2026 looks likely to be another year of the Angels more or less spinning their wheels. With minimal changes to the roster coming off a 90 loss season (even in spite of a relatively healthy season for Mike Trout), the Halos will need a lot to go their way if they’re going to have any hope of being competitive this year.
One of the first things that the team will need to decide is who’s going to play second base. Luis Rengifo walked in free agency, leaving a hole at the keystone. Rather than bring in a more surefire addition like Gleyber Torres or Brandon Lowe, the Angels settled on having a number of players battle for the job this spring. In all, there are half a dozen candidates for reps still in camp. The Halos are surely hoping that one of those names will rise above the pack and run with the job, but who might that be?
Christian Moore is a former top-10 pick in the draft and top-100 prospect in the sport. He made it to the majors last year after rocketing through the minors in a speedy fashion that’s become typical for Halos prospects in recent years. He seemed to hit a wall once he reached the big leagues. In 53 games as a major leaguer, he hit just .198/.284/.370 with a wRC+ of 82. That first stint in the majors was far from a disaster, especially for a player who played all of last year at 22 years old. But a 33.7% strikeout rate suggests he might not be quite ready for the show yet, and his difficult spring (.175/.233/.250 in 40 at-bats) certainly isn’t helping matters. While Moore undoubtedly remains a big part of the club’s plans, it would not be a shock if the team decided he needs more time to develop in the minors.
Pivoting away from Moore would open the door to a cadre of non-roster veterans and out of options pieces on the 40-man roster bubble. Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom must either be carried on the roster or be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers. Peraza is regarded as a better defender than Grissom, capable of handling not only second base but also the hot corner and shortstop if needed. While Peraza hasn’t hit much in his career and is coming off a putrid .164/.223/.250 showing, Grissom has a below average hitter (82 wRC+) for his career and didn’t crack the majors last season as he posted middling numbers in Triple-A for the Red Sox. What’s more, Peraza is having a very strong camp with a .324/.378/.647 slash line in 37 trips to he plate. Grissom is carrying a .185/.333/.269 line across 33 plate appearances.
While Peraza appears to be a real threat to make the roster, it’s possible the Angels would prefer to keep him in a utility role given his ability to back up Zach Neto at shortstop and Yoan Moncada at third base. If that’s the case, they could turn towards their group of non-roster veterans. Nick Madrigal, Adam Frazier, and Chris Taylor all have ample experience at the keystone and are in camp on minor league deals. Taylor hasn’t hit much at all in either of the past two years, however, and while he’s had a solid camp (.241/.389/.483 in 36 plate appearances), he might be better suited for a bench role given his trademark versatility.
Frazier is in a similar boat as a player who has hit an excellent .353/.476/.412 in ten spring games. He could be an interesting choice if the team wants to add another lefty bat to their heavily right-handed lineup, but he could also be tapped to serve as a lefty bench bat with relative ease given his ability to play both second base and the outfield. As for Madrigal, he’s coming off a lost season due to injury. The former top prospect can play decent defense at either second or third base. While he’s a career .274/.323/.344 (88 wRC+) hitter in the majors, he brings an unique proclivity for contact to the table as evidenced by his career strikeout rate of just 9.0%. In 23 spring plate appearances, he’s hit a solid .333/.391/.429.
One wild card in the second base mix could be veteran infielder Jeimer Candelario. Candelario has played almost his whole career on the infield corners, with his pro experience at the keystone limited to just two innings of work in the Dominican Winter League over half a decade ago. That would make the 32-year-old an unorthodox choice to take over at second, especially given that he hit just .113/.198/.213 (10 wRC+) in 80 plate appearances with the Reds last year. Despite those question marks, Candelario’s solid camp (.267/.353/.567 in 32 plate appearances) has seemingly impressed Angels brass enough to give him a look at the position to see if he can be squeezed onto the roster. Whether the team will feel confident enough in Candelario’s ability to handle second base to actually give him regular reps at the position remains to be seen, however.
How do MLBTR readers think the Angels will settle their second base battle. Will they give the keys to Moore for another extended run right out of the gate? Or will they pivot to another option like Peraza, Frazier, or Madrigal? Could they roll the dice on Candelario despite his lack of experience? Have your say in the poll below:
Wow! Zero votes for Chris Taylor?!?
There’s six as of my post.
And no, he won’t be the starting 2nd baseman. It will either be Moore or Frasier, depending on what happens with 3rd.
Does it really matter?
Does anything?
I think it’s only appropriate that the Angel’s starting 2nd base job should be determined by a poll.
Honestly, if all their upper managerial decisions were made via poll, they’d probably have more success.
Who cares? They won’t be good anyways
My sentiments exactly sir! More to the point, What difference does it make? LOL
Nobody we have heard of
What’s on second.
If you haven’t heard of any of those people in the poll, it explains so much about your comments on here. Try the hockey rumors site. Maybe you know enough about that sport to comment intelligently there.
I did a write in vote for Bobby Grich, hope that was okay. 🤣
No way he beats out Johnny Ray.
Adam Kennedy was underrated.
You could see this coming from a mile away. 200 Ks/600 ABs in AA, 200 Ks/600 in AAA. Is it a surprise that he averaged 230 Ks/600 ABs in the pros? How many times do they need to see this movie before remembering how it ends?
Nice article Nick Deeds – I voted for Nick Madrigal as the starter but its hard to fend off Frazier. A bench of D’Arnaud, Siri, Frazier and Peraza would be solid.
After reading the article, Im leaning towards cutting Taylor, Candelario and Grissom. Moore in AAA.
You are not leaning towards anything because you are not in the Angels FO. In fact, almost everything you say is the exact opposite of reality.
It should be Frazier. He’s the most established and doesn’t strike out a ton. This team is horrible with K’s.
But this is not a well run organization. Moore will continue to get to swing at everything simply due to his draft status.
Old has-beens shouldn’t get playing time.
Frazier put up more WAR last year than the rest of the list combined.
He’s also you get than Mike Trout
Madrigal has been surprisingly good. No, he doesn’t hit HR’s, but he’s a pest who can play good defense.
When I looked up his numbers on BB-Ref, it reminds me that he actually was decent with the White Sox, batting .300 and hitting doubles.
Then the Cubs happened.
I have no idea what happened with the Cubs, but I wouldn’t hate it if he made the team and got some reps at 2B.
Moore needs to develop at AAA, the Angels aren’t a playoff team, so, I mean, why the hell not give Madrigal a shot?
He spent his whole time on the Cubs on the IL or rehab, That’s what happened.
I might be in the minority of Cub fans that enjoyed Nick Madrigal’s time with the Cubs. Nicky 2 Strikes and Nicky Barrels is what myself and a few other Cub fans called him. Social media fan community.
What a well-thought out post, considering Grissom is injured and has been for some time. Can’t hit well if your left wrist is hurt.
I thought who was on 1st?
Wild Wing? The Philly Fanatic? Joe Blow Tornado the parking attendant? The Starting 2B at St John Bosco High?
Every last one of them can hit better than the MLB roster trash we call a lineup
My point is who cares. They are not going to make a difference in a 110 loss season
is it too late to trade for and overpay luis garcia jr ?since they’ve done so well with ex-nationals in the past
A random bullpen prospect is an overly for Garcia. He’s terrible. He’s slow, terrible on defense, and doesn’t take a walk.
Just use Peraza since he’s out of options and send Moore to the minors to work on his approach at the plate. You don’t need to promote every high draft pick to save your job, Perry. You are already on thin ice. Might as well let Candy play 1b a send Schanuel down, he’s cheeks.
It will be Moore. That is not the best choice, but it is the Arte choice.