TEMPE, Ariz. — Brian Moran saved the ball from his first big-league strikeout three years ago when he famously got his brother, Colin Moran, looking on a 3-2 count.
It was an incredible moment for Brian Moran. It took 10 years in the minors to earn it. Now 13 years after he started his professional baseball career, Moran, 33, is hoping to actually establish himself as a major-league reliever.
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“The goal is always to get to the major leagues, and then after that just to stay,” Moran said. “That’s kind of where I’m at in my journey. To hopefully take that next step and be able to establish myself.”
Moran, drafted in 2009, made his major league debut in 2019, and appeared in 7 games in 2020 for the Blue Jays and Marlins. He pitched exclusively and exquisitely in Triple A last year for the Rays. He posted a 2.16 ERA over 50 innings, but couldn’t crack a stacked big-league bullpen staff.
That work last year has transitioned over into a strong spring. Angels manager Joe Maddon has specifically cited Moran as a player competing for a job out of camp. His success underscores the good problem the team has in the final days of spring: The bullpen is strong enough that good relievers will be left off the roster.
There are realistically seven pitchers fighting for three or four spots. Maddon said he spent Thursday morning in a meeting with the Angels front office where he said a lively discussion ensued over whether to carry nine or 10 relief pitchers. Maddon said the team remains undecided on that front.
But there’s certainly enough decent options. In addition to the lefty Moran, the Angels could employ right-handers Kyle Barraclough, Jimmy Herget, Oliver Ortega, Austin Warren, César Valdez and José Marte.
Warren is probably the most likely to get a spot, though Maddon did note he was still competing for a role as of Tuesday.
Neither Moran nor Barraclough are on the 40-man roster, so they must clear an extra hurdle. Their Opening Day roster inclusion would require the removal of another player.
“The way the ’19 season went, and then not playing during COVID, and last year,” Barraclough said, “… it gave me a different perspective. When things are going bad, it’s like, ‘at least I’m not at home not playing like in 2020.’ It helped mentally, too, just approaching it that way.”
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Barraclough, 32, has seven strikeouts in four spring training innings. He’s pitched well, and there’s the allure of his 2015-17 seasons, when he was one of the game’s better relievers. He said injuries and the league catching up to him played a role in his struggles in recent years, but he feels as though he’s back on track.
Herget is also an intriguing option for the Angels. He played for the team in the latter portion of the 2021 season and has a 4.23 ERA over three big-league seasons. More importantly, he brings a different look to the bullpen, with his funky delivery factoring into his repertoire.
“A unique delivery with good stuff, and this guy’s a really good athlete,” Maddon said, referring in part to Herget’s golf game. “Not afraid. Give me the ball, big moment. Leave me alone.”
Then there’s the ultimate wild card — Ty Buttrey. He said on Thursday that he feels as though he can get MLB hitters out now, and is only a couple weeks away from being ready to make an MLB roster.
Buttrey retired from baseball a year ago. He missed the 2021 season, but announced in January that he intended to return. The word on his performance in spring thus far has been positive. But he’s still on the restricted list, and so he can’t pitch in MLB spring training games. He also anticipates that a decision needs to be made on whether to put him on the 40-man roster, which would necessitate another player being removed.
“It’s just reps, I need more time,” Buttrey said. “I need more hitters. I need to continue getting in the best shape I can get. So, it’s just hard to say. It’s up to them to decide. I just know the last game I pitched in the minor leagues, I felt really, really good.”
Buttrey, 29, now says he wants to pitch until he’s 40 years old, if not longer, because of his new perspective on the game. He said he felt like he didn’t have a good process or routine. That’s where he’s improved.
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He doesn’t know what the next few days will hold. He’s likely to either stay in Arizona or go play at a minor-league affiliate but said he hasn’t yet communicated with the Angels front office about a plan.
“I obviously have a little bit more work to do,” Buttrey said. “I don’t think I’m far off at all. But I’m also looking at this as pitching for the next 11 years. And if I have to miss a month or two of MLB or Triple A or Double-A ball, that’s completely OK with me.”
Ohtani makes final spring start
Shohei Ohtani’s final spring start seemed like a logical first go-around for “The Ohtani Rule” — the new rule allowing pitchers to be the DH, and for the DH to stay in play even after a pitcher exits.
But, as of mid-morning Thursday, the rule had yet to be finalized and announced by the league. Then the Angels lineup was posted. Only an hour later, the league finalized the rule that was first reported on a week prior. Maddon joked that the league must have seen the Angels lineup before making the change.
“That rule is going to be great,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I can be aggressive both on hitting and pitching-wise. I don’t really have to think about later on in the game.”
Ohtani threw 3 1/3 innings and 65 pitches on Thursday. He walked three, gave up three runs and two hits, and collected four strikeouts.
Despite the lack of command at times, Ohtani said he was pleased to get through his final start. Maddon has previously said he expects Ohtani to be able to throw 90 pitches on Opening Day, and Ohtani said he’s willing to go as long as his manager wants him to throw.
Ohtani will throw bullpens and bat as the DH in a couple games before Opening Day. But he seems ready for the season, and is happy to have a healthy Mike Trout hitting behind him as the Angels look for their first postseason with Ohtani on the team.
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“I think all of us are really confident that we can make the playoffs this year,” Ohtani said. “… I think the key is staying healthy throughout the whole season. If we can do that, I like our chances.”
Angels Extras
• Infielders Luis Rengifo and Andrew Velazquez, catcher Matt Thaiss, and right-handers Andrew Wantz and Janson Junk were all optioned to minor-league camp. Several of those players were in serious consideration for a big-league job. Maddon said Rengifo still needs to work on his defensive consistency.
• Maddon said the Angels have determined who will be the team’s No. 6 starting pitcher but didn’t announce the decision. The competition is between Reid Detmers and Jaime Barria. Detmers is scheduled to make a Cactus League start on Friday.
• Maddon said the Angels will not employ an innings limit of any kind on starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who only pitched two innings each of the last two seasons. Maddon said the way Ohtani was used successfully in 2021 is a good blueprint for how Syndergaard can be handled successfully.
• Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt was in attendance at the Angels’ game Thursday to watch Ohtani play. He’d tweeted a week prior about wanting to see the two-way star pitch in spring training.
• Justin Upton hit two home runs, including a grand slam, on Thursday. He totaled six RBIs.
(Photo of Brian Moran: Rick Scuteri / USA TODAY)
