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Clips

(March 30, 2017)

March 30, 2017 Page 2 of 18

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

For every Mike Trout in the draft, there are hundreds of swings and misses by the

scouts

Angels have put focus on defense, but rotation must have quality starts

Angels' Matt Shoemaker to wear protective headgear in return to mound

While Dodgers roster is nearly set, Angels are still examining options heading into

Freeway Series

Spring training: Angels 8, Milwaukee 6

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)

Answering the Angels' questions of the spring, starting with the closer

Angels beat Brewers in Arizona finale

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Trout begins quest for third AL MVP Award

Cron, LaMarre show off bats

Scioscia waiting to name OD starter, closer

March 30, 2017 Page 3 of 18

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES .

For every Mike Trout in the draft, there are hundreds of swings and misses by the scouts

By Pedro Moura

Inside the Angels’ clubhouse at Tempe Diablo Stadium this spring were three potent reminders that

baseball scouts make mistakes.

At one end of the room sat Dustin Ackley, the second selection in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft,

who received one of the largest contracts ever committed to an amateur ballplayer. A bust with the

Seattle Mariners, he was in camp as a non-roster invitee, trying to stick as a utilityman.

At another end of the room was Tony Sanchez, the fourth pick in 2009, another non-roster invitee. He

was thought to be ticketed for triple-A and was hoping to be the first catcher the Angels call up to the

majors in the event of an injury.

Then there was Mike Trout, pick No. 25 in the same draft, the face of the Angels and generally regarded

as the best baseball player in the sport. At age 25, he’s probably already two-thirds of the way to the

Hall of Fame.

“Twenty-one picks behind me,” Sanchez said. “That was stupid.”

Ackley, Sanchez and so many others were unfamiliar with Trout at the time of the draft. And most of the

people who were familiar with him opted against selecting him for reasons they would soon regret.

“At the time,” Ackley said, “you’re not thinking any differently about anybody in the first, second or

third round. You’re just thinking everybody’s a player, not that this guy’s a freakin’ superstar. It’s still

crazy to wonder: Why did he go 25th? Was he not this guy in high school? That’s the question. It’s

confusing.”

::

About one month before the 2009 draft, Arizona Diamondbacks scouting director Tom Allison had a

connection at Philadelphia International Airport on his way to Long Island, where he planned to watch a

young left-hander named Steven Matz, a future New York Met.

At the airport, Allison received word from his area scout that Matz’s game would be cancelled because

of rain, so he resorted to his Plan B: He picked up a rental car and made the 50-minute drive to Millville,

N.J., where Trout was playing.

It was the third time he’d seen Trout, dating to the previous summer, when the outfielder’s club team

played in Phoenix. In between, the Diamondbacks’ area scout monitored Trout and became enamored

with his comportment. One of the Diamondbacks’ Illinois-based major league scouts, Joe Bohringer,

made calls on his character and heard the same. The kid loved playing baseball.

March 30, 2017 Page 4 of 18

Bohringer enjoyed an unusual connection: Two decades before, he attended Trout’s high school.

Bohringer’s mother still lived less than two miles from small-town Millville Senior High. He called his old

friends and asked if they knew the Trout family.

“It was almost like high school reunion time,” Bohringer said.

The Diamondbacks were definitely interested in Trout, and they had the 16th and 17th picks in the draft.

The San Francisco Giants, selecting sixth, and the Oakland A’s, with the 13th selection, also were

considered possible landing spots for Trout. And the New York Yankees, it was well known, had an eye

on the local kid too, but they would pick 29th.

Specific details of the third time Allison saw Trout are lost to history, but he came away concerned about

Trout’s ability to hit in the majors. He downgraded the prospect on the Diamondbacks’ draft board.

“Mike was not a very polished hitter,” Allison said. “He was a very strength-oriented hitter.”

Other scouting directors shared that perspective. Like most children of the Northeast, Trout did not play

many high school games that spring — between 20 and 25. Scouts’ visits often were rained out, and the

level of competition was always questioned.

Allison also noted that the top right-handed hitters in baseball at that time were uniformly not drafted

out of high school. “In the industry,” Allison said, “that’ll put you on your heels a little bit.”

At least one scout asked Trout to take batting practice left-handed. He did, but even though his father,

Jeff, was a switch-hitter, he was happy batting right-handed.

In high school, Ackley played at North Carolina’s lowest competition level and never attracted draft

interest because of it. Kids who excelled in his league did not often fare as well in college. So he

understands the predicament with a teenage Trout, to a degree.

“My thing with that is projection,” Ackley said. “If scouts are about projection, you’ve got a freakin’

fullback that can fly, with power. How does that not project?”

::

Six players picked in front of Trout never reached the majors.

The 23rd pick, Louisiana State center fielder Jared Mitchell, surfaced in the Angels’ minor league system

in 2015. La Verne Bonita High shortstop Jiovanni Mier, pick No. 21, stopped hitting in triple-A. Oklahoma

high school left-hander Chad James, picked 18th, failed five drug tests and was suspended.

Arizona’s pick at No. 16, Bobby Borchering of Fort Myers, Fla., peaked in double-A, where he used to

show his minor league teammates highlight videos of his high-school swing. Georgia high school

outfielder Donovan Tate, the third pick in the draft, signed a $6.25-million bonus with the San Diego

Padres, then hit a total of 10 homers in parts of six professional seasons and never advanced beyond

Class A.

March 30, 2017 Page 5 of 18

Matt Hobgood, a massive Norco High right-hander and surprise No. 5 pick by the Baltimore Orioles,

underwent two shoulder surgeries and pitched in six games above Class A. He’s attempting a comeback

as a hitter. In May, he’ll travel to Texas for spring training with the Cleburne Railroaders, an

independent-league expansion team.

For so long, he’s heard from Orioles fans on Twitter about Trout, and how they wished so badly that the

Orioles had taken him instead.

“I look back and I’m like, ‘Yeah, they probably should’ve,’” Hobgood said. “I don’t blame them.”

::

In 2009, Major League Baseball broadcasted its amateur draft on prime-time television for the first time,

live from its MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J., a two-hour drive from Trout’s hometown. League

officials invited several top prospects to attend. Trout was the only one who accepted.

He attended school that Tuesday, left early, and drove over.

On the miniature field the network uses as a studio, Trout’s group gathered in the third-base dugout to

celebrate the day. His family believed he could go as high as second to the Mariners, who took Ackley

instead. Trout’s party waited more than an hour until they could erupt to the news that he was pick No.

25, seven selections before the broadcast finished.

“There was pressure,” Trout told reporters on stage. “It would’ve been bad if I didn’t get picked.”

It has often been reported that the Angels had Trout second on their overall board, but he was no higher

than seventh and likely lower, according to two people who were in the draft room. Strasburg,

Hobgood, and Borchering, among others, were rated above him. Eddie Bane, then the Angels' scouting

director, ranked Trout second on his personal list, and he ordered the selection.

In all, 33 prospects have attended the MLB draft. Only nine waited longer than Trout to be selected.

Angels right-hander Garrett Richards, pick No. 42 in 2009, has roomed with Trout for the better part of

the last eight seasons. He learned of him that day.

“I still give him crap about it,” Richards said.

::

A year later, the All-Star Game came to Angel Stadium, and Trout was the youngest player invited to

play in the Futures Game that preceded it. He didn’t start, but in his first at-bat he pounded a grounder

to the left side of the infield and with his speed made it a hit.

“At 18 years old, he looked like a college linebacker,” said Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa, who

played in the game. “And he gets the infield hit, and you’re like, ‘Holy [expletive], how is this guy moving

like this?’”

March 30, 2017 Page 6 of 18

Later, Trout flashed his speed again on a groundout, and he stretched a single into a double. Angels

outfielder Ben Revere, Trout’s locker-mate that day, still remembers being disoriented by Trout’s

double.

“That’s when the birth of Mike Trout was known,” Revere said.

Several scouts clocked both runs from home to first base at better than 3.9 seconds, unheard of for a

right-handed batter. Even left-handed batters who run that time are considered to have 80 speed, in

scouting parlance. The scouting scale spans from 20 to 80.

“Everybody at the game was showing each other their stopwatches, saying, ‘You can’t do that,’” Bane

recalled. “Unless you’re his daddy, I can’t imagine feeling any better than that.”

One year and one month later, Trout was in the major leagues.

“People doubted me,” he said this spring. “A lot of teams passed on me. I always told myself to try to

prove everybody wrong.”

Even now, Trout said, he uses those doubters — and, he says, new ones — to fuel his play.

“With all the social media, Instagram, you’re going to have 90% of people talk good about you, but

there’s going to be 10% that doubt you,” he said. “Anything you do, you can do so good and then they

can pull up a stat where you need to improve.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way, but if you have a bad game, you’re going to hear about it. It’s going to

be everywhere. You’ve got to prove people wrong.”

In 2009, Allison and Bohringer’s Diamondbacks did select the second-best player to emerge from that

class, Paul Goldschmidt, in the eighth round. The draft was not wasted.

They both work for Seattle now, Allison as the Mariners’ top scouting executive and Bohringer as a

special assistant to general manager Jerry Dipoto. They’ve used Trout’s rise as a lesson about the

importance of recognizing passion and self-belief.

“We have to admit that we just kind of missed on the talent,” Bohringer said. “But there’s something to

be said about the work ethic and the person. There’s something to be said about making sure you

understand that.”

And about marveling at the extent to which 21 teams and hundreds of scouts were wrong about

baseball’s biggest star.

“Revisionist draft history,” Allison said, “is the best.”

March 30, 2017 Page 7 of 18

Angels have put focus on defense, but rotation must have quality starts

By Pedro Moura

Inside a posh Phoenix resort at a Cactus League media event in February, a columnist from Major

League Baseball’s website approached Billy Eppler to say hello and praise the array of defensive talent

the Angels’ second-year general manager had assembled for his 2017 team.

Eppler smiled and nodded.

“Kind of traditional,” he replied. “Like a team from the ’80s maybe, don’t you think?”

Baseball might have eschewed defensive focus a few decades ago, but the Angels have returned to it.

They were an acceptable defensive team a year ago, 91 runs worse than the league-best Chicago Cubs,

99 runs better than the league-worst Oakland Athletics, according to metrics compiled

by fangraphs.com. That was good for 10th-best out of the 30 teams.

But defense received Eppler’s off-season spotlight, and it is expected to be the club’s strength.

Catcher Martin Maldonado, second baseman Danny Espinosa and left fielder Cameron Maybin should

supply fielding upgrades. When Luis Valbuena returns from a hamstring strain, he should do the same at

first base.

In center field, the Angels have Mike Trout, arguably baseball’s best player, and in right they have Kole

Calhoun, one of the most underrated.

But if the 2017 team surprisingly qualifies for the postseason, it will be because its limited pitching stock

stayed healthy and its defense overall is elevated to unforeseen levels.

“The way you would project this defense to be is probably the best all-around defensive team we’ve had

here,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, who is in his 18th season. “I think Billy Eppler made a focused

effort to upgrade defensively, and we have.”

Two days after the 2016 season ended, Scioscia invited three reporters into a boardroom adjacent to

the Angel Stadium clubhouse. For one hour, he discussed his vision for the upcoming season.

He said the team required improvements but was not as far out of playoff contention as many people

thought.

“The one real fly in the ointment right now that really needs to be addressed is our ability to churn out

quality starts from our rotation,” he said. “That’s the heartbeat of our club …”

The definition of a quality start is six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs given up. Whether

the statistic is a valid indicator of value is debatable, but among American League teams only Minnesota

had fewer quality starts than the Angels a year ago.

March 30, 2017 Page 8 of 18

And it is difficult to envision substantial improvement in that category with the current staff.

Right-hander Garrett Richards is a wild card. He expects to be limited to 100 pitches per start while

throwing with an ulnar collateral ligament in his arm that was regenerated by his own stem cells.

Veteran right-handers Ricky Nolasco and Matt Shoemaker can reasonably be expected to replicate their

2016 results. Young left-hander Tyler Skaggs, while promising, typically has not pitched deep into games,

and is coming off elbow ligament replacement surgery. Right-hander Jesse Chavez has started 49 times

in the majors and turned in 23 quality starts — which would have been exactly average in the AL last

year.

Right-hander Alex Meyer could be the first choice for a call-up from triple A in case of an injury.

However, several scouts who watched him this spring said he was a better fit in the bullpen.

Right-hander JC Ramirez, a converted reliever, was impressive during spring training but has never

started a major league game.

Yet, the Angels say they like their pitching depth.

“Our rotation has the probability of being much deeper, much more effective, although we can’t tell you

exactly what the names are gonna be,” Scioscia said recently. “I think we can see on the horizon that

we’re gonna be better. The way we established a bullpen in the second half of the season that held

leads for us made an impact. There are some really good arms that maybe aren’t household names, but

they’re gonna help us win.”

Rival scouts are less convinced about the Angels’ bullpen, which remained unsettled deep into spring

training. Each time a reliever such as Kirby Yates, Jose Valdez or Austin Adams strung together a solid

stretch, a blow-up soon followed.

The Angels don’t seem concerned.

“We feel like the people that are in this camp can give us a competitive bullpen,” Eppler said near the

end of spring training.

How much the defensive upgrades will help was difficult to evaluate during spring training.

“We haven’t had our entire group together at the same time very often,” Eppler said. “And the

environment in Arizona is different than the environment where we’ll play in Anaheim and the American

League West. But, looking at individuals and how they’re playing, it’s easy to see their own specific

defensive contributions.”

Maybin used to play center field, Espinosa was a shortstop and Valbuena a third baseman. Eppler is

asking each to play a less demanding position, but, as with any change, there is a measure of

uncertainty.

March 30, 2017 Page 9 of 18

“With the guys that we’ve got, I think it’s pretty likely that they’re going to be fine at their new

defensive positions,” utility man Cliff Pennington said. “But, in general, it’s not a slam dunk.”

The same could be said of the Angels’ season.

Angels' Matt Shoemaker to wear protective headgear in return to mound

After his final spring start of 2017, Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker declared himself ready for the

regular season and announced he would begin the season wearing a piece of protective headgear in his

cap.

Shoemaker, 30, experienced few complications returning from surgery to cease bleeding within his brain

stemming from a 105 mph line drive off the bat of Kyle Seager that struck him in the temple last

September.

Over the offseason, he considered whether he might wear something extra inside his cap that could

absorb some of the impact if a ball were to strike him again.

“I’m going to wear one of them,” he said Wednesday, “but that could change in the future.”

Shoemaker rotated between two pieces of equipment this spring. One was a small carbon-fiber piece,

made by Safer Sports Technologies, that primarily protects the the right side of his head near the

temple, where Shoemaker was struck. The other was a larger Ball Cap Liner, made of multiple materials

and endorsed by former major leaguer Cliff Floyd, that wraps around the head. At least one active

pitcher, Houston right-hander Collin McHugh, uses the carbon-fiber strip; the Ball Cap Liner is popular in

youth baseball.

Shoemaker said he was not ready to say which he would use.

“Here’s the cool thing,” Shoemaker said. “I really don’t feel them when I wear it. If I felt them or knew it

was there, I’m not wearing it anymore. The cool thing about these two is that I have no clue. I forget

they’re there. So, because of that, why not wear it? It’s not gonna hurt me.”

He said his choice to include the extra piece of equipment was influenced by his family and friends.

“The main reasons being, one, it’s protective; two, it gives other people peace of mind,” Shoemaker

said. “My peace of mind is fine. I could go out there and wear nothing, and I’m comfortable doing that.

But if I don’t feel it, don’t know it’s there, I might as well wear it.”

Shoemaker was scheduled to throw up to five innings and 75 pitches on Wednesday, and he finished at

four and 71. He walked one and permitted nine hits, including a home run, and pronounced himself

pleased with the performance. He and pitching coach Charles Nagy worked through his delivery in the

dugout after he left the game.

March 30, 2017 Page 10 of 18

“A couple pitches, my timing was a little off,” Shoemaker said. “That’s where you’ve got to sometimes

make in-game adjustments. He was telling me what he saw, and I was telling him what I felt, back and

forth.”

In four starts against major league teams this spring, Shoemaker struck out 21 and walked five.

He said he has not been told when he will next start. Shoemaker and fellow right-hander Ricky Nolasco

appear to be in line to start the first two games of the regular season in Oakland. If Shoemaker’s the

opening-day choice, he will pitch on a standard allotment of rest, and Nolasco will receive a full week

between outings.

If Nolasco is the opening-day starter, both pitchers will work on one extra day of rest.

Shoemaker said the benefits of an extra day of rest vary based on the month. Late in the season, he said,

it can be wonderful.

“Overall, not really,” he said.

Short hops

Right-hander Garrett Richards expects to start April 5 in Oakland, in the Angels’ third game of the

season. Left-hander Tyler Skaggs should be on track to start the fourth or fifth game, and right-hander

Jesse Chavez will likely start whichever game Skaggs does not. Both Richards and Chavez threw bullpen

sessions Wednesday. Skaggs will start a minor league game Thursday on a back field at the Angels’

Tempe complex. … Most of the Angels were booked on flights to Orange County after Wednesday’s

game.

While Dodgers roster is nearly set, Angels are still examining options heading into Freeway

Series

By Andy McCullough and Pedro Moura

The Dodgers and the Angels enter the three-game Freeway Series beginning Thursday in different states

of readiness in terms of their opening-day rosters.

The Dodgers telegraphed many of their maneuvers with roster moves Tuesday and Wednesday. In

February, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts announced Clayton Kershaw would make his seventh

consecutive start on opening day. Over in Tempe, Ariz., more than a month later, Angels Manager Mike

Scioscia is yet to tip his hand on the opening-day starter, the rotation or the closer.

For the Dodgers, the lone roster dilemma involves the last two spots on the bench. The team will keep

tabs on the health of utility player Enrique Hernandez, who was sore after getting hit on a wrist by a

pitch Tuesday. If Hernandez starts the season on the disabled list, Chris Taylor would likely replace him.

March 30, 2017 Page 11 of 18

The other opening on the Dodgers bench is being contested between Scott Van Slyke and Trayce

Thompson. Van Slyke looks like the favorite, given his experience plus his ability to play first base and

the outfield.

Other than that, the Dodgers enter the series with little intrigue. That poses a contrast to their

neighbors in Anaheim.

The Angels opened spring training with three closer candidates. The contender who pitched the best last

season, Cam Bedrosian, threw eight scoreless innings in the Cactus League. Huston Street, was injured in

his first game and is weeks away from returning and Andrew Bailey struggled at the start and was

relegated to a minor league appearance to relocate his command.

Scioscia said he expects to have a set closer he can call on Monday if the Angels take a lead into the

ninth inning in Oakland. But he insists has not yet decided who that will be.

“I think there are some things that we have to look at,” he said Wednesday.

The Angels aim to determine their closer this weekend. Now in his 18th season, Scioscia has generally

hewed to roles for relievers, utilizing top pitchers in preset situations when leading. He said he is willing

to mix and match relievers throughout the year, if their performance demands it.

“It’s infinitely easier if you have guys that can create roles, and you have balance down there with a lefty

that you can kinda manage some situations,” Scioscia said. “Then you can match up with roles, which

helps. But you never know which way your talent’s going to evolve, which way it’s going to go. It might

go where it’s maybe a matchup bullpen the whole year. Maybe there’s one guy that gets in the back

end.”

He said “there were a number of guys that got a lot of saves” last season, but the Angels were the first

team in 11 years that didn’t have a pitcher record at least 10 saves.

Street started the season as the closer. When he succumbed to an injury, Scioscia turned to Bedrosian.

When Bedrosian went on the disabled list, Scioscia turned to Fernando Salas. When the Angels traded

Salas, Scioscia turned to Bailey for six of seven September save chances.

“Our bullpen will evolve based on its talent,” Scioscia said. “If it ends up being one guy, it’s one guy. If it

ends up being more than one guy, it’s more than one guy.”

Thursday’s and Friday’s games are in Anaheim; Saturday’s is at Dodger Stadium. Both teams are off

Sunday and play their regular-season openers Monday. The Dodgers will be at home against the San

Diego Padres. The Angels will be at Oakland.

March 30, 2017 Page 12 of 18

Spring training: Angels 8, Milwaukee 6

By Pedro Moura

The Angels closed out spring training with a Cactus League-best record of 19-13 after an 8-6 victory over

Milwaukee at Maryvale Baseball Park on Wednesday.

AT THE PLATE: With two outs and two runners on in the first inning, catcher Carlos Perez doubled,

center fielder Eric Young Jr. tripled and designated hitter Dustin Ackley singled to produce four runs. …

In the sixth inning, C.J. Cron hit a leadoff home run, Jefry Marte hit a double and Ackley had a run-

scoring single. Minor league outfielder Ryan LaMarre hit a pinch-hit two-run home run to center field,

capping the club’s scoring.

ON THE MOUND: In relief of starter Matt Shoemaker, left-hander Jose Alvarez gave up three hits and

two runs in one inning. … Right-hander Jose Valdez gave up two hits and a run in one inning. … Right-

hander Austin Adams struck out one Brewer in a perfect inning. … The Angels gave up 15 hits.

EXTRA BASES: Cron, playing first base, had a line drive bounce off his glove in the first inning. He was not

charged with an error. … Shoemaker picked off Eric Thames at first base later in the inning. … Ben

Revere stole his fifth base of the spring. … Cliff Pennington and minor league outfielder Ramon Flores,

an ex-Brewer, each stole their second base of the spring.

UP NEXT: Dodgers at 7 p.m. Thursday at Angel Stadium. TV: KCOP. Radio: 830.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Answering the Angels' questions of the spring, starting with the closer

By JEFF FLETCHER

TEMPE, Ariz. — Cam Bedrosian will start the season as the Angels closer, according to sources.

The sources are his numbers, including a 1.12 ERA last season followed by a perfect 0.00 mark this

spring.

Bedrosian came into the spring in a three-way competition with Huston Street and Andrew Bailey for

the closer job. It ended up being not much of a competition because Street got hurt in his first game

and Bailey, although solid for much of the spring, couldn’t match Bedrosian’s eight scoreless innings,

with 10 strikeouts. It leaves Bedrosian as the obvious choice to begin the season as the closer.

“He’s throwing the ball great,” said Manager Mike Scioscia, who nonetheless stopped short of naming

him the closer.

March 30, 2017 Page 13 of 18

Speaking just before the Angels played their final game of the Cactus League schedule on Wednesday,

Scioscia did say: “When we line up our pitching for Game 1, we’ll have one guy that we’re looking at in

the back end of the pen.”

He also left open the possibility that, as the year goes on, the Angels could mix and match if using set

roles isn’t working out.

With that out of the way, here’s a look at the other four key questions the Angels faced at the start of

spring training, and where they stood on the answers as they packed up to leave Arizona.

Who is going to be pitching in what roles? Aside from the closer candidates and the starters, the

Angels had a handful of pitchers competing as both starters and relievers. It looks like all of those

swingmen are going to end up in the bullpen or the minors, with the team opening the season with the

same five starters projected six weeks ago.

They may not be pitching in the expected order, but the rotation includes Garrett Richards, Matt

Shoemaker, Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Skaggs and Jesse Chavez. All five looked solid throughout the spring,

giving the Angels hope that their rotation could be better than expected.

It’s still not 100 percent settled because Skaggs needs to pass one final test, a six-inning minor league

outing on Thursday. If something goes wrong, the Angels still have J.C. Ramirez stretched out to step

into the rotation temporarily.

As for the others, Bud Norris, Yusmeiro Petit and Ramirez all pitched well, giving the Angels the chance

to have a bullpen with multiple pitchers who are capable of working two or three innings.

How is Richards? Although there had been no signs of any issues with Richards’ rehab ever s ince he

underwent stem-cell therapy last year, he certainly warranted extra scrutiny in spring training.

He passed all the tests, including his velocity being at his normal level. He said he felt as good as

before. Richards is learning how to pitch at 85 percent effort in order to fill up the strike zone and stay

healthy. He’s also relying mostly on his two fastballs and a slider, abandoning the changeup.

Richards said he believes he can pitch that way efficiently enough to get deep into games without going

much over 100 pitches, a limit he expects the Angels to have for him. That remains to be seen as one of

the main questions of the regular season.

How is Albert Pujols? Pujols is recovering from foot surgery for a second straight season, and just like

last year he will make it into the opening day lineup.

This time, though, the Angels did not use Pujols at first base at all in the Cactus League, with Scioscia

saying there’s no reason to risk his health — and presence in the lineup — for the sake of him playing

first. It is likely that Pujols will be the DH almost exclusively this season.

What matters is that he can hit, and he hit .368 (14 for 38) in the Cactus League. He even showed he

can run at a passable level, going from first to third on a single in the last week.

March 30, 2017 Page 14 of 18

What about Luis Valbuena and C.J. Cron? As is often the case, injuries take care of lineup questions, or

at least delay them.

In this case, the Angels won’t have to worry about how to split the time at f irst between Valbuena and

Cron for at least a month because Valbuena is out with a strained hamstring.

Cron, who hit .313 (21 for 67) with a team-leading four homers in Arizona, will have more time to show

he can be consistently productive before Valbuena returns.

Angels beat Brewers in Arizona finale

By JEFF FLETCHER

THE GAME: The Angels used a pair of four-run innings to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6, on

Wednesday at Maryvale Ballpark. It was the final Cactus League game for the Angels, whose 19-13

record was the best among the teams in Arizona.

PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Matt Shoemaker gave up three runs in four innings in his final tuneup

before the regular season. Shoemaker gave up a two-run homer to Jesus Aguilar in the second. In the

third, a walk, an infield hit and another catchable grounder that got through led to a run. Shoemaker

was scheduled to throw five innings, but he was at 71 pitches after four, with a limit of 75. Shoemaker

said he’s ready to go, although he still doesn’t know if he is pitching opening day or not. Shoemaker

and Ricky Nolasco are the only candidates, going by the current schedule. Shoemaker, who is coming

back from brain surgery after getting hit in the head by a line drive last season, said he's decided he will

wear a protective piece inside his cap when the season starts. “I really don’t feel it when I wear it,” he

said. “If I felt it, I wouldn’t wear it.”… Left-hander Jose Alvarez gave up two runs on a homer to Travis

Shaw. Alvarez had allowed only one run in his first six innings of the spring, with a stint in the World

Baseball Classic in between.

HITTING REPORT: First baseman C.J. Cron hit a homer to kick start the Angels’ four-run sixth inning,

which gave them the lead. Outfielder Ryan LaMarre then hit a two-run homer… The Angels scored four

runs in the first inning with two outs, two on a double by catcher Carlos Perez, one on center fielder

Eric Young’s single and one on designated hitter Dustin Ackley’s single… Ackley had two hits and two

RBIs.

DEFENSE REPORT: Cron tried to backhand a grounder but it went under his glove. It was ruled a hit…

Shortstop Cliff Pennington made a diving catch of a line drive to his right.

UP NEXT: Angels (RHP Yusmeiro Petit) vs. Dodgers (RHP Kenta Maeda), 7 p.m., Angel Stadium, KCOP,

KLAA (830 AM).

March 30, 2017 Page 15 of 18

FROM ANGELS.COM .

Trout begins quest for third AL MVP Award

Angels' center fielder enters his sixth full season as a favorite

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Since breaking into the Majors full-time in 2012, Angels center fielder Mike Trout has

finished first or second in the American League MVP race for five consecutive seasons, a run that has

only been equaled by the all-time home run king and seven-time National League MVP Barry Bonds.

He's still only 25, but Trout is a two-time AL MVP, and his reputation as the best player in baseball will

likely make him a perennial contender for the prestigious honor for years to come.

Though the Angels finished a distant fourth in the AL West last season, Trout captured his second MVP

Award in three years after batting .315 with 29 home runs, 32 doubles, five triples, 100 RBIs and 30

stolen bases. He led the Majors in runs (123), walks (116) and on-base percentage (.441) and ranked

second in the American League with a .991 OPS.

Trout also topped the Majors in Wins Above Replacement, according to both Baseball-Reference.com

(10.6) and FanGraphs.com (9.4).

"He never takes a pitch off," manager Mike Scioscia said recently. "He can change a game at any point.

Not many guys in baseball can do that. He can change it with his glove. He can change it with charging a

ball and stopping a first-and-third [situation] on the defensive side, and obviously on the basepaths, you

see the way he applies his speed there. And the obvious thing is in the batter's box. He's a game-changer

there."

Trout also enters the season as a contender for the Esurance Best Major Leaguer trophy.

Trout could arguably have five MVP Awards, but the one challenge he's run up against in the race is that

the Angels have not been as consistently excellent as he has. The Halos have only reached the

postseason once in Trout's career. That ended in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Royals in the

2014 AL Division Series. If the Angels are not in the playoff hunt in 2017, MVP voters could revert to

leaning toward players on postseason teams.

Trout edged Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts and Astros second baseman Jose Altuve to win the MVP

honor last year, and they could emerge as his primary competition again in 2017. Blue Jays third

baseman Josh Donaldson, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Orioles third baseman Manny

Machado are also among the early favorites for the prize and could pose a threat to Trout's bid for his

third career MVP this year.

March 30, 2017 Page 16 of 18

Cron, LaMarre show off bats

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Carlos Perez doubled home two of the Angels' four runs in the first inning, and C.J.

Cron and Ryan LaMarre homered in a four-run sixth on the way to an 8-6 win over the Brewers on

Wednesday at Maryvale Baseball Park.

In the finale of both teams' Arizona slates, the Brewers tallied 15 hits, including home runs by Jesus

Aguilar and Travis Shaw. Shaw's two-run shot in the fifth was his fourth of Spring Training, and briefly

gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead. But he was just as eager to marvel at Aguilar's scorching spring, which

included seven homers, and was good enough to earn the slugger a spot on Milwaukee's bench.

"I've never seen a spring like this. Never," Shaw said. "And it's not just ambushing first pitches, either.

He's getting into counts, hitting the ball the other way."

For the Angels, Matt Shoemaker closed out his spring by giving up three runs and nine hits in four

innings.

"Just maybe a little off, which is good to recognize when you're out there, and make adjustments," said

Shoemaker, who is in line to be the Angels' Opening Day starter, though the team has yet to announce

its rotation. "I'm ready to go. It's exciting. Everybody's ready to go."

Zach Davies started for Milwaukee and bounced back from the Angels' four-run opening inning to pitch

three scoreless frames in his final tuneup for a start in the Brewers' second game of the season.

"I was happy with being able to get back into a groove in a couple of those innings," Davies said. "I'm

ready for the season to start. I think everybody's ready to go."

Angels Up Next: The Angels open a three-game exhibition Freeway Series against the Dodgers at 7:07

p.m. PT on Thursday, which will be live on MLB.TV. Yusmeiro Petit will start opposite Kenta Maeda. The

first two games in the series will be at Angel Stadium, while the third is set for Dodger Stadium.

Brewers Up Next: Ryan Braun and the Brewers broke camp Wednesday afternoon and headed north to

Milwaukee, where they will host the White Sox for the first of two exhibition games at at 7:10 p.m. CT

on Friday. Matt Garza gets the start in a game set to air exclusively via Brewers.com webcast. Braun did

not play Wednesday's Arizona finale, so he's a good bet to play Friday night along with the rest of the

regulars.

Scioscia waiting to name OD starter, closer

By Chris Gabel / Special to MLB.com

PHOENIX -- The Angels broke camp Wednesday afternoon and high-tailed it out of town, six weeks after

they arrived and just five days until Opening Day.

March 30, 2017 Page 17 of 18

But who will take the ball Monday night in Oakland is unknown. So too is who will close out that game

should the Angels have a late lead. The rest of the starting rotation is equally unclear.

"Not yet," is all manager Mike Scioscia would say Wednesday morning when asked if he had any

announcements to make on the pitching front.

Those, he said, will come during the weekend Freeway Series in the next three days. Matt

Shoemaker figures to be the most likely to get the Opening Day nod. He and Ricky Nolasco are the only

ones who could do so on proper rest.

Shoemaker closed out his spring by giving up three runs and nine hits in four innings in an 8-6

victory over the Brewers on Wednesday. The results were insignificant. He came out of it healthy, and

welcomed working out of the adversity while in the midst of it.

As for when he pitches next, Shoemaker is equally in the dark.

"Still waiting to hear," he said. "You can arguably say we have an idea, but still waiting to hear."

So, what's his idea?

"Five or six days from now," he said.

That would be either Opening Day or the next day if Nolasco starts the first game.

"I'm ready to go. It's exciting. Everybody's ready to go," Shoemaker said. "We have any idea of where

we're going to be within a day or two."

And if it is Opening Day, which would be a first for Shoemaker, he admitted that would mean a bit extra.

"Opening Day is definitely an honor," he said. "It's still the same game. It's important, but it's not more

important than the next game or the last game of the year. But just the fact of being Opening Day, it's a

huge honor."

When pressed, Scioscia likewise wouldn't commit to a closer. With Huston Street set to start the season

on the disabled list, Cam Bedrosian appears the most likely to get the save chances, but he won't be

"ordained the closer," to use Scioscia's words.

At least not at first. "We have some ideas, but really it's going to be contingent on performance,"

Scioscia said. "Our bullpen will evolve based on its talent.

"We're looking at a number of things, but save to say there are some arms we're going to want to pitch

in the back end of our game. Now, whether it's one guy or more guys, you need that depth."

So closer-by-committee is an option, with Scioscia mentioning Bedrosian, Andrew Bailey and Jose

Alvarez as options. Though that's not necessarily the path Scioscia hopes plays out.

March 30, 2017 Page 18 of 18

"It is infinitely easier if you have guys that create roles, and you have balance down there," he said. "If it

ends up being one, it's one guy. If it ends up being more than one guy, then it's more than one guy. But

this is a definite: You need depth in the back end of your bullpen.

"You have to see exactly where your talent is. If roles develop, roles develop. The one role that has to

develop is a group of guys back there are holding leads. That has to develop. Holding leads in the

seventh inning, eighth inning or ninth inning. That has to develop."