The Los Angeles Angels will need quality depth, and bringing back Hunter Strickland and Chris Taylor is a good move.
The Los Angeles Angels have announced that they’re re-signing reliever Hunter Strickland and utility man Chris Taylor to minor league deals, according to a report from Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Both players will report to Triple-A Salt Lake after opting out of their existing deals.
Strickland is probably the more important of the two moves. He represents something of a known quantity given that he’s spent the last two seasons with the Angels, and he’s had an ERA in the low-3.00's, although he was limited to 19 appearances last summer due to a shoulder injury, according to Franco.
The 37-year old right-hander had an effective camp as well. Strickland worked five innings of one-run ball in spring training, although he struck just two of the 19 hitters he faced. His velocity was down to 91.8 from a regular-season mark 93.6, but that’s probably not a concern right now given his limited amount of work in the spring.
Strickland is considered a power pitcher, though, so this is something to watch going forward. He can also struggle with command and control at times, which will be an issue if he does become an option for Suzuki.
Taylor, meanwhile, hit .231 this spring, but he did have an exceptional spring when it came to earning walks, as he got 10 in just 49 spring-training trips. He’s basically one of several depth pieces as the Angels go with young Oswald Peraza at second to see if he can make the transition and become the team’s regular second baseman, and Taylor will also provide some injury protection. He was one of the more useful role players for the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in his career, and he can still provide value by getting hot occasionally.
Strickland is more likely to see Anaheim first given the way manager Kurt Suzuki has been using receivers, and there will udoubtedely be injuries and players who wind up getting sent down for one reason or another.
Suzuki has been impressive on both fronts so far. Selecting Peraza was a controversial move but also a good one, but it remains to be seen if he can hit well enough to keep veterans like Adam Frazier or Taylor from taking over. His moves in the bullpen so far have been amazing successful, which is a bit part of the reason the Angel are currently 2-0 for the first time since 2007.