Angels Players Feeling 'Good Vibes' in First Spring Training Without Shohei Ohtani
Expectations for the Los Angeles Angels this season are low without Shohei Ohtani, but the Angels are ready to turn the page and start something new without him.
On Tuesday afternoon, players were scattered across the fields in Tempe, Ariz., a normal sight for spring training — but this was the day before the first official workout.
With only three reporters on hand instead of the 50 that were there in years past for Ohtani, "reporting day" turned into a small workout instead of physicals and maybe a game of catch.
“Physical day is always the worst because you’re home at 11 and have nothing to do for the rest of the day," Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe said. "It’s nice to have a workout today. We’re all hitting the ground running.”
Catcher Logan O'Hoppe and pitcher Patrick Sandoval agreed that the day had a different feel and that it was the start of something new.
“I’ve been on here for about a month and there’s been a lot of guys coming in,” Sandoval said. “The vibes here are really good. The guys are ready to work. I think the just the overall vibe around the guys of getting our work in is a little bit different this year for some reason.”
The Angels are coming off a disappointing 73-win season and are out to prove that they are better than that.
“I definitely still have that bad taste in my mouth from last year. None of us forgot what that was like. We all talked a lot over the offseason. We put a plan in place to change it going forward. Even though today is Day One, I feel like we’ve been doing it for weeks, just keeping in touch with one another and talking about the right things. It’s on the right track.”
It will take a lot more than inspirational words and text messages for the Angels to have a successful season. With low expectations from outsiders, the Halos may fly under the radar through Spring Training and surprise a few folks when the season starts. After all, they still have Mike Trout.
