March 19, 2015 Page 1 of 13 Clips (March 19, 2015) March 19, 2015 Page 2 of 13 Today’s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) Angels pitcher Garrett Richards looks sharp in intrasquad game Angels catcher Chris Iannetta looks to improve pitch-framing ability FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5) Richards takes another big step toward recovery for Angels Former Angels GM Tony Reagins named to MLB youth outreach post FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8) Richards, Wilson get their work in on ‘off day’ … Richards, Wilson strong in intrasquad game The midway point … FROM NBCSPORTS.COM (Page 11) 2015 Preview: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim March 19, 2015 Page 3 of 13 FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Angels pitcher Garrett Richards looks sharp in intrasquad game By Mike DiGiovanna Garrett Richards gave up one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings of an intrasquad game on Wednesday, calling it a “big stepping-stone in the process of getting back to where I want to be.” The hard-throwing right-hander, who is recovering from left knee surgery, threw 44 pitches, 31 for strikes. His curveball and slider looked especially sharp in the second and third innings. The next step for Richards, who is expected to return to the rotation in mid-April, will be to throw in a minor league game on Monday. “My knee felt great -- it held up nice,” said Richards, who went 13-4 with a 2.61 earned-run average before tearing the patellar tendon in his knee while covering first base during a game at Fenway Park on Aug. 20. “I was able to put the ball where I wanted to, work ahead of hitters and still keep my aggressiveness. … I feel like I can get into a major league game right now and compete for a few innings.” Richards fielded one comebacker cleanly but didn’t have to cover first base in the intrasquad game. He worked on fielding practice after the outing. He did have to back up third base on a double but said he didn’t think about the knee while doing so. “It felt as natural as it ever has,” Richards said. “Whether it be the adrenaline or the situation, I didn’t even think about it whenever I was running.” Richards said part of his daily maintenance of the knee is “keeping the inflammation down so it moves more free and easy and makes my job easier.” Such swelling, he said, is “totally normal with any limb you have surgery on. Icing and getting the proper recovery time is important.” Manager Mike Scioscia said Richards’ arm is “where it should be.” The bigger concern for the pitcher probably will be fielding his position. Opposing hitters will probably bunt more often on him, but Richards won’t mind. “I welcome all challenges,” he said. “It’s part of the game, right?” Left-hander C.J. Wilson, who was scratched from Tuesday’s start because of flu-like symptoms, also pitched Wednesday, looking sharp in a three-inning, 40-pitch outing. Scioscia said Wilson will start Sunday on three days’ rest, putting Wilson back on schedule to pitch in the first week of the regular season. Matt Shoemaker, whose turn to pitch fell on Wednesday’s off-day, threw five innings in the intrasquad game, giving up two runs and four hits, including Taylor Featherston’s two-run home run. Closer Huston Street and left-hander Cesar Ramos also pitched an inning each, and Roberto Baldoquin, the 20-year-old Cuban infielder who arrived in camp last Friday, played shortstop in the game. March 19, 2015 Page 4 of 13 Angels catcher Chris Iannetta looks to improve pitch-framing ability By Mike DiGiovanna New statistics that quantify the art of pitch-framing can be difficult for even major league catchers to comprehend. "They could be accurate, they could be inaccurate," Angels catcher Chris Iannetta said. "You never really know." What Iannetta is sure of is that, according to advanced metrics, he is not very good at turning balls into strikes. He is working diligently this spring to improve, watching video of catchers who excel at it and asking umpires for advice on where to set up and how to give them better visuals. "It's something I really take pride in. I'm really trying to work on it," Iannetta said. "Some of the numbers last year are not where I want them to be, and that was surprising. "I get really good reviews from umpires in what I do and how I work, and I see some discrepancies. It's disappointing. So my goal is to get as good as I can, to be in the top five, top 10." According to Baseball Prospectus, Iannetta ranked 87th among 105 catchers in gaining extra strikes last season with a score of minus-19, meaning he had 19 more projected strikes turned into balls than he had balls turned into strikes. As a comparison, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey led baseball with a score of plus-179.6, meaning Giants pitchers had 180 more strikes called because of Posey's pitch-framing ability. This was not a one-year aberration for Iannetta. He ranked 115th out of 116 catchers with a score of minus-11.3 in 2013 and 100th out of 108 catchers with a score of minus-50.6 in 2012. "It was brought to my attention toward the end of last year," Iannetta said. "I never really knew. I always thought I was pretty good. … I don't like the fact that this was something I was labeled as. It didn't jibe with what I thought I was doing or the reviews I was getting." Iannetta, 31, is starting his 10th big league season and his fourth with the Angels. To frame pitches, a catcher must have soft, quiet hands and avoid late movement or lunging while receiving the ball. Iannetta wonders if his 2014 numbers were skewed by hard-throwing right-hander Garrett Richards, whose lively 96-mph fastball and nasty breaking pitches can be difficult to catch, let alone frame. "I might have to adjust my glove positioning," Iannetta said. "I try to keep a low target, but maybe my 'relaxation point' was a little too high," leading umpires to believe that pitches he reaches slightly down for are below the strike zone. March 19, 2015 Page 5 of 13 "Maybe it was a false bottom," Iannetta said. "I definitely wasn't bringing the ball out of the strike zone. I was stopping it right where I caught it. … It's very subtle, how it plays out." Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, remains a little skeptical about pitch- framing statistics. "Some of the studies are young, and I think you get confidence in them as they earn their merit," he said. But pitch-framing has clearly been a focus in Iannetta's work with bullpen coach Steve Soliz this spring, and Iannetta appears to be making progress. In the fifth inning of Tuesday's game against Colorado, Iannetta barely moved as he received called third strikes from reliever Cam Bedrosian on two consecutive batters, Nolan Arenado and Justin Morneau. "Chris has worked very hard on that aspect, and he takes it to heart," Scioscia said. "I think he's receiving the ball well, and even though he hasn't been ranked very high, he still does the job we need back there to help our pitchers. There's no doubt he's become a more effective receiver from when he first got here." FROM THE OC REGISTER Richards takes another big step toward recovery for Angels By Jeff Fletcher TEMPE, Ariz. – The light at the end of the tunnel became a little brighter for Garrett Richards and the Angels on Wednesday afternoon. Richards threw three scoreless innings in an intrasquad game, the most competitive environment he’s faced since he blew out his knee last August. Although Richards still isn’t likely to be ready to pitch in the first turn through the Angels rotation, he should be back shortly after that. “I would say this was a big stepping stone in the process to getting back where I want to be,” Richards said. “Everything went well today.” His fastball hitting 96 mph and his breaking balls sharp, Richards threw 44 pitches. He gave up one hit and no walks, striking out four. Richards, who was hurt when he stumbled covering first base, also simulated that play, with a ground ball off a fungo, after his outing was finished. When Richards gave up a double, he ran to back up third base and it “felt as natural as it ever has.” March 19, 2015 Page 6 of 13 “Whether it be the adrenaline or the situation, I didn’t even think about it whenever I was running,” he said. “Things are starting to come more naturally. I’m still going to continue to work on my running form and continue to build strength in that left leg, but it’s coming along and I’m happy with it right now.” Next up for Richards will be pitching in a minor league game Monday. It will mark the first time he’s pitched against another team since his injury. The Angels are having him pitch in a minor league game instead of a major league exhibition, because they can control the innings. They want Richards to get up for four separate innings, and in a minor league game teams can simply end innings before there are three outs to manage a pitcher’s work load.