ANAHEIM, Calif. — In their final spring training series, the Angels looked sharp against Dodgers, defeating their crosstown rivals twice in three games. The Angels now have their sights set on Thursday’s
Opening Day matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Angels finished with a 14-15 record in Cactus League play, as newly-hired manager Ron Washington gave plenty of auditions to fill the holes on a now Shohei Ohtani-less roster.
As the Angels finalized their 26-man Opening Day roster, they optioned RHPs Zach Plesac, Ben Joyce and Victor Mederos to Triple-A. Plesac and Joyce struggled throughout the spring, especially Joyce, who walked nine batters in just 7.1 innings. Mederos had a solid showing, pitching to a 3.12 ERA, but the Angels felt it would be best if the 22-year-old began the season in Triple-A to continue his development as a future starter.
The Angels Opening Day starting rotation will feature Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, Jose Soriano and Chase Silseth. As a group, they posted middling results throughout the spring and they’ll be put to test against an Orioles lineup that helped them win 101 games in 2023.
The Angels pitching staff will have to limit walks and pitch deep into ball games in this series. This staff has shown in the past that they’re capable of competing at a high level on individual outings, but they’ll all need to be in sync to succeed in a competitive AL West.
In other roster news, OF Aaron Hicks cracked the Opening Day roster alongside fellow outfielders Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak. Hicks had a tremendous spring and showed that his strong showing with the Orioles last summer wasn’t a fluke. After it seemed like Hicks’ career had completely fallen off he’ll be competing for the final outfield spot.
For Moniak, the former first overall pick in 2016 started Cactus League play slowly, but finished with an .825 OPS to build off of an above-average 2023 season. Although Moniak mostly faces right-handed pitching, if the Angels see him as part of the future, they’ll need to show him more at-bats against lefties to ease him into a starting role. RHP Corbin Burnes will most likely be the Orioles Opening Day starter, so skipper Ron Washington may give Moniak the nod against the righty.
Adell, on the other hand, couldn’t quite find his footing, as his lackluster spring may leave him on the bench to begin the season. Adell has always possessed the raw power, but he hasn’t been able to translate that against big league pitching.
The Angels have a tough task ahead of them against an Orioles lineup that features some of the best young talent in baseball. C Adley Rutschman and SS Gunnar Henderson are already considered to be some of the best players in the game, while RHP Grayson Rodriguez, OF Cedric Mullins and OF Austin Hays—just to name a few—have all been above average contributors at the major league level.
The Angels still have Mike Trout of course, alongside 3B Anthony Rendon and INFs Luis Rengifo, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel. If this core manages to produce while staying healthy, this Angels team can compete with anybody in the American League. With Trout, while he’s towards the back half of his prime, he’s still a superstar centerfielder when healthy and he’ll be in the MVP conversation alongside younger stars like Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez.
Most baseball fans have counted out the Angels, as their roster looks completely different from when they were vying for a playoff spot last season. However, with the expectations lower than years past, they surprise the baseball world and make their first playoff appearance since 2014.