Tuesday, March 03

TEMPE, Ariz. -- With Opening Day just over three weeks away, it’s time to take a look at how a few roster competitions are going for the Angels this spring.

The Angels came into camp looking for clarity in the back end of the rotation, in the bullpen, in center field and at second base. And while things are starting to look clearer in some areas -- like the rotation -- it’s still too early to say how the bullpen and bench spots will shake out just yet.

But here’s how things have been going at those key spots for the Angels:

The rotation

The Angels came into camp with only three locks for their rotation: right-hander José Soriano and lefties Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers. But they traded for Grayson Rodriguez and signed Alek Manoah despite neither pitching in the Majors last year due to injuries.

Rodriguez, who had bone spurs removed from his right elbow in August, said he can feel a huge difference in the way his arm feels and his fastball averaged 96 mph in his first outing. And Manoah, who was coming off Tommy John surgery, has been impressive so far this spring with five scoreless innings.

Rodriguez and Manoah have shown they’re both healthy and ready to claim those final two spots in the rotation. Other starters who have helped their stock include prospect George Klassen, who impressed against the Padres, and lefty Mitch Farris, who added 3 mph to his fastball.

The outfield

With Mike Trout’s move to right field last year, it left the Angels without a true everyday center fielder on their roster. But Trout wants to return to center field this year, which would help stabilize the outfield with Jo Adell and Josh Lowe in the corners and Jorge Soler as designated hitter. Soler also trimmed down to play some corner outfield and is off a strong start at the plate.

Lowe, though, is dealing with left oblique discomfort and is expected to be out for at least a few days. And there’s always the chance it continues to linger and he has to start the year on the injured list, as he dealt with lengthy left oblique injuries in both ’24 and ’25.

So that’ll be worth monitoring as well as the competition between Bryce Teodosio and non-roster invitee Jose Siri for the backup center field job. Teodosio notably dropped down a bunt single last week, which is something he’s been working on, while Siri is off to a slow start at the plate, going 2-for-15.

The bullpen

The Angels don’t have a set closer but signed several veterans to one-year deals like Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter. All of have been healthy so far, while Robert Stephenson (elbow) believes he’ll be ready for Opening Day and Ben Joyce (shoulder) could start the year on the IL but shouldn’t be out too long.

If Joyce ends up on the IL, it would leave three open spots. José Fermin and Ryan Zeferjahn are in that mix while Sam Bachman has pitched well. Chase Silseth is out of options and struggled in his first appearance but was much better in his second. Non-roster invitees Nick Sandlin, Hunter Strickland and Kaleb Ort also are worth monitoring, although Sandlin is coming off arthroscopic elbow surgery and might not be ready for the start of the season.

Hard-throwing prospects Chase Shores and Nate Snead, who were both drafted last year, have also turned heads and could factor into the bullpen this season.

The infield

The starting second base job is up for grabs with Christian Moore competing with Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza, who are both out of options, and Adam Frazier, Nick Madrigal and Chris Taylor, who are all signed to Minor League deals. Moore, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, launched his first homer of the spring on Wednesday.

Moore has also been seeing time at third base, as Yoán Moncada has dealt with injuries in recent seasons. Frazier seems to be the best fit for the roster among the non-roster options because of his ability to make contact from the left side while also playing solid defense at second base.

If Frazier makes the team along with Moore, it would leave the final bench spot up for grabs. Grissom offers the most upside, while Peraza is a better defender and more versatile. Taylor can also play multiple positions and is one of several veterans with an opt-out near the end of Spring Training, along with Frazier and Strickland.

Superstar Mike Trout showed off his wheels on Saturday, reaching 29.9 feet per second while trying to beat out an infield single. It was faster than any sprint speed he posted last year and is just a tick under the 30 feet per second threshold that is considered elite. Trout, who had surgery on his left meniscus twice in ’24 and sustained a bone bruise last year, said he’s feeling healthy and ready to reach 30 feet per second.

“I feel great,” said Trout, who is down roughly five pounds from last year. “I saw that. So yeah, I feel really good. … 29.9? Huh. I’m going to get to 30. Because I got more in the tank. But the 29.9 surprised me.”

Who had the highest average sprint speed on the Angels last year?

A. Jo Adell
B. Mike Trout
C. Bryce Teodosio
D. Kyren Paris

Lefty Yusei Kikuchi (Japan) third baseman Yoán Moncada (Cuba), catcher/outfielder Gustavo Campero (Colombia), outfielder Matthew Lugo (Puerto Rico) and lefties Sam Aldegheri (Italy) and Samy Natera Jr. (Mexico) are among those participating in this year’s Classic.

Minor League right-hander Najer Victor (Great Britain) and outfielder Lucas Ramirez (Brazil) are also playing in the Classic, while Camden Minacci (Italy) and Francis Texido (Cuba) are part of the Designated Pitcher Pool (DPP).

C. Teodosio, who averaged 29.9 feet per second.

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