Over the last several years, via the Draft and international spending, the Angels have done a commendable job of bringing athletic players into their system. Jo Adell touched the big leagues last year, Brandon Marsh isn’t too far away, and there are many more at the lower levels just starting to figure out how to let that athleticism work for them between the lines.

Many of the Angels’ prospects have above-average or plus speed. But having speed and knowing how to use it can be two different things. To help in that realm, the Angels have changed things up in terms of how they’re teaching baserunning.

“Philosophically, we’ve changed,” Angels Minor League field coordinator Chad Tracy said. “We’re giving these kids the freedom, trying to turn them loose and let the athleticism play. Let them make mistakes and we’ll coach them after.”

Exhibit A might be D’Shawn Knowles, the organization’s No. 8 prospect. Signed for $850,000 out of the Bahamas in July 2017, Knowles has shown glimpses of what he can do in all facets of the game, but hadn’t really used his speed to be a threat on the basepaths. This spring, while showing improvement across the board, from adding strength to managing at-bats well, it’s his willingness to throw caution to the wind that has the Angels staff excited.

“On the bases, we’ve tried to change the mindset of being aggressive and he took it to heart,” Tracy said. “I’m really hopeful to see that continue as the season continues, that these guys are not afraid of making mistakes and we’ll see what they can do with their legs. We have the skillset to do that, to let them go and we want to push them to use that Major League tool.”

Camp standouts
Kyren Paris is one of those players who can run well, not that the Angels have seen much of the 2019 second-rounder to date. He only played in three games after signing before breaking his hamate and then the pandemic wiped out 2020. He certainly hasn’t looked like there’s any rust this spring.

Paris has added some needed strength to his frame and also showed well defensively. But more than anything, the 19-year-old really stood out with his advanced approach at the plate.

“He flashed some power,” Tracy said. “And for a guy [who is] still a teenager, he got himself into some 0-2 counts, checked off breaking balls out of the zone in order to get to better counts and hit a double. To see a kid manage the count that way, that’s kind of what you’re looking for.”

Alternate training site update
The alternate training site this year has automatically been upgraded from a year ago simply because the Angels were able to play games against another team. Last summer, coaches had to log innings in the field just to get games in. This time around, the Angels got to get reps, albeit exhibition ones, against the D-backs. A lot of younger hitters who were in big league camp went there, rather than have a two-week layoff before Minor league Spring Training got underway. But a pair of really young arms in some ways opened the most eyes.

Jack Kochanowicz and Erik Rivera, the Angels’ third and fourth-round picks in 2019, have yet to throw a real professional pitch. But they went to the alternate site anyway so they could work closely with Angels pitching coordinator Buddy Carlyle. Rivera, a two-way player who picked up 72 at-bats in the rookie-level Arizona League in 2019, did keep getting work in the cages, but the strides he and Kochanwicz, a right-hander, have made on the mound, are what stood out.

“They held their own against that competition, that was encouraging,” Tracy said. “They don’t have a professional game yet, but we’re excited about them. They both went to instructs last fall and opened eyes there.

"They pitched in alternate site games. They were in the strike zone with good stuff. To hear young guys doing that at that level is a good thing to hear.”

Prospect we’ll be talking about in 2022
The Angels have several players with a ton of upside, even if they’re far away. One worth keeping an eye on is shortstop Werner Blakely, who was a bit of a surprise as a fourth-round pick in the 2020 Draft, one who got an over-slot $900,000 bonus to sign. He obviously hasn’t played yet, but showed off his considerable, if not polished, tools at instructs last fall and again this spring.

“He has a lot of rawness to his game, but my goodness, he has tools,” Tracy said. “There’s power, he has good hands and feet, he has a strong arm. He’s also an 80-grade person.

“He’s a big, tall, lanky, athletic and fast shortstop and watching him evolve will be fun. It will be interesting to see what he develops into as he gets reps at the professional level.”

Something to prove
Once upon a time, Kevin Maitan was a Top 100 type prospect, one who originally signed a huge bonus with the Braves out of Venezuela. He was made a free agent as a penalty for Atlanta’s infractions on the international market and the Angels were quick to swoop in and sign him.

He’s yet to show off the skills that made him such a coveted prospect, posting just a .601 OPS in his full-season debut in 2019. He is still only 21, but he’s no longer on the Angels’ Top 30 and was left unprotected in last year’s Rule 5 Draft. Unfortunately, he’s already behind a bit this year, arriving to Spring Training with a finger issue, so he won’t be able to head out right away, but the Angels are hoping to get him healthy and rolling once he’s able.