The Angels have made it official. Logan O’Hoppe and Jake Lamb will be on the teams opening day roster when they begin the regular season on Thursday in Oakland. The Halos still have decisions to make regarding the starting rotation and bullpen.
Two Key Players on the injured list
Jared Walsh is currently being plagued by headaches and insomnia, while catcher Max Stassi is dealing with a hip injury.
Losing Walsh to the IL is an unfortunate development for the Halos, given how well he played this spring.
Walsh’s 2021 breakout sent him to the All-Star Game, and he finished that season with a .277/.340/.509 batting line and 29 homers. He hit just .215/.269/.374 in 2022 before landing on the injured list and undergoing thoriac outlet surgery. However through 14 spring games this year he was looking more like his old self. .400/.512/.686 with a pair of homers and four doubles in 43 plate appearances. Walsh is meeting with specialists to determine the root of his current issues.
Jared Walsh (1)
Spring Training🌴Opponent: Cleveland Guardians
Pitcher: Shane Bieber
Date: 3/14/23pic.twitter.com/wUSkExDXSr— LAA Home Runs (@LAA_HR) March 15, 2023
Lamb not silent this spring
Veteran infielder Jake Lamb will make the team. He could step into the large half of a first base platoon after posting rock solid numbers in Cactus League play. Lamb is batting .324/.419/.595 with a pair of homers, four doubles and a 9-to-5 K/BB ratio in 43 plate appearances.
Stassi’s IL stint opens the door for a promising rookie
There’s no timetable provided for Stassi’s return, but his trip to the IL paves the way for Logan O’Hoppe. one of the sport’s top catching prospects, to open the season as the Angels’ primary starter.
It also at least temporarily resolves the Angels’ dilemma with regard to catcher/first baseman Matt Thaiss who’s out of minor league options. Thaiss will now slot in as the backup to O’Hoppe early on, and his experience at first base will also be a factor with Walsh sidelined.
It’s O’Time for O’Hoppe
The 23-year old O’Hoppe made his big league debut with the Angels late in last season. He posted a combined .283/.416/.544 batting line in 447 plate appearances between the Double-A affiliates for his two organizations.
With his inclusion on the Opening Day roster, he’ll skip the Triple-A level entirely. He’s had a solid spring batting .281/.361/.438 with a homer and a pair of doubles. Here he is going yard against Oakland in a spring training game:
🔺AL West Breakout Pick🔺
Logan O’Hoppe – Los Angeles Angels #WeBelieveO’Hoppe was traded from the Phillies to the Angels at last year's deadline.
The 23-year-old backstop is already MLB's 53rd-ranked prospect, but his breakout could come sooner than many expect. pic.twitter.com/1QPQFrctIg
— Ryan Medeiros (@RRyanmedeiros) March 15, 2023
Baseball America currently ranks O’Hoppe as the game’s No. 42 overall prospect.
Former Yankee gets the start at short
It’s long been expected that Gio Urshela would see some time at shortstop in Anaheim, and he’ll get the nod over Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher. He made a strong case for the SS job this spring, batting .382/.417/.471 with a double, a triple and just two strikeouts in 36 trips to the plate.
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