‘DIFFERENT FEEL’
Angels players sensing some really good vibes as they begin spring training
TEMPE, ARIZ. » Angels players — not just pitchers and catchers — were scattered across practice fields, bullpen mounds and batting cages on Tuesday afternoon.
All of that would have been totally routine for spring training, except it was actually a day before the first “official” workout of the spring.
Normally on “reporting day,” players have their physicals and a few stragglers might play catch in shorts and T-shirts, but the fields are largely vacant.
“Physical day is always the worst because you’re home at 11 and have nothing to do for the rest of the day,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said after catching bullpen sessions and hitting. “It’s nice to have a workout today. We’re all hitting the ground running.”
O’Hoppe had a broad smile on his face as he described the “completely different feel” around Angels camp as they begin preparing for the 2024 season.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval agreed it felt like the start of something new.
“I’ve been on here for about a month and there’s been a lot of guys coming in,” Sandoval said. “The vibes here are really good. The guys are ready to work. I think the just the overall vibe around the guys of getting our work in is a little bit different this year for some reason.”
One obvious difference is that the Angels no longer have Shohei Ohtani. Certainly, no one would suggest that losing the most talented player in the majors is a positive change on the field, but the lack of the spotlight that followed Ohtani no doubt changes the atmosphere around the team.
There were just three reporters at Tuesday’s workout, instead of 50. The expectations from outside are minimal, which is just fine with the players, who are still full of confidence and looking to prove they are better than last year’s 73-win disappointment.
“I definitely still have that bad taste in my mouth from last year,” O’Hoppe said. “None of us forgot what that was like. We all talked a lot over the offseason. We put a plan in place to change it going forward. Even though today is Day One, I feel like we’ve been doing it for weeks, just keeping in touch with one another and talking about the right things. It’s on the right track.”
New manager Ron Washington, who is
known for his energy and optimism, beamed as he described what’s ahead.
“It always feels good when you got on the baseball uniform when you’re a baseball lifer,” Washington said. “It’s even more fun when you begin getting a chance to be a part of something that can turn out to be very special. And this can turn out to be very special.”
Reality will hit soon enough, though. The Angels are going to do more than smile and say optimistic things for them to win baseball games.
It’s going to start with the pitching, and that story took some shape Tuesday with Washington’s declaration that his plan going into the spring was to use a five-man rotation.
“We haven’t done any competing yet to make a decision like that,” Washington said, “but right off the bat I’ll say five.”
The Angels had used a six-man rotation when Ohtani was one of the starters.
“Super excited, honestly,” Sandoval said of the increased work for the starters. “It adds four or five more starts at the end of the year. Perfect. I want to be on the field as much as I can to help this team win as much as I can.
The top five starters currently are Sandoval, left-handers Reid Detmers and Tyler Anderson and right-handers Griffin Canning and Chase Silseth. Right-handers Zach Plesac and Davis Daniel and left-handers José Suarez and Kenny Rosenberg are the top candidates for the rotation outside of those five.
Washington also said he’s hoping a firm lineup develops, instead of mixing and matching
around the field.
“I don’t foresee my lineup changing every day,” Washington said. “In some areas, you might have something, but I’m not gonna have a team where we’ve got 80 or 90 lineups within the season.”
Washington said he is prepared to rotate players through the designated hitter spot — again, something they couldn’t do with Ohtani.
Washington also said the Angels are opening the spring expecting Carlos Estévez to be the closer. Estévez was outstanding for the first half of the season in the closer role last year, before faltering late. Now, the Angels have right-hander Robert Stephenson as an option if Estévez struggles.
has been dealing with elbow issues for most of the past two seasons, throwing just 10 1/3 innings in the minors. Pomeranz has been throwing bullpen sessions. Pomeranz, 35, who will be invited to major league camp, posted a 1.75 ERA with the Padres in 2021, when he had flexor tendon surgery . ... The Angels will again air almost all of their spring training games on television, either on Bally Sports West or another network when there is a conflict. On days when the Angels play split-squad games, they will air the home game. Radio play-by-play announcer Terry Smith will handle simulcasts on television and radio for most games, with Wayne Randazzo, Patrick O’Neal and Trent Rush also doing some play-by-play in the spring. The cast of analysts will include Mark Gubicza, Bobby Valentine, Tim Salmon and Denny Hocking. Erica Weston and Rush will also contribute reports during
the broadcasts . ... The Angels have hired Bob Alejo as the strength and conditioning coach. Alejo spent 12 years in a similar role with the Oakland A’s, during Washington’s tenure in Oakland. Since then, he had been working with Olympic athletes and in college sports, including at Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara. Alejo already has a fan in Sandoval: “I think we’re gonna be one of the most conditioned teams in baseball, for sure.” ...
Right-hander Sam Bachman is also going to be on the starter depth chart, even though he pitched in relief in the majors last season. Bachman missed the end of last season with a shoulder issue, and he had an arthroscopic cleanup procedure in the fall . ... Right-hander José Cisnero, who is from the Dominican Republic, will be at least a week late because of a visa issue, according to the Angels.