When it comes to training and preparation, most MLB teams try to do the opposite of whatever the Los Angeles Angels are doing. Such are the realities of having an owner who doesn’t want to spend money and values the “affordability” of the ballpark experience over winning, not to mention a GM who pulls baseball strategies off what feels like a list of whimsical possibilities.
But it turns out that baseball leads the league in one trend, however. The Angels rush prospects to the majors with impunity, and younger players are making it to the big leagues faster than ever.
The methods used by most teams to do this are still vastly different from those specifically used by the Angels, of course, but J.J. Cooper of Baseball America recently did an intriguing rundown of some of the reasons why this is happening and what’s getting prospects to the big leagues faster.
Minor league reorganization
MLB reorganized the minors back in 2021, eliminating or reclassifying some short-season Class A leagues and Rookie advanced levels, and they also reduced the number of players who could be put on those rosters.
Overall, that means minor league games are being traded for simulated scenarios and training sessions, according to Cooper. That means teams want to push teams up from those levels more quickly to get them in meaningful games sooner.
MLB as a whole is getting younger
This is basically a “follow the money” trend. As stars get pricier and big-market teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and New York Mets spend more money on them, the push is on to get younger, cheaper players who can still perform.
(Sound familiar, Angels fans?)
As a result, more and more plate appearances are going to hitters who under 25, with the percentage rising from 26.1 earlier this decade to the current number of 29.1 last year.
Tests are measuring skills more quickly
While analytics are supposedly ruining the game for purists and traditionalists, they also provide more confidence in quick promotions. And as much as the Angels are reviled for the prospects they rushed, they’ve also had success with players like shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel with their “sink or swim” approach, although it’s been much more problematic with pitchers.
The risk/reward equation
This particularly category tends to feed on itself. Every time teams see players like Paul Skenes, Neto, Nick Kurtz or Jacob Wilson fly to the majors and have success, there’s an automatic tendency to do it again, regardless of how many other prospects are ruined in the process.