Angels’ group roast method seems like it's finally starting to pay dividends

With as many young players that the Los Angeles Angels have, silly fundamental mistakes were bound to happen this season. That has certainly tracked with what fans have seen on the field as baserunning and fielding blunders have proven to be costly to the Angels time and time again. However, manager Ron Washington has decided to employ an interesting strategy to limit and learn from those mistakes.

Instead of dealing with players one-on-one when something goes awry, the Angels instead are having regular team classroom meetings where mistakes are put on blast and have to explain themsevles. While it could seem like such a practice could breed toxicity and resentment, LA's roster seems to be fully buying into it and it seems to be working.

Ron Washington is preaching accountability with the Angels in his first year with team

Washington has been blunt in his assessment of this Angels team by basically saying that they are not good enough to win while messing up on the fundamentals. He knows that his players are young and haven't learned how to win yet, so he is taking the extreme route of pointing out miscues (as well as the good things) in front of the whole team to help everyone learn while holding players accountable.

There was a lot of risk with this approach. Some guys don't like getting put on blast in front of a crowd and it could've caused friction. However, all indications are that the players are embracing it and looking for any ways they can improve. From the rookies to the seasoned vets, there's been a clear constructive response.

This is exactly why the Angels hired Ron Washington in the first place. In addition to his track record when he managed previously, Washington is known for being an excellent coach of the fundamentals and a terrific motivator. It could have been easy for him to just manage the games in front of him and point to the lack of experience on the Angels' roster while they got destroyed.

However, that isn't how Washington views his role at all. While there are going to be speed bumps, the Angels' recent success seems to show that there is a method to his madness.

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