The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ward, Moniak will be counted on for offensive contributions
Angels pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training on Feb. 13. As we count down the days until camp begins, we are going through the various position groups to give a breakdown of where the roster stands. Today, the outfield.
2023 recap
Center fielder Mike Trout missed half the season with a fractured hamate bone, marking the third time in the last three years that the threetime American League MVP has missed significant time with an injury. He was just starting to heat up at the plate before he got hurt, after getting off to the worst start of his career. He finished the season with a .263 batting average, 18 home runs and an .858 OPS in 82 games. Left fielder Taylor Ward also got off to a slow start, started to find himself around midseason, but then he suffered a season-ending injury when he fractured bones in his face after he was hit by a pitch. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe actually started very well, but then he slumped for months. Eventually, the Angels let him go on waivers as a cost-cutting measure once they were out of the playoff race. The injuries cleared room for Mickey Moniak to get an extended opportunity, and he delivered. Moniak produced an .802 OPS in 323 plate appearances after posting a .486 mark in his first 167 plate appearances.
How it looks right now
The Angels didn’t make any significant additions to the outfield mix, so they’ll be counting heavily on Trout, Ward and Moniak to be productive and healthy. Trout, 32, is still young enough to produce an Mvp-caliber season, if he can stay on the field. His offensive decline last year, even before he was hurt, raises the question of whether it was just a bad couple of months that would have been erased with a full season or the start of age catching up to him. Ward and Moniak have both produced at an elite level for stretches of two or three months, but neither has done it for a full season. Jo Adell, who is out of options this season, has dominated at Triple-a, but he has never produced in the majors. He figures to open the season in the rotation for regular playing time, and it will be up to him to show if he can finally deliver on his promise.
The next layer
The Angels signed veteran major leaguers Willie Calhoun, Jake Marisnick and Hunter Dozier to minor league deals, providing some depth. Jordyn Adams, the Angels’ first-round draft pick in 2018, has exceptional speed, defense and power potential, but he showed during his brief opportunity in the majors last year that he still has some rough edges. Trey Cabbage, who also plays first base, has plus power.
Move they could make
Cody Bellinger, arguably the top offensive player outside of Shohei Ohtani on the free agent market, is still available. Bellinger would fit nicely as a left-handed bat in the middle of the Angels’ order, and he would be easy to slide into center field when Trout is at DH or if he is injured. At some point, Trout is going to move to a corner, so getting Bellinger on a multi-year deal could help the Angels prepare for that.