The Good and the Bad from Angels at Padres Today

Early Spring Training statistics can generally be taken with a huge grain of salt, but there are some that matter a ton. When you're a guy like George Klassen trying to make the club, they matter.

And while individual games can be chalked up to players being rusty, team wide themes are still important. So let's take a look at the good and bad from today's game against the Padres in Peoria.

George Klassen was really good.

Angels pitching has been far from stellar so far in the Cactus League so it was great to see George Klassen announce his presence with authority. He mowed through the heart of the Padres lineup quickly and efficiently.

George Klassen's first inning today was probably the best inning any Angels pitcher has had so far this spring (considering the competition).

He went 1-2-3 against Bogaerts, Machado (K), Merrill (K).

13 pitches, 9 strikes. FB averaged 98.1 mph
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 25, 2026

For a lot of fans, this was their first glimpse of Klassen. He impressed and with the fifth starter role wide open, that is a big thing. If you want a visual, check out this filth.

George Klassen, 91mph Slider ⚔️ and 99mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/W6sAcFsYVu
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 25, 2026

Christian Moore had the biggest Angels hit of the game.

In Spring Training it is often when you get the hit that matters. In Christian Moore's case he took Michael King deep. Up until this point King was dealing and had completed back to back perfect innings.

Getting a blast off Michael King is simply more significant than getting that same hit later in the game against AAA roster filler. Christian Moore was good today.

first spring ball blast for CMo 💥 pic.twitter.com/NnwTkptYfV
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) February 25, 2026

Hunter Strickland had another good outing.

Strickland and the Angels always seem to reunite. This year he is in camp on a minor league deal but he looks like a lock to make the Major League bullpen. Strickland recorded his second scoreless inning in as many appearances.

The fact the Angels had Strickland pitch early in the game when San Diego still had most of its regulars in the lineup is a clear sign they are planning on bringing him to Anaheim.

Sam Bachman had a really good outing.

Bachman pitched a perfectly clean inning. Three up, three down and two retired via strikeout. At this stage in his career Bachman looks like a bullpen or bust type guy so having a nice inning today is a good sign.

The strikeouts are really, really bad.

Last season the Angels led all of MLB in strikeouts. In fact, the Angels hitters struck out the second most times of any club in MLB history.

Today the Angels added another fourteen strikeouts, many of them by starting players. Moore had two K's to go with his dinger. Soler and Adell struck out back to back early in the game.

Every single Angels starter struck out at least once. Doing so this early in camp when pitchers are focusing on fastballs and not fully up to speed is a bad sign.

Chris Cortez had a really bad appearance.

Cortez is a young guy with great heat and questionable command. He had a bad appearance today. It wasn't his first and won't be his last. He's in camp to get to work with pitching coach Mike Maddux and improve as a player. Getting shelled in a Cactus League game is part of the growing process. He'll either get better or he won't make the Majors.