The Los Angeles Angels made a few subtle signings this week, adding a trio of players who made contributions at the Major League level and one who showed flashes in Double-A.
General manager Perry Minasian made some subtle adjustments to his roster mid-season and his work to round out the rest of his organization will be a work in progress to make the Angels a competitive club.
According to Sam Blum of the Athletic, the Angels added two depth pieces, with one young player.
The Angels re-signed minor leaguers Aaron Whitefield, Ryan Aguilar and Kolton Ingram, according to their agency @GaetaSportsMgt. They all received MLB ST invitations.
Whitefield and Aguilar appeared on the MLB roster this season and Ingram had a 2.67 ERA in Double-A.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) October 14, 2022
Aguilar logged 291 at-bats for the Rocket City Trash Pandas with an on-base plus slugging of .906, including 15 home runs and 50 RBI. He’s an older prospect and projects to be nothing more than a depth signing.
Whitefield is a 26-year-old outfielder who carried a .262 batting average in 301 at-bats, and without much slug in his arsenal, he’s a light-hitting bat.
All three will have the opportunity to be with the team during Spring Training in 2023.
Minasian explains flaws in 2022 roster
Minasian put his focus squarely on pitching, saying it was time to make significant upgrades in that area. He signed several starters and relievers in the hopes that the Angels would finally have enough pitching to compete.
His plan worked, as the Angels had an above-average pitching staff in all phases. They ranked ninth in ERA (3.77), 12th in WHIP (1.24), seventh in OBA (.230), and allowed the 11th-fewest home runs (168). But in a rare turn of events for an Angels roster, it was the offense that fell behind.
The Halos ranked 24th in batting average (.233), 23rd in OPS (.687), 30th in strikeouts (1,539), 25th in walks (449), and 22nd in total hits (1,265). So Minasian — in an effort to improve pitching — forgot to keep the bats afloat.
As he reviewed the Angels’ lackluster performance in 2022, he understood that putting too much emphasis on one area can lead the others to fall behind.
