The “Washington Drills” – he hasn’t come up with a better name for them – are unmistakably his. “It’s my idea,” Washington said with a smile. “Let’s get that out of the way first.” Although they’ve been refined over the years, the drills involve a four-minute sequence that starts with the player on his knees. A coach – Washington himself or else infield coach Ryan Goins – first tosses a ball underhand to the player. They do balls right in front, then on the glove side, then on the backhand side. It progresses to using a fungo bat. The idea is to isolate the most important part of fielding a ground ball. “The only thing the infielder should be concerned with is the last hop,” Washington said. “The last hop is what he catches.” The player then gets on his feet and does the same thing, but with a “pancake” glove. The flat padded glove doesn’t have fingers and doesn’t close, which forces the player to use his hands with precision in order to keep control of the ball. Eventually, the player fields balls with his regular glove. At no point is the player asked to move his feet more than a step or throw, which is a part of the point. “In four minutes, you can get 97 ground balls and you’re not sweating,” Washington said. “You’re not breathing hard. But you took 97. If I go out there and hit you 97 ground balls in four minutes, see if you sweat or get exhausted. If you say you’re going to take 100 ground balls, 25 of them were probably proper. The other 75 were all kinds of ways. You weren’t in the proper technique. You weren’t doing things right. The way I do it, every time you pick up a ground ball, you are doing it correct. You are doing it correct.” Washington wants players to catch the ball in the exact same way every time, just in the middle of the glove, where the palm meets the pocket. Too much in the palm and the ball can bounce away. Too much in the pocket and the fielder can’t feel it, or he has to search to get his hand on it to throw. Also, having perfect hand position means that when the ball isn’t caught, it will drop right in front of him instead of bouncing away. Angels veteran infielder Brandon Drury said he had done a version of those drills occasionally at other stops in his big-league journey, but never with the everyday frequency he’s done it under Washington. “I always felt like I had good hands, but since I’ve been here I do notice some improvement with certain plays,” Drury said. “I’m looking forward to getting better.” Shortstop Zach Neto, a 23-year-old who was drafted in 2022, said he had never done drills on his knees that way. “It helps to make sure I’m catching the ball in the part of the glove I want to catch it,” Neto said. “It’s helped me out big time.” First baseman Freddie Freeman started doing the drills when he was with the Braves, and he still does them every day with the Dodgers. “In the beginning, Freddie wasn’t buying in, and then he started seeing the development of the kids around him,” Washington said. “Then Freddie bought it. Once he bought in, he understood exactly what we’re doing and he never missed a day again.” Angels players also know this isn’t just something they’re doing during spring training. It’s going to be every day through the season. “Everybody has a cage routine,” Goins said. “Everybody should have a defense routine. My goal is to have this infield be the best infield in the league. You aren’t going to do that with a day of work here and a day of work there… There’s the scientific, sport science of ‘don’t do too much.’ That ain’t who we are. You can have all the off days you want. We’re going to outwork you.” Goins, who played for Washington with the Braves, said he had done drills focusing on his hands before. “I just knew it made me feel good, but I didn’t know why,” Goins said. “I think Wash gave me the rhyme and reason for why what I was doing was good. He taught me the intricacies of it.” In Washington’s seven years with the Braves, from 2017-23, they were tied for the major-league lead in infield fielding percentage. The Angels, by contrast, ranked 27th in the majors in infield fielding percentage last year. Their 59 errors among infielders were the fourth most in the majors. Washington isn’t about to let that happen again. “From Day One to right now, the third week, the improvement is tremendous,” Washington said. “You should have seen the (bad) habits we had on Day One. They are gone. You don’t even know who they are right now, compared to what they were on the first day.” PLESAC DOWN The Angels sent down right-hander Zach Plesac, who had given up four runs in 6 1/3 innings in three Cactus League games. Plesac came into camp as a candidate for the rotation or perhaps a long relief spot. Now, he is likely to be a starter at Triple-A, which would put him in position to fill in when needed in the majors. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Miguel Sanó blasts 3-run homer in Angels’ victory Los Angeles Angels | Angels prepare for second season with MLB’s pitch timer Los Angeles Angels | Angels shut out by Mariners Los Angeles Angels | Angels use ‘chaos’ to help Ben Joyce manage pressure Los Angeles Angels | Mike Trout hits a grand slam but Angels lose a pair of games The Angels signed Plesac, 29, to a $1 million deal, taking a low-risk flier on getting him back to the form that made him one of the most promising young pitchers in the majors in 2019 and 2020. RENDON UPDATE Third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin) was set to go through a full workout for the third consecutive day Saturday. “He did everything yesterday and came out well,” Washington said Saturday morning. “He’s going to go through it again today. And if everything goes well today, he’d probably be in there tomorrow.” Rendon last played March 10. View the full article

THE GAME: Miguel Sanó hit a three-run homer and minor leaguer Sam Brown drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Angels beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-7, in a Cactus League game on Friday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander José Soriano gave up three runs in three innings. After pitching a perfect first inning, Soriano gave up three runs on four hits in the second inning. He gave up three straight hits to start the inning, but he was one out away from escaping the jam with only one run scoring. He then gave up a two-run single to Brenton Doyle. He followed with a perfect third. “As well as he throws the ball, he’s not just going to keep throwing the ball past people in the big leagues,” Manager Ron Washington said. “You put the ball in the wrong spot, and they’ll get you. But I was impressed. He didn’t stop. He kept driving that ball toward home plate.” Soriano was a reliever in the majors last season, but the Angels are trying him this spring as a starter to add organizational rotation depth. … Right-hander Ben Joyce pitched a scoreless inning, working around a single and a walk. … Right-hander Zach Plesac gave up two runs in 2-1/3 innings, with four walks. Plesac has allowed four runs in 6-1/3 innings this spring. … Right-hander Guillo Zuñiga gave up two runs (one earned) in 1-2/3 innings. He had not allowed any runs in his first four games this spring. HITTING REPORT: Sanó, a former slugger who is trying to return to the majors for the first time since 2022, had two hits, including a tie-breaking three-run homer in the fifth inning. It was Sanó’s second homer of the spring. He’s now 4 for 26 (.154). Sanó, who was delayed in camp by visa issues, has the most plate appearances on the team. His at-bats “are getting better, and that’s all you want,” Washington said before the game. … Mike Trout was 1 for 3. Trout came up with runners at first and second in the fifth inning and he struck out. … Livan Soto singled in the third inning. He moved to third with one out and then tagged up on a fly ball to shallow right field. He was thrown out easily at the plate, even though Trout was coming up next. The Angels have been stressing aggressive baserunning this spring, with Washington insisting that he wants players to keep pushing the envelope even if they make an out on the bases. … Logan O’Hoppe drove in a run with a double and walked. … Taylor Ward barely missed a three-run homer, settling for a two-run double off the top of the fence. Ward, who also singled, is 8 for 24 (.333) this spring. … Brandon Drury tied the score with a two-out RBI single in the fifth. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels prepare for second season with MLB’s pitch timer Los Angeles Angels | Angels shut out by Mariners Los Angeles Angels | Angels use ‘chaos’ to help Ben Joyce manage pressure Los Angeles Angels | Mike Trout hits a grand slam but Angels lose a pair of games Los Angeles Angels | Angels shortstop Zach Neto soaking up lessons this spring DEFENSE REPORT: Two Angels pitchers – Soriano and Plesac – made errors on pickoff throws. … Catcher Chad Wallach threw out a runner trying to steal second. Wallach also allowed a passed ball, bringing in the tying run in the eighth inning. UP NEXT: Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson) at Guardians (LHP Logan Allen) at Goodyear Ballpark, Saturday, 12:05 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — A year ago, major-leaguers were facing a largely unknown world: baseball with a clock. Now, they may be used to it, but that doesn’t mean they’re all happy about it. “We don’t like it, but we’ve got to embrace it,” Angels closer Carlos Estévez said. Major league baseball had been played at an increasingly … deliberate … pace over the past couple decades, slowing to the point that the sport’s leaders adopted a pitch timer in 2023. Pitchers had 15 seconds to begin their delivery with the bases empty, and 20 seconds with at least one runner on base. Hitters had to be in the box and ready for the pitch by the time the timer hit eight seconds. The result was the average game decreased by 24 minutes. This year, the time has been cut to 18 seconds with a runner on base. “I think everybody got used to it,” Angels second baseman Brandon Drury said. “At first, it was weird. Obviously we had never played like that before. I think last spring I got used to it. Nothing you can do it about it, so you’d better get used to it.” Drury said he ended up with no complaints about the timer. And he even enjoyed it when he was in the field. “I did like playing defense better with the pace,” Drury said. “Sometimes if you have someone out there who takes forever each pitch, you are less in a rhythm on defense.” Hitters also had the option of taking a timeout once during an at-bat. Drury said his practice, which seemed to be common among most big-leaguers, was to take a timeout after getting to two strikes. Pitchers, however, didn’t have the same freedom. A pitcher could step off the rubber or throw a pickoff to stop the clock up to three times with a runner on, but with the bases empty the pitcher could not call a timeout. He would have to use a mound visit. “It seems kind of unfair, right?” Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval said. “It would be cool if we got at least (timeout). We should get one.” Sandoval said his toughest adjustment in 2023 was the way he held baserunners. One of his techniques was just to hold the ball longer, so the runner couldn’t easily anticipate when he was going to start his delivery. Estévez said he had to change his routine between pitches to accommodate the timer. “I used to be the guy who threw a pitch and then walked a lot, took the ball and rubbed it, thinking about the next pitch,” he said. “Now I have to shorten the steps. Take two steps. Get the baseball. Go again.” Left-hander Matt Moore, a veteran of 12 big-league seasons, said he feels like he’s starting a tough adjustment all over again. “In spring training last year, it felt like I was really sped up and I was going to struggle with it,” Moore said. “Once the season got going, I kind of got used to it and forgot about it. Then this year, it’s the same thing. It feels like it’s speeding up a little bit. But I think it’s more just coordinating what the pace of game should be. I’m doing better each time out.” Sandoval said he didn’t think the timer proved to be more physically demanding, though. “As the year went on, I got more and more used it and I think my strength got a little better,” he said. There is a theory that the pitch timer was responsible for an increase in pitching injuries, but it will take more than one year to determine if there’s a correlation. Whether it caused more injuries, some pitchers definitely would still rather not have a timer on them. “It affected some pitchers,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “That part of it, I don’t like. That’s hard job on that mound, pitching. But it is what it is and we’ve got to get used to it, but I didn’t like the way that it affected the pitchers. Some took it hard and some weren’t affected at all. I would like our pitchers to get to the point where it didn’t bother them at all.” NOTES Third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin) was set to increase his activity again, adding baserunning to hitting and defense. He was set to take live batting practice for the second straight day. Washington reiterated that Rendon would get one more day after the day he says he’s ready, so at this point the soonest he would play is Sunday. Washington said this isn’t how they’d approach the same injury during the season. “In spring training, you want to stop stuff,” Washington said. “During the season, you play through stuff. In spring training, you don’t want that to get worse. During the season, if something like that might happen, we might just tell him, ‘Unless you get a base hit, if you hit a ball that’s an out, just make it down the line.’” … Infielder Michael Stefanic (quad) has progressed to running at about 80%. He also increased his range on ground balls. Stefanic said he’s been hitting the whole time he’s been hurt. “The swing feels fine right now,” he said, “but if I hit a ball to the right fielder, I’m probably getting thrown out at first.” … Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels shut out by Mariners Los Angeles Angels | Angels use ‘chaos’ to help Ben Joyce manage pressure Los Angeles Angels | Mike Trout hits a grand slam but Angels lose a pair of games Los Angeles Angels | Angels shortstop Zach Neto soaking up lessons this spring Los Angeles Angels | Angels pitchers off to encouraging start in Cactus League Infielder Miguel Sanó, a former slugger who is trying to return to the majors for the first time since 2022, has two hits in his first 23 at-bats, with 11 strikeouts. He hit one towering homer. Sanó was delayed by visa issues and began playing the day he arrived in Arizona. “Remember, he came up here right off a plane and he was in a game,” Washington said. “So (the at-bats) are getting better. They’re getting better, and that’s all your want. … It’s not where he would like it, so if he doesn’t like where it’s at, I certainly don’t either.” … The Angels sent down right-hander Jack Kochanowicz. One of the Angels/ top prospects, Kochanowicz pitched three scoreless innings in Cactus League games. View the full article

- by Ryan Falla The Angels lack of major splashes in this free agent market has some fans concerned over the stability of the roster through the 2024 season after losing one of the biggest names in baseball. However, the Angels biggest needs have always been more than having or not having one single superstar to carry the roster. A sputtering internal talent pipeline to the Major Leagues has more often than not been the crux of the Angels efforts towards contention season after season, yet recent memory has seen an upswing in developmental fortunes. GM Perry Minasian’s trust in the Angels internal talent to fill critical roster spots in 2024 has seemingly raised the Angels floor despite the lack of free agent allure. One such player benefiting from the organizational trust in homegrown athletes is infielder Michael Stefanic, who came up with the Angels in 2022 as a reserve infielder before making himself fully known with a short-sample but memorable breakout in 2023. Weening this organization off the free agency carousel will prove to benefit the Angels as their unknown home-grown talents continue to break out and provide a sustainability that goes beyond 2024. “I'm a guy that doesn't swing and miss very much at all, I have to be very selective at the pitches I do swing at because pitchers are trying to get outs on pitchers pitches. I could put those balls in play, but I've really tried to hone in and know myself about what kind of pitches I handle well. Waiting the pitcher out until he makes a mistake or throws something in an area where I'm looking and I can put a good swing on it has been big for me.” The presence of Michael Stefanic on the roster brings a similar value to that of Gio Urshela and what he did for the Angels in his short time last season. Both players present a similar offensive profile with Urshela having a track record of occasional sneaky pop. Otherwise Stefanic profiles similarly with a high contact ability that can cover the whole zone while offering more meaningful swing decisions with stronger zone reads. A full season ZiPs projection puts Stefanic at a 9% BB/11% K rate across 2024 with a .273/.352/.355 slash. Defensively Stefanic is most productive covering 2B/3B at the big league level and looks to potentially expand into the corner outfield spots sometime this coming season, though the presence of super utility Luis Rengifo should limit the Angels need to shuffle Stefanic about defensively. “I played all four infield spots over the course of my minor league career. I've played a couple games in AAA at the corner outfield. At the end of the day more positions I can handle at the big league level will get me more opportunities to get my bat in the lineup. I want to help this team win and do whatever it takes. I can do whatever it takes to get on the field.” Michael Stefanics ability to feel out the zone and consistently wrap the bat around the ball is one of the more underrated hitting skills present on the Angels. His big league improvements in 2023 are not to be overlooked, especially considering the natural toolset the hitter brings. Naysayers may point to short sample size to dismiss his big league production last year, though none of his production came as an accident, such as his .290 average, as his underlying peripheral’s support the growing trends. There is little wasted effort in Stefanic's approach as he greatly limits his swings on balls as noted by his 9% chase rate outside the zone (League Average: 23%) while whiffing on just 7% of his swings. While he only had 71 big league PAs in 2023 his Triple A time saw him manage 60 BBs to 33 Ks across 455 PAs. Extended time at the Majors should see Stefanic's BB/K totals continue to trend positively as he collected 8 BBs to 8 Ks in the MLB last year. “The first time up I think things got a little quick on me. There was an acclimation period getting my feet wet with the big league pitching. I’ve focused on hitting line drives to the big part of the field, being on time for the fastball and being able to cover any sort of mistakes that the pitchers make. That's the vanilla approach I go with and it's worked for me for a long time. We saw success in September and other parts of the [2023] season. I feel confident in being able to stick to that approach. His efficiency in the zone is rather underrated as he swung and missed on just seven pitches across the 2023 campaign. 62.8% of the pitches he saw came as fastballs with Stefanic whiffing on just two offerings. Stefanic essentially neutralized pitchers ability to throw the off-speed as he saw just sixteen total off-speed pitches while hitting .800 when swinging on pitcher’s secondaries. His production against breaking balls (slider/sweeper/curve) further supports sentiments with Stefanic seeing the type 30.8% of the time while managing a .263 average against the mix. A plus-ability against the secondary puts Stefanic in a favorable position to see a healthy serving of fastballs which should continue to favor positive outcomes at the plate as he demonstrably makes exceptional contact/swing decisions when facing fastball counts. A continuation on the positively trending hard hit outcomes will see Stefanic swing his way into a cementable role this season. “I’ve been working on getting the bat speed and the exit velocity up a little bit. I hit a lot of ground balls in 2022, I’m really putting that emphasis to keep the ball off the ground as much as possible and live in that 15 to 25 degree launch angle. Being able to dunk it in front of outfielders or stretch the gas for doubles will be huge. There were improvements last year and I'm gonna continue to build on it in 2024.” Stefanics 10% jump in line drive rate from 2022 (18.4%) to 2023 (28.3%) is the best indicator of his improving trends being sustainable at the big league level. The last two years of MLB experience has seen a heightened response in Stefanics swing instincts as he’s grown to generating consistent lift. His plummeting ground ball rates from 53.1% down to 43.4% in 2023 further displays the offensive strides being made behind the scenes. A full season to play with his heightened swing-ability should see efforts culminate in stronger exit velocities on a more consistent basis. Whereas most prospective hopefuls road to success is marked by major league adjustments and ever evolving approaches Stefanic needs only to maintain the evolutions made in 2023 in order to generate success in 2024. Michael Stefanic's impending upside will prove itself a big factor in the Angels coming success as he proves his value not just as utility infielder, but as a hitter you want at the plate with the game on the line ten times out of ten. View the full article

THE GAME: The Angels managed just four hits in a 5-0 Cactus League loss to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon in Peoria, Ariz. PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Griffin Canning, who didn’t walk any batters in his first two games, issued three walks in the first inning and had to be removed because of his pitch count. “Early on it looked like he was trying to overthrow his fastball,” Manager Ron Washington said. “He was trying to get more mileage out of his fastball than he’s got in his arm, which is why he was scattered.” One run scored in the inning. Canning re-entered in the second and walked another and gave up a hit, but he did not allow another run. He added a perfect third. “Obviously, it’s gonna happen during the season so I gotta find a way to fight through it and kind of get back into my rhythm,” Canning said. “Four walks isn’t cool, but the first two walks honestly, (Julio Rodriguez) and (J.P.) Crawford put up good at-bats. So it is what it is. Kind of got my rhythm there last inning.” … Right-hander Andrew Wantz pitched three scoreless innings. He was hit in the knee by a comebacker in his third inning. He jogged around and remained in the game. Afterward, when Washington saw the bruise, he was surprised that Wantz could remain in the game. “That guy is tough,” Washington said. Wantz, who is getting stretched out to start, has not allowed a run in 7-1/3 innings this spring. … Left-hander Matt Moore worked a scoreless inning, with the help of a catch at the left field fence and a double play. … The Angels trailed 1-0 when the Mariners scored four runs in the eighth. Three were charged to left-hander Adam Kolarek, who issued a walk and gave up two hits. He left with the bases loaded, and all the runs scored against minor league right-hander Jared Southard. HITTING REPORT: Mickey Moniak doubled down the right field line. Moniak is 7 for 22 (.318) with four extra-base hits this spring. … Luis Rengifo went hitless in three at-bats. He missed the first two weeks of spring training games with a hamstring injury, and he hasn’t had a hit in either of his first two games. … Miguel Sanó was hitless in three at-bats, with two strikeouts. A non-roster invitee trying to return to the big leagues for the first time since 2022, Sanó is 2 for 23 with 11 strikeouts this spring. … Jo Adell drew his first walk of the spring, in his 27th plate appearance. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels use ‘chaos’ to help Ben Joyce manage pressure Los Angeles Angels | Mike Trout hits a grand slam but Angels lose a pair of games Los Angeles Angels | Angels shortstop Zach Neto soaking up lessons this spring Los Angeles Angels | Angels pitchers off to encouraging start in Cactus League Los Angeles Angels | Angels run winning streak to 6 games, beating Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani DEFENSE REPORT: Left fielder Tucker Flint made a leaping catch at the fence just moments after he’d entered the game in the seventh inning. … The Angels turned three double plays, all started by shortstop Livan Soto. UP NEXT: Angels (RHP José Soriano) vs. Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber) at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Friday, 12:10 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article