The Los Angeles Angels are showing an affinity for two way players, with yet another one emerging in their system.
The Los Angeles Angels are easily at the forefront of the two way player movement. Obviously, the biggest name in that collection is Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese phenom who set the baseball world afire with his power hitting and excellence on the mound. They also drafted William English in the third round of the 2018 Draft, adding another potential two way threat to their system.
However, the Angels are not done. They brought back Kaleb Cowart after brief trips to the Mariners and Tigers this offseason, planning on turning him into a two way player as well. Two other minor leaguers, Bo Way and Jared Walsh, began their own conversions into such a player as well.
Of those possible two way players, Walsh may be the next to crack the Angels major league roster. A 39th round draft pick in 2015, Walsh has rocketed through their system, with his power hitting gaining as much attention as his potential on the mound.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Last season was truly Walsh’s coming out party. He jumped from High-A to the AAA Salt Lake City Bees, punishing baseballs at every stop. Across those three levels last season, Walsh had a combined .277/.359/.536 batting line, belting 29 homers and 34 doubles. Capable of playing both first and right, the 25 year old had already become an intriguing prospect.
His work on the mound makes him even more interesting. He had pitched in college, posting a 3.18 ERA over 101.1 innings, but had problems with his command. While the lefty struck out 92 batters, he also issued 70 walks.
However, he looked relatively sharp in his brief time on the mound last season. Despite a small sample size of just 5.2 innings over eight games, Walsh posted a 1.59 ERA, although he had a high 1.412 WHiP. He did strike out seven batters, and only issued two walks, showing enough potential for the Angels to give him a longer look on the mound.
Obviously, there is still a long way for Walsh to go in order to be a viable option on the mound. Chances are, he will return to the minors to work on his command and get used to pitching once again. However, if he can replicate that offensive production, and perform reasonably well on the mound, he could potentially be a two way player as a left handed reliever.
The Los Angeles Angels are at the forefront of the two way player movement. Jared Walsh may be the next one in the Angels system to reach the majors.