LA Angels 2021 spring training guide: future is bright for Halos outfield

Jo Adell OF

While Adell got his first cup of coffee in the big leagues last summer, he struggled mightily both offensively and defensively.

At the plate, Adell finished with a .161 batting average, .212 on-base percentage, and .478 on-base plus slugging percentage, which are all not good for someone of his caliber in talent. Angels manager Joe Maddon has already alluded to having Adell go back to the minor leagues to get more development time which isn’t a bad idea.

Brandon Marsh OF

Brandon Marsh is the other outfield prospect to watch as he didn’t get called up last season but is definitely knocking on the door to the big leagues.

We’ll have to look at 2019 season stats for him due to there being no minor league season for him to get development. In that season, Marsh hit for a .287 batting average, .368 on-base percentage, and a .776 on-base plus slugging.

According to a prospect video from mlb.com, he’s still unlocking his power stroke which makes sense considering he only hit seven home runs in 2019. Still, his ability to make consistent contact is what the Angels like.

Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh are the young stars Angels fans will want to keep their eye on this spring.

These players have a strong bond in friendship based on their videos hanging out together and working out together. While it’s great to see the chemistry between them, the Angels need both to produce at the big league level.

There was some speculation on whether the Angels would be willing to part ways with one of them to get pitching, but it seems the Angels are planning to keep both for now.

Taylor Ward OF/C

Ward was drafted by the Angels as a catcher back in 2015, and was known more for his defense behind the plate with the hopes of his bat to develop over time. Unfortunately, his offense never came to be, so the Angels shifted him into the outfield to help get his offensive numbers up. It worked well enough to find him some time in an Angels uniform as he platooned the outfield for them in 2018. He also saw some time at third and first base. Now, he’s looking to be ousted from the outfield and is trying to get some time at catcher once again.

With the amount of outfield depth the Angels have, this means that one player will be the odd man out, and that’s Taylor Ward.

The last time Ward fully caught in the Angels system was in 2017 when he bounced between two minor league teams. He had 557 innings total behind the plate with a fielding percentage of .989. Ward also had a caught stealing rate of 28 percent. His offense did improve when he transitioned from behind the plate to the outfield. In 2018 he slashed .349/.446/.531 and posted a .277/.333/.383 line in 2020. This shows that the move to the outfield benefited his offensive numbers.

Personally, evaluating a catcher can be a bit tricky because there’s so much that goes into the position itself that sometimes it’s okay to excuse a lack of offense from behind the plate. Either way, Ward will be moving from the outfield to back behind the plate, and the Angels will be hoping he can find his success there as he had in college and the minors.

Speaking of outfield depth, the Angels decision to move Ward from the outfield might have been a smarter move due to signing multiple non-roster outfielders.

This offseason, the Angels signed Juan Lagares and Jon Jay to minor league deals with invites to spring training to provide more depth.

Juan Lagares OF

We’ll start with Lagares, who is known for being an outfield specialist due to his amazing catches, which helped him earn a gold glove in 2014.

His offense isn’t too impressive as he slashed .213/.279/.326 back in 2019 and was at the Mets alternative site for all of the 2020 season. He had an amazing showing in the Dominican Winter League with Aguilas Cibaenas and was named finals MVP for hitting .379 batting average with three home runs and ten RBI.

Jon Jay OF

Jon Jay is another outfielder who is trying to battle for a chance to be a backup option for the Angels. He’s another player linked to Joe Maddon during their time with the Chicago Cubs, although having connections to the manager might not help him much if he’s trying to win a spot on the roster.

Jay had a rough time with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2020, slashing .160/.211/.240 in only 18 games while used as a backup option. It’s hard to see him winning over a backup option when the Angels have plenty of depth now. However, if he can somehow catch lightning in a bottle, he can be on the Halos radar.

Jordyn Adams OF

Another player to watch is Jordyn Adams, who is quietly another rising star for the Angels regarding prospects with Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh being ahead of him. Adams is rated as the third best prospect in the Angels system, but isn’t ranked in the top 100 for MLB.com. This says a lot about the Angels farm system. However, in terms of development, Adams still has a ways to go as he’s only 22, but there’s a lot to like about him as he has shown great discipline and makes consistent contact. He covers the strike zone well, which gives him even more of a chance to have more consistent at-bats.

Ah yes, we’ve reached the final section of this spring training guide so let’s end on a high note with the best player in baseball, Mike Trout.

Unlike the other outfielders we’ve talked about and possibly platooning the corners in the outfield, Trout is in center field, and there are no real questions when talking about his performance. In a short 60-game season, Trout slashed .281/.390/.603 with an OPS+ of 168, and in a conference call with reporters, he personally said, ‘last year, I had a bad year.’

To a certain degree, he’s right, most of his numbers were near career lows for him, but it was still a 60 game season where he couldn’t have time to make adjustments.

Mike Trout believes he still has a lot of room to improve, and hopes to end the Angels playoff-drought.

This shows the kind of player Trout is, humble and always looking to improve on something. There’s no doubt in Trout’s ability on the field as he’s solidified his spot on MLB Network’s top 100 as the number one player in baseball right now for another year. He’s always been a tough out for pitchers and shows that he’s one of the best all-around players by showing off his contact, power, speed, and fielding seemingly every day he’s on the field.

He still hasn’t won a gold glove yet, which he says he wants to win eventually, and he certainly has the skills to it.

The knock on one of the best players in baseball is something that isn’t even in his control, being the face of baseball. This sport has had a rough time trying to market the best player in the game and get more people talking about him and knowing who he is.

There is a drastic difference between being the best player and being the face of baseball, which could arguably be someone who recently signed a long-term extension in San Diego, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres. It’s not fair to compare them as people, with Tatis Jr. being one of the more flashy and outgoing players in the game.

Either way, this is not Trout’s problem and is more on Major League Baseball as it struggles to figure out how to market many of its players, not just Trout.

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For now, Angels fans know who Mike Trout is, and there’s no debate on whether he’s the best player in the game right now. He is. Trout is looking to improve, which sounds impossible, but don’t tell that to him, as he could get better.