Over the last five weeks we’ve churned out individual previews for 24 Angels players guaranteed to get a bulk of the playing time in Anaheim this season—all of which are linked at the bottom of this post. Those 24 won’t be the only players to suit up with the Halos in 2016, of course, so it’s important to do a brief rundown of the 20 or so other guys that help make up the team’s positional depth.
A couple of these guys will end up on the Opening Day roster, most will be on the 40-man roster, and all will probably make an appearance with the Angels at some point this season. Those marked with pound signs (#) are on the 25-man roster; those marked with asterisks (*) are currently on the 40-man roster; those with no markings are on neither. If you don’t see a player you think should be here, they’ve probably already been covered. If not, let us know!
Rotation
C.J. Wilson# – LHP
Normally, a guy slated for $20 million in the final year of a five-year contract would get his own preview. But there’s no point wasting hundreds of words on a guy whose injured shoulder could potentially sideline him all year. For now, he gets just under 50 words.
Tyler Skaggs# – LHP
Skaggs is slated for the most playing time of anyone in this post, but nothing is guaranteed when it comes to Tommy John rehab—just ask Jarrod Parker. Barring any setbacks, he should slide into the rotation by the end of April. If there are setbacks, who knows.
Nick Tropeano* – RHP
We already did a preview for Tropeano when it looked like Jered Weaver might be sidelined for a while. He has the makings of a pretty nifty back-end starter.
Nate Smith – LHP
If Wilson and Skaggs are healthy, and if Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney are pitching well, there is absolutely no room in the rotation for another lefty like Smith. His best shot is to build on his strong 2015 season and hope that there aren’t four quality, healthy starters in Anaheim all year. Everyone else will likely be hoping for the opposite, at least with the latter.
Infield
Ji-Man Choi# – 1B/DH
A mortal lock for the final bench spot, Choi will likely split time with C.J. Cron at first base early in the year and serve as an emergency option in left field. The Rule 5 pick isn’t switch-hitting anymore, which hurts his value some, but having a lefty bench bat with some pop still helps.
Jett Bandy* – C
Bandy is the first line of defense should Carlos Perez or Geovany Soto get hurt and/or struggle. Our No. 4 Angels prospect, Bandy should see a fair amount of MLB playing time in 2016. You know Mike Scioscia loves to carry three catchers if he can.
Kaleb Cowart*- 3B/2B
Cowart worked a bit in the outfield this spring to increase his versatility, but his best chances of cracking the roster this season will likely come at third base or second base. He’s easily a massive defensive upgrade over Yunel Escobar, but questions remain about whether his 2015 resurgence at the plate can be repeated.
Kyle Kubitza* – 3B/2B
Kubitza was brought in because Cowart’s star had faded so strongly, but now finds himself behind the former top prospect (and Jefry Marte) on the depth chart. There’s still promise in Kubitza’s bat—we ranked him the team’s No. 2 prospect, albeit in a very weak system—but there are a lot of other guys between him and MLB playing time.
Jefry Marte* – 1B/3B
Marte’s main (only?) draws are that he’s got some pop in his bat, and that he rarely strikes out. It’s a strange combination for a corner infielder, and one that makes him an intriguing bench/DH option should C.J. Cron struggle out of the gate again.
Rey Navarro* – UTIL
Navarro and Petit seem to be on equal footing, but Navarro will probably have the edge as the go-to utility guy should Cliff Pennington or another middle infielder gets hurt because he’s a switch-hitter. And because he’s five years younger. And because he also has a spot on the 40-man, which Petit lacks. OK, maybe the footing’s not so equal.
Gregorio Petit – UTIL
Petit signed with the Angels on a minor-league deal and has no options left, meaning he is unlikely to find his way onto the 40-man roster unless/until two middle infielders go down. As the Angels painfully discovered last year, it’s always better to have that extra guy waiting in the wings.
Outfield
Rafael Ortega* – CF/LF
At the first sign of Daniel Nava trouble in left field, Ortega is likely to get the call. The 25-year-old has impressed in all aspects this spring and is reportedly fully healthy for the first time since 2012. He has no power, but he makes up for it with speed, defense, and strong plate discipline.
Todd Cunningham# – CF/LF
Cunningham is the one outfielder on this list who can’t be optioned, so if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster his time as potential depth may be nonexistent. The only chance the Angels have of hanging onto him is if he passes through waivers unclaimed. The odds of that seem low after he hit .360/.429/.520 this spring, but there’s always a chance.
Chad Hinshaw – OF
Yet another young guy who can field all three outfield positions well, boasts considerable speed, and has some potential with the bat. Hinshaw was our No. 8 prospect, and might have been higher had he been healthy in 2015. He’ll start the year in Double-A, but could come knocking at the big-league door before too long.
Nick Buss – OF
Buss is another guy who impressed this spring but, like Kubitza on the infield, he has a long line of players to get through before Anaheim starts calling.
Bullpen
Al Alburquerque# – RHP
Alburquerque seems a good bet to make the Opening Day bullpen, but he may not stay there long. Once he tallies 25 more days of MLB service time, he cannot be optioned to the minors without first passing through waivers. Gotta think Billy Eppler will make use of that limited flexibility at least once.
Cam Bedrosian# – RHP
Outside of one particularly bad outing, Bedrosian has put together a strong spring. Does that mean he’s finally going to live up to the potential he’s shown for years? Who knows, but he’s sure to get his fair share of chances this season. This is his final option year.
Greg Mahle – LHP
Mahle appears to be a lock for one of the team’s three open 40-man roster spots. Whether that will also come with a spot on the roster come April 4 hinges on several factors, many of which are out of his control. Opening Day or no, he’s a legit LOOGY who should see plenty of time in the Angels bullpen this season.
A.J. Achter – RHP
Achter doesn’t throw hard, but he consistently misses bats anyway. Should Alburquerque and/or Bedrosian struggle (yet again), the big right-hander will likely be first to step in.
Deolis Guerra – RHP
The Rule 5 pick was outrighted off the roster this week, then re-signed with the Angels on a minor-league deal. Rather than be forced to keep Guerra on the active roster all year, the team now can move him up and down as needed. If only they could have done that with Taylor Featherston last year. *SIGH*
Javy Guerra – RHP
Guerra has all the makings of becoming 2016’s Vinnie Pestano: A former star reliever who gives up a frightening amount of hard contact and will inexplicably be thrown into high-leverage work just long enough to blow one or two games. Or not! Let’s hope not.
Victor Alcantara* – RHP
The hard-throwing righty was the only Angels pitching prospect added to the 40-man roster as protection from the Rule 5 draft. He is probably the lone guy on the 40-man without some guaranteed playing time in Anaheim this season, especially if he isn’t converted into full-time relief.
Lucas Luetge – LHP
Luetge is the insurance policy should Greg Mahle not pan out right away as the lefty specialist.
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More Previews: Yunel Escobar; Kole Calhoun; Mike Trout; Albert Pujols; C.J. Cron; Daniel Nava; Carlos Pérez; Johnny Giavotella; Geovany Soto; Andrelton Simmons; Cliff Pennington; Jered Weaver; Andrew Heaney; Garrett Richards; Hector Santiago; Matt Shoemaker; Huston Street; Nick Tropeano; Joe Smith; Mike Morin; José Álvarez; Fernando Salas; Craig Gentry; Cory Rasmus
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