ANAHEIM, Calif. — It’s time for the All-Star Break, and the Angels report card is in.
“I’ll give them, right now, a C-plus,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “We’re on our way to an A.”
Reflecting on the year, Washington said the team’s season thus far has been defined by learning curves and growth, but he’s optimistic that those hard-won lessons are the key to the Angels becoming an A-plus team, although it might take some time to reach that goal.
When asked if he thought his team could work their way to an A grade this season, Washington said: “Not this year, but they will. Moving forward and coming into next year, I'm going to expect an A because they’ve already been through it. Now you know what it is. There's no excuses.”
But as the Angels continue to find their stride, there’s no shortage of evidence that they’re on the right track. The team achieved a series win against the current AL West leaders, the Seattle Mariners, on Sunday.
In his first start of the season, Carson Fulmer tossed 4 2/3 hitless innings, and after Jo Adell lifted the Angels to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, Roansy Contreras got the save.
“That should be a sign that they can win because where the Seattle Mariners are is where we want to be. And we just proved we can play with them,” said Washington after the 3-2 victory.
A season of growth
“From day one to right now, it's been about growth and trying to learn how to grind. We’ve been trying to learn how to win. It's been trying to learn how to come to the ballpark every day and develop work ethic. And all of those things right there — hopefully when we hit the second half — will come into play,” said Washington.
Throughout their season, the Angels have dealt with such obstacles as Mike Trout’s torn meniscus injury, Anthony Rendon’s partial left hamstring tear, and Patrick Sandoval’s torn flexor tendon and torn ulnar collateral ligament injury. This fluctuation of players and abrupt change in the team’s production has put pressure on younger players to step up in a big way, leading to a series of remarkable performances from such players as Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe and Ben Joyce.
Neto became the second shortstop in club history to hit 10 home runs before the All-Star Break and the first Angels infielder since 2000 to record more than 10 home runs and more than 10 stolen bases before the break. Behind the plate, O’Hoppe is one of five catchers in MLB this year batting at least .270 with more than 10 home runs, and the 24-year-old leads all American League catchers with a 126 wRC+. In the bullpen, Joyce has leveled up the Angels' heat, tossing 11 straight scoreless innings since June 14 and throwing the fastest pitch in the majors this season — a 104.5 mph fastball.
“We lost Trout and all those guys early in the year, and the spotlight went on all those young kids. And in my heart, those young kids stepped up. They stepped up. They stepped up and grew up faster than we expected them to because it was them,” said Washington.
Set up with the lessons they’ve learned, there’s a lot Washington wants to see from this team moving forward, but consistency and sustainability top the list, especially on the basepaths.
The Angels have struggled this year with being thrown out on the bases — the result of split second decisions, explained Washington. With a team of younger players, he said it takes time to learn how to make those decisions second nature, but with more than 90 regular season games under their belt, he’s confident that aggressive and successful baserunning is within their grasp after the break.
“That's the process when you got a young group and they don't know. We got eight or nine guys out there, and it's their first time in professional baseball, playing this much baseball,” said Washington. “We’re going to continue to grind them, so that they understand that they can do it.”
But there’s more than just baserunning to look forward to. The end of July could also see the return of Trout, who has progressed in his recovery to jogging on the field and taking soft toss. Luis Rengifo, who was placed on the IL with right wrist inflammation earlier this month, could also make a possible return in July. Rengifo, who led the majors with a .317 batting average entering July, is doing strength exercises and working his way up to swinging the bat, said Washington.
Heading into the break, the Angels will be represented at the All-Star Game on July 16 at Globe Life Field as Tyler Anderson will join the team for the second time in his career. In 118 innings over 19 starts this season, he’s posted a 2.97 ERA and earned an 8-8 record.