Angels non-roster invitees to 2021 spring training

With the first spring training workout set for the Angels on February 17 at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona, the team announced its non-roster invitees to big league camp.

There are 26 non-roster players in camp, including 11 pitchers. Included in the group are six players who played in the majors in 2020, plus top prospects like Reid Detmers, Jordyn Adams, and Jeremiah Jackson. The non-roster invitees range in age from 21 (Livan Soto, Adams) to 36 (Junior Guerra, Jon Jay).

Coupled with the full 40-man roster, there are 66 players expected in Angels major league camp. The first full-squad workout for the Angels is February 22.

The Angels open their Cactus League schedule on Saturday, February 27 against the Giants in Scottsdale.

Here are the non-roster invitees in Angels camp.

Pitchers (11)

Denny Brady
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 24
How acquired: 2017 draft, 7th round
Cut date: March 17

Brady spent time at the alternate training site at Long Beach State in 2020, and in 2019 posted a 3.64 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 76⅔ innings at Class-A Inland Empire.

Davis Daniel
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (minors)
2020 highest level: n/a
2021 age: 24
How acquired: 2019 draft, 7th round
Cut date: March 17

Daniel has yet to throw a pitch as a professional, after Tommy John surgery in 2019 in his final season at Auburn.

Reid Detmers
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: n/a
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 21
How acquired: 2020 draft, 1st round

The 10th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Louisville, Detmers is the Angels’ top pitching prospect, named to top-100 lists in baseball by Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, and The Athletic.

Jake Faria
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Brewers (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 27
How acquired: Minor league FA, Nov. 23, 2020

The right-hander in parts of three seasons (2017-19) with the Rays and Brewers has a 4.54 ERA and 4.77 FIP in 170⅓ innings, mixing time between the rotation (26 starts) and bullpen (23 relief appearances). Faria tweeted in December, “I grew up in Anaheim and my dream of being a big leaguer started at The Big A ... I’ve wanted nothing more than to wear ‘Angels’ across my chest while representing my hometown and I’m thankful to finally have that opportunity.”

Junior Guerra
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: D-backs
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 36
How acquired: Minor league FA
Added to 40-man roster: March 16

Guerra started 60 games from 2016-18 with Milwaukee, but in an exclusively relief role the last two years with the Brewers and Diamondbacks, Guerra had a 3.44 ERA and 4.43 FIP in 107⅓ innings.

Brendan McCurry
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Astros (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 29
How acquired: Minor league FA, November 17, 2020

The right-hander had a 4.23 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 55⅓, innings for Triple-A Round Rock in 2019.

Packy Nauhgton
Bats R, throws L
2020 spring training: Reds (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 25
How acquired: Trade (Cincinnati), August 31, 2020

The Angels got Naughton from the Reds in the Brian Goodwin trade last August, and he spent the final month of the season at the alternate training site in Long Beach.

Thomas Pannone
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: Blue Jays
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 27
How acquired: Minor league FA, Nov. 16, 2020

The left-hander has been homer prone in his two major league seasons, posting a 5.43 ERA with 20 home runs allowed in 116 innings for Toronto in 2018-19. In his 13 major league starts he has a 7.31 ERA and 16-percent strikeout rate, but was much more effective in his 36 relief outings, posting a 3.40 ERA and 23-percent K rate.

Dillon Peters
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: Angels
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 28
How acquired: Trade (Miami), November 21, 2018

Peters made a spot start for the Angels in 2020, allowing four runs in 1... innings in his only major league appearance of the season. Peters was designated for assignment on February 8 when the Angels acquired pitcher Aaron Slegers from Tampa Bay. Peters cleared waivers on February 12, and was sent outright to the minors, and invited to camp as a non-roster invitee.

Jake Reed
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Twins (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 28
How acquired: Minor league FA, Nov. 16, 2020

Reed played baseball at Helix High School in San Diego. He had a 5.76 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 75 innings in Triple-A Rochester in 2019.

Ben Rowen
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Braves (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 32
How acquired: Minor league FA, Dec. 14, 2020

The submariner last pitched in the majors in 2016 with Milwaukee. At his best in the minors, Rowen had ground ball rates in the high 60s and low 70s percent, but between Triple-A and Double-A from 2017-19 that lowered to 45 percent. The Angels are the fourth team for which Rowen has been a non-roster invitee to spring training in the last five years, along with the Mets (2017), Reds (2018), and Braves (2020).

Catchers (5)

Juan Graterol
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Twins (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 32
How acquired: Minor league FA, Dec. 29, 2020

Graterol spent his 2020 at the Twins alternate training site, after parts of four seasons in the majors. In three of those years (2016-18), Graterol was with the Angels, starting a total of 30 games behind the plate for them.

Jack Kruger
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 26
How acquired: 2016 draft, 20th round
Cut date: March 17

Kruger was a non-roster invitee in Angels camp last year and spent time at Long Beach State during the season.

Anthony Mulrine
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2019 draft, 25th round

A Samford man.

Keinner Piña
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 24
How acquired: International FA, October 17, 2013
Cut date: March 17

The Angels signed Piña out of Venezuela. This is his third year as a non-roster invitee in Tempe.

Harrison Wenson
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 26
How acquired: 2017 draft, 24th round
Cut date: March 17

Drafted out of the University of Michigan, this is Wenson’s second straight non-roster invitation to camp.

Infielders (5)

Phil Gosselin
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Phillies (NRI)
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 32
How acquired: Minor league FA

Gosselin has played for six major league teams in his eight seasons, and has started games at every position except center field, pitcher, and catcher.

Jeremiah Jackson
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 21
How acquired: 2018 draft, 2nd round
Cut date: March 17

Jackson was rated the Angels’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball Prospectus.

Jose Rojas
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 28
How acquired: 2016 draft, 36th round

Rojas is the only Vanguard University player drafted by the Angels.

Livan Soto
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 21
How acquired: International FA, December 15, 2017
Cut date: March 17

Signed out of Venezuela, this is Soto’s first big league camp.

Kean Wong
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Giants
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 26
How acquired: Minor league FA, Nov. 17, 2020

Wong was briefly an Angel for the final week of the 2019 season, going 0-for-4 with a run scored in his only game with the team. The utility man has played mostly second base, but also saw time at third base and in left field.

Outfielders (5)

Jordyn Adams
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 21
How acquired: 2018 draft, 1st round
Cut date: March 17

Adams was ranked the 76th-best prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus, with Brandon Williams writing in December, “Adams is an elite defender in center field and continues to develop his dynamic offensive game. The speed, agility, and soft hands that made him a highly recruited prep wide receiver are apparent as he ranges gap-to-gap on defense.”

Jon Jay
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: D-backs (NRI)
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 36
How acquired: Minor league FA, February 11, 2021

Jay started 88 games for Joe Maddon’s Cubs in 2017, playing all three outfield positions. Jay was just 8 for 50 (.160/.211/.240) in limited duty with Arizona in 2020.

Juan Lagares
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Mets (NRI)
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 32
How acquired: Minor league FA

Lagares only played in two games in 2020, totaling three innings on defense and no at-bats. He’s a true defensive center fielder but has only hit .254/.297/.361 in his eight major league seasons. Against lefties Lagares has been better, hitting .264/.313/.390, a 93 wRC+, in his career.

Brennon Lund
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 26
How acquired: 2016 draft, 11th round
Cut date: March 17

The center fielder from BYU hit .284/.350/.455 with 26 doubles and eight home runs for Triple-A Salt Lake in 2019.

Scott Schebler
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Reds
2020 highest level: MLB (Braves)
2021 age: 30
How acquired: Minor league FA, Nov. 20, 2020

Schebler struggled in 2019 and spent a large chunk of the season in Triple-A, then got only one major league at-bat in 2020. He had a productive 2016-18 with Cincinnati, and in his career doesn’t have huge platoon splits — a 99 wRC+ vs. right-handers, and 93 wRC+ vs. lefties. Schebler would earn a reported $900,000 if in the majors.