LA Angels Roundtable: Six Under-The-Radar Key/Bounce Back Players for 2019

Jared Walsh

By Ryan Falla (@rmfalla)

I know I’ve gone on and on about Walsh this past year and especially this over the course of Spring Training so far. But let’s be real, Walsh presents the opportunity for much-needed dynamics on this team in so many different ways.

If you’ve been watching the handful of Spring games so far you would see how good he is at adjusting himself to the pace of competition no matter where he is. He’s looked good in his few at bats, taking plenty of pitches and seeing a lot of what the competition has to offer while also showing what he can bring to the table.

One of his biggest under-the-radar offensive assets happens to be his excellent base-running skills. He may not be a threat to steal, but with 86 runs scored in 2018 you can see that he poses a serious threat to score.

In yesterdays Spring Training game (2/24/19) Walsh turned a single that barely left the infield into a double, which also sent fellow prospect Jack Kruger from 1st to 3rd  (Walsh scored from 2nd on the next hit).

Walsh is an absolute playmaker in every sense of the word, whether it’s with his bat or his legs. Like I’ve said in many previous articles, Walsh has the power to put himself in scoring position every time he gets on base with his heightened awareness and powerful physical prowess.

We still haven’t seen him pitch this Spring, but if he approaches it with the same strength and fervor that he does hitting and defending he will produce some serious value out of the bullpen. Oh, and lets not forget his brick-wall defense at first.

There is value to be had all over the board with Walsh and on that note I don’t see any scenarios that leave Walsh off the MLB board in 2019. Whether it’s with his defense, hitting, pitching, or all three in tandem there is just too much value to be left on the sidelines. You can guarantee that Walsh will contribute to the Angels in some fashion once the 2019 season speeds off into the summer.