Angels spring training roster: Get to know the 26 non-roster invitees

Infielders (8)

1. Tim Anderson -- middle infielder
2. J.D. Davis -- corner infielder
3. Cole Fontenelle -- corner infielder
4. Denzer Guzman -- shortstop
5. Carter Kieboom -- corner infielder
6. David Mershon -- utility man
7. Christian Moore -- second base/third base...left fielder?
8. Yolmer Sánchez -- utility man

Moore is the best Angels prospect that is not yet a member of the 40-man roster. He is widely regarded as the Angels' best or second best prospect, and should continue to gain notoriety as he makes his case for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He has closed the gap on Caden Dana, and even passed him on some sites' rankings, possibly because of him taking reps at third base during Instructional League. Keith Law was pessimistic (wow! shocker!) about his defense, classified him as a 40-grade second base defender, and anecdotally mentioned how, "every scout I’ve asked about him says he has to go to left field." Despite the naysayers it's apparent that as Moore refines his game, gets more acclimated to big league pitching, and becomes more positionally versatile, he will become a staple of the Angels' roster sooner rather than later. It's just a matter of what position he ends up at full-time.

Denzer Guzman is an intriguing prospect. Kiley McDaniel left him out of the Angels' top 10 prospects ranking, while both Law and MLB.com slotted him in at no. 7. The soon-to-be 21-year-old can hopefully continue to develop well as a shortstop, as most view him as being more valuable in the field instead of at the plate. Law did mention that he has great bat speed. It will be interesting to see how good Guzman looks compared to Kyren Paris in camp.

Tim Anderson and J.D. Davis will be competing their hearts out for a spot on the major league roster. Anderson will be competing with Moore, Scott Kingery and Matthew Lugo, while Davis will be competing with Niko Kavadas, Ryan Noda, and maybe even Anthony Rendon. Anderson and Davis were low-risk fliers taken by Perry Minasian after both had down years in 2024. Carter Kieboom was another low-risk flier this offseason, but has much worse odds of breaking the MLB roster than Davis and Anderson.

Cole Mershon and Cole Fontenelle were both representing the Angels during the Arizona Fall League. While they were overshadowed performance-wise by Natera Jr. and Kavadas, them participating in the AFL was a good story for the Halos. Fontenelle is a switch-hitter who primarily plays third base right now, but profiles as a guy who could also slide over to first base. He tragically dislocated his ankle and fractured fibula after 22 games at AA Rocket City in 2024, and was in the AFL to gain game reps that he lost. Mershon has been pushed hard by the Angels after they went over-slot to draft him in the 18th round of the '24 MLB Draft. The 5'7 switch-hitter was immediately sent to AA following the draft, and in 29 games he played second base, third base, shortstop, and centerfield.

Nobody had any clue that the Angels signed Yolmer Sánchez until the non-roster invites were announced. Welcome, Yolmer!