Minasian satisfied with depth, young talent so far in Spring Training

TEMPE, Ariz. -- With a little more than two weeks until Opening Day against the White Sox on March 27, general manager Perry Minasian met with the media on Monday to give his thoughts on how Spring Training has been going and his expectations for the coming season.

The Angels have competitions for the final spot in the rotation, a few bench roles and a couple spots in the bullpen. Manager Ron Washington indicated they still haven’t decided who will start at second base or shortstop just yet, as the Angels are still waiting to see if Luis Rengifo will be ready for the start of the season after missing time with left hamstring tightness. But Minasian said there’s still a chance Rengifo will be ready for the start of the regular season, and that he likes his middle infield depth even with shortstop Zach Neto set to open the year on the injured list after undergoing right shoulder surgery in November.

“Luis is feeling better,” Minasian said. “Obviously, he’s had a rough spring in the sense that he hasn't been able to play that much. It's been minor things, knock on wood. There's still plenty of time left. But we’ve got some players there, depending on how it shakes out, that we feel good about.”

Minasian has been pleased by what he’s seen this spring and believes the Angels have more depth than in recent years. But he knows that how the club fares this season will depend on how their young core develops after they added several veterans to the mix this offseason -- the likes of Yusei Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen, Jorge Soler, Kyle Hendricks and Travis d’Arnaud. The Angels will need their youngsters -- Nolan Schanuel, Logan O’Hoppe, José Soriano, Ben Joyce and Neto -- to produce if they are to bounce back from their 99-loss season.

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“With the talent [our young players] have, I think the sky's the limit,” Minasian said. “So does that happen this year? Does that happen next year? I don't know. Everybody has different time frames on different things, and you're going to go through some adversity. But again, I believe with the group we have and the group that's coming, and what we surrounded them with this offseason with the caliber of player and caliber of person, we're only hoping to enhance that particular group.”

Minasian said a lot can change before Opening Day but that they’re now starting to really evaluate the position battles in camp, including for the final spot in the rotation between Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz and Chase Silseth. All three have pitched well this spring, and Minasian wouldn’t rule out any of the three heading to the bullpen if they miss out on the rotation.

There’s even a scenario where they all make the roster and two pitch in relief in multi-inning roles to bolster the bullpen. The only real locks in the bullpen are Jansen, Joyce, Brock Burke, Ryan Zeferjahn, José Quijada and José Suarez, leaving two spots open with several competing such as Hans Crouse, Rule 5 pick Garrett McDaniels, Michael Peterson and Shaun Anderson. Right-hander Ryan Johnson, ranked as the club’s No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is also in the mix with the way he’s impressed this spring.

“They've all pitched well and we'll see where it is at the end,” Minasian said. “I wouldn’t rule anything out. A goal of mine is to have really tough decisions at the end of the camp. And have some disappointed people. Guys are emerging, and some guys are getting back to who they were. They maybe had an off year the year before or weren't healthy. So it's been fun to watch.”

He also added that he believes moving superstar Mike Trout to right field has been working out as planned, but acknowledged there’s still a learning curve for Trout and Jo Adell in his move to center field. Mickey Moniak already has experience at the position and made an impressive diving play on Sunday. But the Angels are working to get their outfielders better reads off the bat, which has been an issue. But they also have had Torii Hunter in camp as a guest instructor to help with the outfielders.

“We still have two weeks left and we’re going to continue to keep working,” Minasian said. “Bo Porter and Eric Young [Sr.] and the whole staff. If you come out here at 6:30, 7 in the morning, it’s a packed house. And I really appreciate that.”