Desperate to add versatility, Angels to toy with top prospect's position this spring

The Angels were snake bitten by injuries last season, which exposed their lack of depth and led to a franchise-worst 63-99 record. The organization has made it clear that they'll do anything to avoid that fate again by mix-and-matching seemingly every one of their position players' defensive position -- from their top prospect to the last of the non-roster invitees.

While they have improved depth through player acquisitions, by signing guys like Kevin Newman and Travis d'Arnaud, they've made it clear this spring that they will also try to expand their existing players' horizons by trying them out at new positions during spring training. Should the injuries pile up once again, which always feels inevitable for this team, at least they could have some internal back-ups ready.

This strategy was kicked off at the onset of the spring festivities with the announcement that infielders Tim Anderson and Luis Rengifo would be taking reps in center field. Now the Angels plan to increase their flexibility even more, announcing that top prospect, second baseman Christian Moore, will take some reps at third base. This is a continuation of Moore taking third base reps during the Angels' instructional league following the conclusion of the minor league season last year.

The Angels are playing a dangerous game toying with Christian Moore's position

It's one thing to experiment with players fighting for end-of-the-bench roles like Anderson. It's understandable to take already versatile players like Luis Rengifo and try to expand their skill sets further. However, it's dangerous to take an inexperienced player, who is penciled in as a key cog in your present and future, and put even more on his plate.

Moore is a competitor and has thrived in the face of every challenge thrown his way thus far, but it's important to remember that he was drafted just last year and has played just 25 professional games with none coming above AA.

Most organizations wouldn't be considering a player like him for an Opening Day role, not because of a lack of talent, but due to a desire to maximize his development. The Halos, unfortunately, don't have that luxury and desperately need him to succeed. That's all the more reason why putting the challenge of learning another position in his path is misguided.

The team is clearly concerned about third base. They might as well delete Anthony Rendon from their memory bank, as the biggest free-agent bust in history probably won't play at all in 2025.

However, his replacement, Yoan Moncada, is already banged up this spring and is coming off a season where he was limited to just 12 games due to injury. The infield depth is currently stretched thin with Newman filling in for Zach Neto while he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

While that's all cause for concern, the Angels still have other in-house options to man the hot corner if the season were to start today. Rengifo has extensive experience at third which is generally regarded as his best position. J.D. Davis, a minor-league free-agent signee, has a track record of acceptable production in the majors with the hot corner being his most frequent position. Additional options like Scott Kingery and Yolmer Sanchez are around, and either Newman or Rengifo would serve as the primary third base backups once Neto is back.

With so many reasonable options, it seems like a disaster of comically epic proportions would need to occur for Moore to actually be needed to man the hot corner. Player development has long been a bugaboo for the Angels, and unnecessarily throwing obstacles in a top prospect's path seems like a surefire way to derail his progress. Moore, to his credit, seems like the type of player who can handle the challenge, but there's no need to hand him this challenge in the first place. If all goes well, then he boosts his already high value which would be great. However, the team should hammer home second base with Moore before moving forward.

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