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3 LA Angels who will benefit most from larger bases in 2023

By Evan Desai |
Sep 17, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; David Fletcher, LA Angels
Sep 17, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; David Fletcher, LA Angels / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
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Aug 29, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Tyler Wade, LA Angels
Aug 29, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Tyler Wade, LA Angels / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

According to MLB Insider Jon Heyman of MLB Network, MLB and MLB PA have agreed on the league putting down larger bases starting in 2023. Of course, nothing will officially happen until a deal is done during the lockout, but this is not one of the things that is preventing a deal from being done.

Both sides are interested in this happening, and it's notable for really all teams across the league. It's even significant for a team like the LA Angels, who don't even like to steal many bases. The interesting thing is that they don't not steal bases because they can't.

There's some serious speed in Anaheim, and Joe Maddon may be more lenient with sending runners than he had been in the past if the bases get bigger. The Halos were 13th in the league with 79 stolen bases. A few Angels, however, will likely be major contributors to upping that number quite a bit.

No. 3 LA Angel who will benefit most from larger bases in 2023: Tyler Wade

Tyler Wade, like the LA Angels, didn't steal a ton of bases last year. He, like the Angels, does indeed have great potential to steal bases due to his blazing speed. The Yankees, who he played for last year, are even worse than the Halos with their reluctance to steal as much as they could.

They still, however, would insert Wade in as a pinch runner often late in games to get the most out of his baserunning off the bench. It goes to show that anything that can make baserunning even easier for Wade will go a long way. Giving Wade one extra step on the base paths will surely pay off for a speedster like him.

Sep 17, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; David Fletcher, LA Angels
Sep 17, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; David Fletcher, LA Angels / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 LA Angel who will benefit most from larger bases in 2023: David Fletcher

David Fletcher is one of the fastest players on the LA Angels, and he'll love playing with bigger bases in 2023 and beyond. Despite him having elite speed that he's proven to have when he plays the elite defense that he plays, he was only sent 18 times.

The fact that he made it over safely in 15 of those 18 times goes to show just how impressive and efficient his speed is. Now with the base size increasing, expect Maddon to call for more steals from Fletch in 2023. This way, we can use Fletch to his best abilities a bit better.

He's already in the conversation for best middle infielder in baseball, so for him to now catapult himself into best baserunner conversations would be huge. Fletcher improved from stealing two stolen bases in 49 games to 15 in 157. If he can take another jump, he'll be perfectly set up to be running wild in 2023.

And I expect him to take that jump. After all, he'll be in many more competitive games than last year now that his teammates will be healthy. There are many more opportunities to steal bases in close games.

Sep 18, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Shohei Ohtani, LA Angels
Sep 18, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Shohei Ohtani, LA Angels / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 LA Angel who will benefit most from larger bases in 2023: Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani is already the fastest baserunner in the American League. His peers named him that, and judging off of his ability to literally steal home, he may be the fastest baserunner in all of baseball.

If he can steal home, he can steal anything if the bases are enlarged. Maddon didn't send him as much as he could have last year, as Ohtani finished with 26 on the year. That's still a lot overall compared to most Major League ballplayers, though, as Ohtani was still top five in the AL in stolen bases.

Expect Maddon to send him quite a bit more as the base size expands in 2023. Also, Ohtani's the same guy who has shown he can bunt for a base hit as well. Making the base bigger is essentially another half step, which is too much to give a speedy athlete like Ohtani.

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Bigger bases with giant stride lengths that we already see from the 6'4" specimen is going to correlate to a lot of extra bases taken by ShoTime. It's going to help the Angels, and they have a chance to go from a team in the top half of the league in steals to the top third.

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