Which LA Angels non-roster infielders can make the Opening Day team?

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ANAHEIM, CA – OCTOBER 22: Owner Arte Moreno and general manager Billy Eppler look on as Brad Ausmus, new manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim answers questions during a press conference at Angel Stadium on October 22, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

The LA Angels have quite a handful of Spring Training non-roster invitees looking to make their presence known this Spring. With 21 total invitees there is a bit of order to be made so we can better understanding of the landscape for this Spring.

In an earlier article we ran through the LA Angels non-roster pitchers and the potential value they could take into Spring. Today we’ll be covering the non-roster infielders.

Out of all the non-roster athletes invited it is arguable the prospective infielders are the closest to making big league impact. Not counting the players who seemed to be penciled in to an Opening Day spot (Peter Bourjos/Alex Meyer) it seems the infield is ripe with close-to-MLB talent. From one Top 5 Prospect to two Top Tens (one being a Halo Hangout Top 10), even if none of these players make the Opening Day roster there is a good chance we can see most of these athletes make a debut sometime in 2019.

The four non-roster infielders invited to Spring Training are Jahmai Jones, Matt Thaiss, Jared Walsh, and Wilfredo Tovar. What’s most encouraging to see is three of these four players being Top Angel prospects. Aside from Wilfredo Tovar we aren’t seeing simple “depth options”, we’re getting a shot at what the future of the Angels will look like. Jahmai Jones has his all around defensive/offensive prowess, Matt Thaiss carries a strong 1B presence, and Jared Walsh holds some of the most dynamic talent around the Angels farm system.

That future may come much sooner than expected if any of these players has a breakthrough Spring.

Matt Thaiss

Matt Thaiss was drafted out of the University of Virginia in 2016 and since then has shown consistent prowess with the bat and the glove. Since 2016 Thaiss has collected 80 doubles across three MiLB seasons from Rookie Ball to Triple A. This past season (2018) saw Thaiss put up a .280/.335/.467 slash line across 176 Plate Appearances in Double A and 400 Plate Appearances in Triple A.

One of the bigger criticisms with Thaiss has been his lacking power for a first-baseman, although in 2018 Thaiss improved his power totals by a strong margin. Thaiss put up 16 HRs in 2018 (802 OPS) compared to 9 in 2017 (770). OPS

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At the age of 23 there is still some power that can be nurtured out of Thaiss; at this pace it’s not a world of power that can be waiting but there still is something that can be looked towards. We can’t really put a hard cap on Thaiss power-ability given his 2018 season improvements over his power peripherals from the season prior. However, this doesn’t change his outlook at a contact-first first-baseman, though we have seen his line-drive power elevate to HR power at a big rate this past season.

2018 saw Thaiss collect a total 34 doubles and 76 RBI’s across 576 Plate Appearances. Thaiss’ quick, smooth swing which cuts through the zone efficiently will be the anchor of his MLB success. If he can continue his power development he may be able to create an entirely new outlook for his career.

Thaiss looks to be on the cusp of a breakthrough and his Spring Training may put him in a position to do just that. As of now Thaiss projects as a depth option for Justin Bour and Albert Pujols in 2019, but a best case scenario can see him work as a platoon/bench option at first base in the major league level.

Jahmai Jones

Jahmai Jones has been with the Angels since 2015 after being drafted out of High School in Georgia. We’ve already seen a world of promise and talent from the developing second baseman and he’s still just 21. Jones was originally drafted as an outfielder before being moved to second base with the intention of getting him through the farm system faster.

Given the strides prospects such as Taylor Ward have made after switching positions there is a lot to believe in with this move. Lo and behold, just half a season after making the switch to second base, Jahmai Jones showed himself to be an All-Star.

Coming as no surprise, while in MiLB Class A Advanced (Inland Empire 66ers) Jones earned a Cal League All-Star accolade. Although Jones had a fantastic developmental year in 2018 there were some noticeable kinks.

Despite carrying a .282 batting average in 2017 Jones saw his average drop to .239 in 2018, his total hits dropping from 146 In 2017 to 115 in 2018 (578 Plate Appearances in 2017, 558 Plate Appearances in 2018). However, Jones game improved in so many other ways that his drop in average isn’t as pressing as it seems.

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For instance, Jones OBP only dropped from .348 to .337 from 2017 to 2018, and given how much less he got on base due to the hit we can see that his on-base approach remained as solid as ever if not better. Actually, it was better, Jones upped his walk total from 45 (2017) to 67 (2018) in 20 less Plate Appearances.

Another promising skill was his situational hitting, which saw Jones rope in 55 RBI’s compared to 2017’s 47. Not the biggest jump, but still a noticeable improvement, especially when factoring in that big drop in average as well as the lesser total in PA.

On the base paths Jones showed an improved value as well; in 2017 Jones nabbed 27 bases while being caught 13 times, yet 2018 saw those numbers improve to 24 stolen bases with just 4 caught steals. 2018 also saw Jones come around to score 80 runs compared to his 2017 total of 86.

There’s a lot to take in here, despite his average dropping he found a way to improve his offensive numbers across the board. With a return to hitting form you’d have to think that there would be a massive leap from his 2018 to 2019.

We’re likely on the cusp of a huge breakthrough season from Jones, though it’s doubtful we’ll see that in the Majors in 2019. Jones clearly still has some development left to go and it wouldn’t make sense to expect him to have that breakthrough season he’s on the cusp of in the Majors. Seeing Jones make the squad out of Spring Training or join very early in 2019 would likely be too much of a rush.

There’s still so much potential that needs to be realized and we’re painfully close to seeing that realization. Best case scenario, Jones has his breakthrough and joins the club in the last quarter of the season. Maybe even around the halfway point depending on the pace of development and depth needs.

Given that the Angels have plenty of depth at 2nd it isn’t likely that we’ll see Jones at any time in 2019 barring a September callup, last resort depth option, or a developmental explosion from Jones.

Jared Walsh

Jared Walsh is the most likely to make the team out of Spring from this infielder batch, though depending on the Angels depth preferences he could be blocked by Matt Thaiss or any reserve outfielder. Walsh not only plays excellent first base, he’s a very competent defender in the outfield.

Walsh is very much a 1B guy, though his ability to roam the outfield expands his value massively. His defense at first is nothing to be taken lightly; not only does Walsh display top-level reflexes and strong range, he has one hell of an arm. As a first baseman you can count on Walsh as the stalwart defender with excellent foul line protection, he’s nothing short of a wall at first.

As an outfielder, particularly right, Walsh provides excellent value. He has the range and a reliable ability to track difficult fly balls, and the cherry on top is his strong arm. Walsh has shown time and time again an arm powerful enough to hold runners and even shows the potential to gun them down.

It may not be as advanced or accurate as Kole Calhoun’s gun, but as a reserve outfielder you couldn’t ask for more. Walsh’s ability to play 1B as a starter and RF as a reserve can keep him on the field at almost all times, and with Walsh that would be something the Angels will want.

In 2018 Walsh showed off some of the best power from an Angels prospect, knocking in 29 HR’s and 99 RBI’s in 549 Plate Appearances. As a left-handed power hitter he offers a particular value the Angels desperately need. His 2018 slash line of .277/.359/.536, at the age of 24, shows a properly matured hitter ready for a shot at the Big Leagues.

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With many prospects there is still a bit to be desired from Walsh, such as a cut-down on strike-outs (154 K’s in 2018), yet with an improving two-strike approach there is potential to limit the damage from strikeouts once he hits the bigs. On top of his excellent power stroke there is great run scoring ability to be had, in 2018 Walsh came around to score 86 total times.

Sure, his 34 doubles is something that always keeps him in position to score, yet when you compare to guys like Jahmai Jones who can steal the bag and still not score as much you can easily surmise that Walsh is far more than a guy who just “hits the ball hard”.

Walsh was invited to Angels instructional camp just after the season ended in order to work out as a pitcher. In 2018 Walsh made eight appearances out of the bullpen and pitched to a 1.59 ERA with 7 K’s.

There is a thin line between “position player pitching” and actual reliever and Walsh seemed to blur that line. As a lefty Walsh displayed a fastball that showed speeds of 94mph coupled with a curveball proper enough to earn Major League outs, as said by his Triple A catcher Joe Hudson.

Given that Walsh was invited to Spring Training as a two-way player you have to believe that the Angels believe he can bring value out of the ‘pen. No one is expecting him to provide regular relief, but as a LOOGY option he could find serious success in the Majors.

He might end up being the one of the most valuable players, not just on the Angels, but in all of the MLB. Imagine that, a 25-30 HR hitting first baseman who can also work as a reserve outfielder while getting lefty outs from the bullpen. This last factor is especially important once you realize how short the Angels are on lefty-relievers.

Given the way baseball is trending towards analytics and expanding as much value out of a player as possible we could see Walsh become a powerful “secret” weapon in the Angels arsenal. A strong Spring Training could very well realize Walsh’s potential to becoming one of the more valuable players in this organization

Wilfredo Tovar

Wilfredo Tovar, at the age of 27, has only spent two seasons in the bigs, and those seasons were back in 2013/2014. 2013 saw Tovar hit .200 in 19 Plate Appearances while 2014 saw him record nothing in 3 Plate Appearances, no hits walks or strikeouts.

Since then, Tovar has been working in the Minors with the Mets (2008-2015), the Twins (2016), and the Cardinals (2017-2018). Overall he’s posted a career slash line of .264/.321/.344 in the Minors through 11 seasons, so he isn’t totally ineffectual. He didn’t get much chance anywhere even though his numbers tell the tale of someone who can be a serviceable depth option.

His 2018 season in Triple A saw him hit .297/.342/.386 with 15 doubles and 41 runs scored in 389 Plate Appearances. His 42 K’s to 24 BB’s in 2018 show that he isn’t striking out too much, but isn’t walking a lot either. He makes a lot of contact and gets on at a decent rate, but he isn’t walking as much as he should. A Spring Training is necessary for Tovar because we all need to see exactly how his abilities translate to a Major League level.

Is it feasible to think that he can translate his high contact rate to the Majors, especially considering since he isn’t walking so his only way of getting on is via the hit? This could make him an extremely predictable hitter and an easy out which makes this Spring Training critical for Tovar.

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Even if he doesn’t make the team he still needs to show he can provide depth value and be worth a Minor League stash. His limited offensive options could be a huge issue going into Spring Training, though he could also just be highly adept at making contact and it translates perfectly. Out of all the players invited he might have the most to show.

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