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

Continuing with our spring training guide for the 2021 season, we’ll be going through the Angels outfield as there are some questions to answer in the next few weeks. Other than having the best player in baseball patrolling center field, they have a solid group of outfielders that they can platoon.

A mix of youth, veterans, and the best player in baseball will make up the Angels outfield this spring.

With the way it’s shaping up right now, it’s safe enough to say that surrounding Mike Trout in left and right field will be Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler. Both offer experience in the outfield as Angels fans know what they’re getting with Upton, but with Fowler, they’ll be getting someone who can keep the clubhouse loose with his personality and can play a decent right field.

The bigger questions will be with their younger players in Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh.

At some point, the Angels would like to give both of their top prospects significant repetitions at the big league level. It’s not so much a matter if they will make it to the big leagues, but when they arrive in Anaheim.

Maybe there’s a chance a solid spring camp could have one or both make the opening day roster, but it would take a lot for that to happen.

Regardless, the Halos will have plenty of options to choose from in the next few weeks.

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.