The Angels' Grounds Crew Built a Pitching Mound for a Rangers Pitcher

Michael Lorenzen is out to prove himself. The former Los Angeles Angels pitcher and current member of the Texas Rangers said his free-agent experience motivated him, leaving him with a definite chip on his shoulder.

In a phone interview with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Monday, Lorenzen said he was “pretty frustrated, for sure” by the tepid interest he generated on the open market. He recalled telling his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, “‘I’m going to call you before every start and you’re going to remind me how this offseason went so I go out there and pitch remembering exactly how I feel at this moment.’”

Lorenzen has channeled his energy into a positive force for a Rangers rotation that has been without Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle all season, and Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray for part of it.

Lorenzen has a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts and will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in his next start on Thursday. Credit an assist to the Angels' grounds crew for his productive season.

Lorenzen told Rosenthal he had the Angels grounds crew build major-league quality mounds in his backyard in Orange County. He also asked Kyle Boddy, the founder of Driveline Baseball, to help him build a lab in his backyard.

It isn't clear when the mounds were erected; the Orange County native played for the Angels in 2022, his first full season as a starter. Perhaps that's when the extracurricular work was done. Lorenzen signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers in Dec. 2022.

The Phillies honored Michael Lorenzen for throwing a no-hitter last year in his return to Citizens Bank Park. ❤️

(Via: @BallySportsSW)pic.twitter.com/KuJ84qzgUI
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 21, 2024

Clearly, though, the gift from the Angels has paid dividends beyond Lorenzen's time with the organization. Now that Lorenzen is pitching for an American League West rival, it's a gift the Angels might want to take back.