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Last week, Angels owner Arte Moreno made a bit of a scene by saying that the team’s fans aren’t “overly concerned with winning.” His claim, based on fan surveys, said that visitors to “the Big A” are more concerned about things like affordability at the ballpark. While there’s something to not wanting to spend an arm and a leg just to go to one baseball game, I feel like Angels fans would also like to win, but that’s just me.

That being said, in recent years the team has had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani — and still employs one of them — but hasn’t really had much to show for it, as one famous tweet points out.

Their 11-year absence from the playoffs is the longest in baseball and they last finished over .500 a decade ago. Despite all that, there are still people attending Angels games. If Moreno means what he says on the affordability front, this year would be a good one to prove that he cares about that, since I don’t think the winning thing will be changing in 2026.

Los Angeles Angels

2025 record: 72-90 (5th, AL West)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 74-88 (5th, AL West)

As mentioned, the Angels still do have half of their once all-world combination in Mike Trout. While he did appear in 130 games in 2025 having missed a lot of time due to injury in previous seasons, he’s definitely not the Mike Trout you remember. He was still a pretty good hitter, posting a 120 wRC+, that’s a far cry from where he was in his prime, not even factoring in that his defensive ratings have taken a dive. He put up only 1.8 fWAR last year, when the previous season he appeared in over 100 games — 2022 — he put up 6.0. Projections still expect him to be a decent hitter, but he had a hard enough time trying to drag the Angels to the playoffs at his peak, never mind now.

The issue with the Angels’ lineup in general is that, Trout included, they just don’t have a ton of guys you can project to be middle order stalwarts. FanGraphs projects seven Angels regulars to put up a wRC+ over 100 in 2026, which sounds decent. It’s just that the highest of those projections is Trout at 117. That’s lower than what Ben Rice is projected to do for the Yankees, and Rice is not the projected best hitter for the Bombers.

That being said, the Angels do have some possible solid contributors. The likes of shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel have the makings of solid contributors and are both younger than 26. There’s just not much going on in their lineup that makes you really take notice.

Their situation on the pitching front is somewhat similar: they have some guys that could put up solid numbers but no one who looks like a capital-A “Ace.” They did acquire Grayson Rodriguez from the Orioles and Alek Manoah, formerly of the Blue Jays. Both those guys have been top prospects in the not so distant past, so maybe they could mine some gold out of one of them.

Besides Rodriguez and Manoah, the Angels acquired a bunch of “oh hey, it’s that guy(s)” this offseason. Other additions for them in 2026 include Josh Lowe, Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates, and Jordan Romano.

One person you will not be seeing for the Angels this year is Anthony Rendon. If you look up the Angels’ roster, you’ll still find Rendon listed — probably with the injured list distinction — but he and the Angels came to an agreement to rework his contract, effectively ending his time with the team, and probably concluding his MLB career.

In order to actually be a good team, the Angels would need to have guessed correctly on a bunch of coinflips. It’s technically possible, just hard to do. That being said, they’ll still probably take two of three over the Yankees in Anaheim in some stupid fashion.

More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.

It’s another latercap, brought to you by my charming inability to plan ahead and impetuous decision-making, which has led to me sitting in the parking lot of this Peoria Lowe’s using their free wi-fi to push out a recap of a 3-1 Mariners loss to the Diamondbacks that will be as stale as old coffee tomorrow, but the completist in me insists. Plus, I worry we are already reaching the stage of spring training where the games are boring, and we haven’t even seen all the WBC guys leave yet; that will happen tomorrow or the next day, and the minor leaguers will flood into camp tomorrow, and then we’ll really see from boring.

There was a point today where I was driving through Utah for the eighth or eight hundredth hour and I found myself utterly sick of being overcome by appreciation for the natural world (I believe I said, out loud, in the direction of one particularly comely rock formation, “okay, enough with the striations already, I get it!”). Look, anyone who’s looked at B-roll of Arizona spring training can tell you, it’s beautiful. But you can only look at so many breath-stealing dramatic vistas and sandcastle rock formations carved by an ancient and unintelligible force and marvel at it so many times. That’s a little what it feels like, being sick of spring training games already.

I had good intentions with the cap, I promise. I started from Twin Falls today with the intent of reaching Flagstaff, a hefty chunk of driving but one that would leave me a manageable piece for the final push to Peoria the next morning. I planned to listen to the game, type out the recap post-dinner, sleep in Flagstaff and awake very very early the next morning (Show-up time for the media in Peoria is around 7:30 or 8, always an unpleasant shock to the national writers when they drop in). I assume the Mariners also had good intentions with the game, ones that went quickly awry as Luis Castillo surrendered a three-run home run in his spring debut, and they failed to get anything going against Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, also making his spring debut. A boring, bad game, but that’s what spring training is for us, too, as fans, right? Get the calibration early for the particular irritation in Rizzs’s voice when he says “the Mariners LEAVE a man.”

Castillo had a good first inning, opening with a strikeout of Jordan Lawler on a four-seamer that lit up the gun at 96.3. He sat pretty consistently in that first inning at 95-96 mph, which is a significant shift from what we’ve seen with the slower-building Castillo in previous years. Unfortunately, that clean first didn’t transfer into the second inning; James McCann got a fastball in he turned on for a single, and then Ildemaro Vargas pounced on a first-pitch fastball that came in at 94.3 and too much on the plate for a hard-hit single. Castillo did rebound by undressing top DBacks prospect Ryan Waldschmidt on three pitches, steadily climbing the ladder with 95 mph heaters, and then looked to have A.J. Vukovich – who I would have sworn up and down was an Athletics prospect – on the ropes in a 1-2 count, but Vukovich battled for seven pitches and eventually was able to get under a sinker above the zone and send it over the fence for a three-run shot.

Meanwhile, Nelson didn’t allow a hit and struck out three in just two innings: he got Rob Refsnyder looking at a perfectly spotted 97 mph pitch at the bottom of the zone that catcher James McCann challenged and won, which, okay, and he also bowled over two of the young guys, striking out Brennan Davis on a cutter and picking apart Cole Young in a three-pitch sequence that ended with him whiffing at a 97 mph fastball right on the plate. Ouch.

Davis and Young would get their revenge later off reliever Taylor Rashi; Davis opened the inning with yet another hard-hit single, punishing a poorly located slider at 108.8 mph. I’m sad to miss all the guys who will be leaving for the WBC literally right as I’m coming in to camp, but I’m very intrigued by what Davis has been doing this spring and look forward to seeing more. He was followed by another post-hype prospect who’s been having a good camp, Will Wilson—on in place of Miles Mastrobuoni, who got the start at third—with another single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Young did put the ball in play, getting the Mariners’ lone run of the day on an RBI groundout, but having also gotten a slider that looked to be well in the zone you’d like to see more than a okay-ish-hit ground ball.

And that was pretty much it for the offense in this game, as the Mariners bullpen did their jobs and hung zeroes, racking up nine strikeouts among them (although two were Castillo’s, two belonged to Gabe Speier making his final appearance before the WBC, and two to Casey Lawrence in a two-inning outing; Vargas, Ferrer, and Zulueta had the other three). But the offense didn’t hold up their part of D-ing the Z, striking out a combined 10 times. One costly mistake from Castillo, and the Mariners found themselves on the short side of the contest, a boring, unsatisfying affair that will certainly be lost to the annals of spring training history.

My own costly decision was made on the heels of a soggy, tissue-paper-crusted pizza and too much time at the table with my atlas (yes I still use a paper atlas, yes I am a dinosaur, leave me alone I like to see a map all at once in a large format). Phoenix wasn’t that far. What if I just did the drive tonight? I could do that. What was another couple hours in the car after I’d already done twelve or so. It’d be fun! Spontaneous! And most importantly, done at night so I didn’t have to see another single stupid red rock with my fully-smacked gob. We are full up on natural wonders here! All good on Earth’s majesty, thank you.

Ah, perhaps you have already spotted the flaw in my plan of not arranging lodging before driving to Phoenix, where it is a) spring training and b) the weekend and c) apparently a gathering of all the world’s bartenders and every single hotel, motel, Holiday Inn within 300 miles is sold out?

Which brings me to the Shell travel plaza in Black Canyon City, which I landed on after being out of options, driving around aimlessly and bored. Maybe I am not the first person to do a five-step Korean skincare routine at 2 AM in the bathroom/parking lot of said travel plaza; not if you judge off the demeanor of the overnight clerk, an affable older woman whose nametag read Nancy and whose wrists jingled with silver bangle bracelets and who I would follow into war. As I walked back to my vehicle, a little woe-is-me-and-my-bad-planning about the prospect of curling up in the backseat for a nap, I heard a rustling in the bushes next to the car and assumed it was a straggler from the road wandering up towards me; city instincts took over, triggering a wariness and watchfulness.

Instead, a gray donkey appeared between the scrub oaks and gazed at me with big, brown unblinking eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a donkey, a real one, not as part of a manger scene. In a petting zoo somewhere? “That is a donkey,” I said out loud and to no one.

I went inside to tell Nancy. “There is a donkey outside,” I announced, because it was important for it to be said again.

Nancy was not as surprised as I was by this information. “Oh yeah, there are packs of them around. There used to be a petting zoo on the other side of the mountain but a bad storm knocked it all over and they escaped and bred and now they kind of live all over here.” She pointed at the token bowl of fruit every gas station keeps by the front door like a totem to ward against the gastrointestinal crimes perpetuated throughout the rest of the store. “Sometimes I get to feed them,” she said, not a little smug.

What a privilege it is, to be bored, when there are donkeys everywhere for those with eyes to see them.

A week of spring training is in the books and we finally have real life actual Major League Baseball games to talk about. There have been some fun moments with Rainiel Rodriguez doubling in his first at-bat and JJ Wetherholt going yard to dead center yesterday afternoon. I will refrain from caveating observations with spring training small sample size disclaimers. The results thus far certainly don’t mean much, but there are still a few underlying data points that are worth highlighting. 

Richard Fitts was impressive in his first spring outing, throwing two scoreless innings. Notably, Fitts’ four-seam fastball averaged 97.6 MPH compared to a 2025 average velocity of 95.9 MPH. If this velocity gain sticks, it will be the continuation of a trend that saw Fitts’ velocity increase over his last six starts of 2025. Fitts’ four-seamer had above-average induced vertical break (IVB) of 17 inches in 2025 and this increased to over 18 inches in his first spring training start. Carlos Martinez is the only Cardinals starting pitcher to have a fastball velocity above 96 MPH over ten or more starts in the Statcast era. With a starting rotation starved for fastball velocity, it is hard to imagine Fitts not breaking camp in the rotation if he stays healthy this spring. 

Jose Fermin hit the hardest ball of his career against Miami, clocking one at 111.4 MPH on a single to left. His previous career high was 109 in Triple-A. One batted ball is the definition of small sample size, but it will be worth watching to see if he can increase his damage on contact. I don’t think Fermin needs to change anything to be a productive hitter, but he would become even more interesting if he could increase his power without sacrificing too much contact. 

Quinn Mathews has had a rough start to spring training from a results standpoint, walking four batters and hitting two in his first 4.1 innings. Mathews walked over seven batters per nine innings in Triple-A last season, so it goes without saying that he will need to iron out his command before he is given a crack at the St. Louis rotation. On the positive side, his fastball velocity is up to its 2024 levels thus far after losing a tick last season. Mathews spoke at Winter Warmup about refocusing in the weight room over the offseason. He admits that he is not a naturally strong person, so it is critical for him to get his work in to be able to create the force necessary to throw a baseball. Topping out at 96.7, as he did in his first spring start, is a good indication that he is back on the right track. If his command ever does return, having his A-fastball to go along with his devastating changeup and slider will make him a real weapon. 

Of the ten or so interesting Class A and Class A+ pitching prospects, Mason Molina was the first to pitch in a spring training game. Kareen Haq, one of the best Cardinals prospect prognosticators, tweeted a summary of his pitch metrics following his one-inning cameo. 

The highest IVB, which measures the coveted perceived “rising” fastball, last season in all of baseball was 20.9 inches by Alex Vesia of the Dodgers. This is the type of outlier trait the front office has started to target in trades and the draft over the last year. Molina has plenty of warts as a prospect, but his fastball gives him some legitimate upside potential. Molina has 11 High-A starts under his belt, so a promotion to Double-A to start the season would be a bit aggressive, but he will be a player worth keeping an eye on when the minor league rosters are announced. 

Jack Gurevitch smoked a ball at 114.1 MPH against the Astros on Thursday. Gurevitch maxed out at 117 MPH in college, but it is still good to see the exit velocity translating with wood bats. Only Jordan Walker and Willson Contreras have max exit velocities higher than 114 MPH the last two seasons for the Cardinals. Gurevitch has been a bit of a forgotten man in a deep Cardinals system, but the team must really like his bat to have spent a third-round pick on a player that is likely to be a first baseman as he moves up the ladder. Alec Burleson and Luken Baker are the only other first basemen the Cardinals have spent a top-three-round draft pick on in the last ten years. As an advanced college bat, he could be a quick mover if he hits well out of the gate. 

Minor league camp is now fully underway as well. Games will not begin for another week, but the first bit of news came out on which DSL players would be coming stateside, with 14 players in total making the move. As expected, the talented group of hitters includes Juan Rojano, Sebastian Dos Santos, Miguel Hernandez, Kenly Hunter, and Royelny Strop. I wrote a bit about this group of prospects earlier this offseason, with the only player not making the jump being Yeferson Portalatin. Yaxson Lucena made the jump stateside at the end of last year. 

Of the eight DSL pitchers coming to the US, the highest-profile are Branneli Franco and Reiner Lopez. Franco was arguably the top pitcher in the 2024 class, receiving the largest bonus of any pitcher at $800K. He has a fastball that can hit the upper 90s and posted solid numbers last season, albeit in just 16.1 innings. Reiner Lopez has been on the radar even longer after signing for $500K in 2023. Lopez has remained a person of interest because of his towering 6’8” frame. Lopez turns 20 in April and will need to start making progress soon as he is Rule 5 eligible after next season. The Cardinals have given plenty of pitchers from the Florida Complex team opportunities to move up to Low-A in-season, so it is not outside the realm of possibility that either pitcher could make a full season debut this year. 

Today is the last day where all players will be in camp before many depart for the WBC and prepare for the tournament. That means we’re about to see a lot of minor league pitching taking the mound, which could lead to some interesting scores in the upcoming weeks.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• It’s great that we have good beat writers covering the Phillies, but it’s always fun when a national reporter picks up a story, like this interview with Alec Bohm done by Ken Rosenthal ($).
• Taijuan Walker still has his good move on pickoffs. He’s getting ready to help Mexico in the WBC ($).
• Shane Victorino, the team’s center fielder from the glory days, is helping the next center fielder get ready for new glory days ($).

MLB news:

• Bruce Froemming, one of the umpires that we could probably name at any point when watching a game, passed away at the age of 86.
• Konnor Griffin is a name you’re going to hear a lot of in the next few weeks. Is he the next superstar in MLB?
• Each participant is hoping to win the WBC, but which player for each squad is going to be their “X-factor” to actually claiming victory?