LA Angels Add Depth with September Call Ups

The LA Angels have been out of the playoff race for awhile, meaning the final month of this season is devoted to 2019.

Many expected the LA Angels to use this month to evaluate talent from the minor league system. A plethora of their top prospects are in AAA Salt Lake, and many fans wanted to see what the future has in store over the final month.

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However, the Angels instead went for depth, a move teams with playoffs in the future usually do. The Halos added infielder Jose Fernandez and right-handed pitchers Miguel Almonte and Junichi Tazawa. They are expected to add more names Wednesday after the AAA season ended tonight.

Fernandez has been in the majors for a few stints this year, and has played rather well in his limited action. In 51 at-bats, he is hitting .275 with a .288 OBP. Of his 14 hits, three have gone for extra bases, all doubles. With Albert Pujols going onto the disabled list for the rest of 2018, Fernandez should have a prominent role and a real chance to show his abilities over the final month.

Almonte is another guy who has been up-and-down this season between Anaheim and Salt Lake. He has only pitched two innings in two appearances, and has not been impressive so far. In his lone appearance prior to being called up, Almonte allowed two runs over one inning, and struck out one batter. He made his second appearance on September 2, and worked a scoreless inning. The Angels bullpen has been worked a lot this year, and Almonte should get plenty over the course of September.

Tazawa is a 32-year old veteran who pitched 22 games for the Marlins this year. In those 22 appearances, he struggled with a 9.00 ERA over 20 innings pitched. He allowed six big flies and 13 walks while striking 24 batters. His first appearance with the Angels was the same old story for Tazawa. He allowed a walk and one home run over an inning, maintaining his 9.00 ERA.

None of these call ups will cause the fans to get overly excited. Almonte is interesting at 25-years old, but still has a lot of development to do. However, they could all be in the running for roles in 2019.