TEMPE, Ariz. — Logan O’Hoppe did not hold back when describing the impact he believes Sal Fasano will have on the collaboration of Angels pitchers and catchers.
“He has completely changed the game and made a night and day difference with how things have been going, with the game planning and the simplicity of it all,” the Angels catcher of the team’s new assistant pitching coach.
O’Hoppe then added that he’s not one to loosely toss around such superlatives: “I don’t give that out.”
Although spring training is the time for even the most downtrodden of teams to speak optimistically, the way that the Angels talk about Fasano goes beyond the normal cliches.
“Tremendous,” said catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who worked with Fasano for five years with the Atlanta Braves.
“Awesome, man. Unbelievable,” said right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who is getting to know him for the first time.
“A big impact,” said manager Ron Washington, who worked with Fasano in Atlanta. “He’s one of the best at preparing a game plan. He’s one of the best at implementing a game plan. … He’s a big addition to our staff and to our game planning.”
Fasano is not the traditional hire. Even though his title is “assistant pitching coach,” he was not a pitcher. Fasano was a catcher for 11 seasons in the big leagues — including playing two games with the 2002 Angels.
Immediately after his playing career, he began managing in the Toronto Blue Jays system. Eventually, the Blue Jays moved him into a role working with Blue Jays minor league pitchers. Angels general manager Perry Minasian was working in the Blue Jays’ front office at the time.
After Minasian moved on to the Braves, Fasano followed. This time he landed a job on the big league staff working with pitchers and catchers.
“Pitching coaches who were pitchers, they talk to them like they were a pitcher,” Fasano said. “I get a chance to talk to them like a catcher, with the perspective of hitting. I wasn’t that great of a hitter.”
Fasano hit .221 with 47 homers, although one of them was a legendary monster blast that broke a window at the Oakland Coliseum.
In his roles at the plate and squatting behind it, Fasano knew plenty about the way pitchers got hitters out.
Since he’s been coaching in the big leagues, his job has been to help pitchers learn how to use their stuff most effectively.
“You literally have the battery, the pitching coach and the catching coach, or me, game plan guy, talking to a pitcher with both directions,” Fasano said. “One from the back, one from the front, with a hitter’s perspective too. So I think it adds a little bit of uniqueness to it.”
Fasano said in Atlanta he took the game plan devised by the Braves analytics team and helped to translate it into a simple, actionable, plan for the catcher. With the eyes of a former big leaguer, Fasano said he can also tell from the dugout when the pregame plan needs to be adjusted.
“It’s like Mike Tyson said, ‘Everybody’s got a plan till they get punched in the face,’” Fasano said. “A lot of times that happens in the first, second, third inning. Sometimes it’s not till late, but having the ability to adjust on the fly is really, I think, the separator. At least it was for us in Atlanta. I don’t know how it’s gonna go here. I’m hoping it’s the same thing.
“Everybody has great information. It’s just the application part. And then when can we adjust from it. So if we have to adjust, we adjust. We’re trying to teach the kids. What if you don’t have your best pitch? What are you gonna do? You can’t just suck your thumb on the mound and start crying. You gotta find a way to compete and understand how your other stuff plays, too.”
Angels pitchers did not perform well, as a group, last year. Their 4.56 ERA ranked 25th in the majors. They walked 3.8 per nine innings (29th). To that mix they’ve added veterans Yusei Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen and Hendricks.
Those pitchers are all on the other side of 30, so their performances alone aren’t likely to turn the Angels into a playoff-caliber pitching staff. The bigger boost, the Angels hope, will be getting more out of the young pitchers.
And a large part of that involves Fasano.
“He’s going to bring out the best in a lot of people,” d’Arnaud said. “He’s very good at analogies and teaching people so they understand a certain idea. He’s very good at relating to the player, which is ultimately the sign of a good teacher.”
So far, Fasano likes the students he’s got.
“When I saw the arms we have, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m in the right place,’” Fasano said. “I was super excited to be here. … The city of Anaheim really could use a winner. It’s been a while. Hopefully we get them to the playoffs. I’m expecting to go to the playoffs.”
BACHMAN STALLED
Right-hander Sam Bachman said he’s currently “working through a little bit of stuff,” so he’s not sure when he’ll be able to pitch in Cactus League games. He said he’s “not sure” if he’ll need to seek further medical opinions.
Bachman, the Angels’ first-round pick in 2021, has endured a series of physical issues in his young pro career, from a back problem in 2022 to shoulder surgery in 2023. Last season Bachman pitched just 61 ⅔ innings in the minors, and none in the majors. He was initially scheduled to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but the Angels decided to have him rest.
At the start of camp, Bachman said he was feeling good, and he’d lost about 15 pounds.
NOTES
Manager Ron Washington was away from the team for a second straight day because of the illness that has ripped through the clubhouse. Coaches Ryan Goins and Jayson Nix were also out on Tuesday. Bench coach Ray Montgomery filled in for Washington at the game on Tuesday afternoon. …
Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz is also sick, putting his scheduled start on Thursday in question. Caden Dana, who pitched the same day as Kochanowicz the first time through the rotation, would be the most obvious choice to start on Thursday if Kochanowicz can’t.