Former Orioles feel good story is flaming out in Angels spring training so far

As far as feel-good stories go, it's hard to top Trey Mancini. Once a Rookie of the Year finalist and 35-homer star with the Orioles, Mancini's entire life was thrown into chaos when he was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer at 27 years old. In a truly inspirational feat, he beat the cancer and returned to the field in 2021, winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

It's been a long road from then until now, where a 34-year-old Mancini is fighting for his baseball career in spring training with the Los Angeles Angels. He's nearly three years removed from his last MLB action with the Cubs, but the talent has never been in question.

Unfortunately, he's simply not living up to the billing during the spring exhibition slate. Through 10 games (21 plate appearances), the veteran slugger is hitting just .111/.238/.167, good for a paltry 12 wRC+. For all intents and purposes, it doesn't look like the Halos will the next stop on his career journey.

Trey Mancini's spring training struggles with Angels are a footnote in legendary comeback story

It's disappointing to see Mancini struggle so thoroughly at the plate this spring, especially considering the Angels have been attached to him for a while. Already an alumnus of the AL West (he won the World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022), there was hope that he'd rediscover his old form with a new team.

Unfortunately, one can only be removed from the top level of baseball for so long before their skills start to deteriorate. Mancini got into just 79 games with the Cubs in 2023 before being cut loose, at which point he barely played any baseball for the next year and a half. He did hammer Triple-A pitching with the Diamondbacks last year (.308/.373/.522, 110 wRC+), but he opted out in July and didn't sign with another team.

If there's one thing working in Mancini's favor, it's that he's reuniting with Brady Anderson, who was somewhat shockingly named the Angels' hitting coach this offseason after spending years in a front office and player development role. Mancini claims the 62-year-old saved his career while in Baltimore, helping him change his swing to add more power.

It's also true that he's dealt with a lingering illness this spring, which has held him out of various contests and may partly explain the downward trend of his performance. Still, he's probably on the outside looking in when it comes to the Angels' Opening Day roster. It would be an unfortunate step on his journey back to the big leagues, but even getting cut from camp wouldn't diminish Mancini's incredible story.