LOS ANGELES — With a few spring training games in the books, the Angels have the third-best record in the Cactus League (6-3), tied with the Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champs.
Although the actual wins and losses of spring training don’t mean much, they’re a useful indicator for the upcoming regular season as it shows what the talent on hand can do. In a small sample size, some Angels players have taken advantage of their limited at-bats, while others have struggled out of the gate.
Aaron Hicks, who’s battling for the last outfield spot next alongside Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, has mashed opposing pitching to the tune of a .455/.571/.1000 slashline. He’s surprised many, including myself as this seems like a potential career revival. He’s recorded as many total bases as at-bats (11) and seems like a shoe-in for the Opening Day lineup on March 28 against the Orioles.
At the other end, Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak have struggled mightily so far, combining for only six hits in 27 at-bats and only one home run. They still have over three weeks left of Cactus League play to fine-tune their approaches, but if Hicks continues to impress, they’ll be left on the bench or start the season at Triple-A.
Another Halo who’s been hitting the cover off the baseball is Zach Neto. The projected Opening Day shortstop for the Angels has posted an OPS just over 1.000 while only striking out twice in 14 at bats. He’s only walked once, which is a bit concerning, but if Neto maintains an approach balanced between contact and power, he’ll be in for a monster sophomore season.
While there are plenty of rookies and veterans looking to crack the Opening Day roster, the most important piece of this team is Mike Trout, of course. Trout has limped to an ugly .154 batting average with only one extra-base-hit, but the most important thing for the Angels’ star center-fielder is health. If Trout can remain healthy throughout the spring and into the regular season, the production will almost certainly follow. I’m certain he’ll find his groove soon and give a glimpse into the future of what a healthy Mike Trout can still do.
I’ve previously mentioned how this team needs sophomore first baseman Nolan Schanuel to increase his power numbers from his rookie season, but so far this spring, that hasn’t happened. All five of his hits have been singles and a high batting average is nice, but the Angels need him to trade some of that contact for power. That will increase his value on offense, especially in a traditional power position at first base.
On the pitching side, most of the rotation hasn’t been stretched out yet, as Griffin Canning leads the team with only five innings pitched.
Speaking of Canning, he hasn’t allowed a run in those five innings, but he’s also allowed seven hits while only striking out four batters. In a previous article, I mentioned that Canning needed to reduce the amount of hits allowed, especially home runs. Hitters haven’t put the ball over the fence against him yet which is a good sign, but the seven hits is not ideal.
In an under-the-radar move from this past offseason, the Angels acquired RHP Guillermo Zuniga from the Cardinals and he’s impressed so far with his triple-digit heater. In three innings, he’s struck out five and hasn’t issued a walk, showing how he might earn a higher leverage spot in Ron Washington’s bullpen. The Angels went out and signed multiple free agents this offseason, including Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Hunter Strickland and Drew Pomeranz, but if Zuniga continues to rack up the strikeouts, he’ll be an intriguing late inning option.
There’s been speculation of whether the Angels will utilize a six-man rotation or a more traditional five-man rotation. When manager Ron Washington was asked about this, he told reporters, “right off the bat I’ll say five” per Washington, per the OC Register. He did leave the door open for a six-man rotation, as the Angels will experiment with reliever Jose Soriano in the rotation.
The Angels rotation struggled in 2023, compared to the season prior where they were sixth in starting rotation ERA. Soriano has great strikeout stuff, featuring an upper-90s fastball and mid-80s curveball, but has struggled with command in the past. He’ll be a potential depth option for the rotation, especially if other depth pieces like Jose Suarez and Davis Daniel struggle in spring training. If the Angels continue to roll while veterans Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon slowly heat up, they might turn some heads as the regular season approaches.