TEMPE, Ariz. — Every big leaguer lives on the razor’s edge.
One hand, every one of them strives to keep getting better, no matter how much he has achieved. But any change to their mechanics can potentially backfire, sending their performance the other way.
Ryan Noda is Exhibit A of the latter.
After putting up impressive numbers in the minors in 2021 and 2022 and a strong debut in the majors in 2023, Noda and the Oakland A’s collaborated on a changed approach that failed miserably.
“I think it took about 70 at-bats until realizing it wasn’t going to work,” said Noda, who is now in camp with the Angels. “I kind of knew early that I wasn’t feeling comfortable. But at that point, I was just ‘Let’s see if we can ride it out.’”
Noda, 28, is a left-handed hitting first baseman with the prototypical three-true-outcomes approach. Many of his plate appearances are strikeouts, walks or homers.
After the A’s grabbed him from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft, Noda successfully parlayed those skills into a productive rookie season in 2023. He hit .229, but he had an impressive .364 on-base percentage. His 16 homers helped him to an OPS of .770, which made him a better than average big league hitter.
In 2024, the A’s wanted to get Noda to shift his weight more toward the front side, to “catch everything out front,” he said.
He was hitting .128 with a .440 OPS when the A’s sent him to Triple-A in early May. He had struck out in 32 of his 100 plate appearances, with 12 walks. He hit only one homer.
Noda spent almost the entire season in the minors. He said he didn’t want “a band-aid fix” that would get him back to the majors, instead looking for a sustainable return to the swing he had in 2023.
After the season, the Angels claimed Noda on waivers.
Now, Noda said he’s returned to swinging the way he did in his rookie year, and in his final two seasons in the Dodgers system. He combined for 54 homers, a .390 on-base percentage and an .885 OPS at the top two levels of the Dodgers farm system.
“I feel like I’m back to ’22 and ’23, seeing the ball well, seeing it early and often, and just being ready to attack and where I’m looking in my zones,” Noda said. “Now it’s just kind of keeping it going, being more consistent with it, being on time, more consistent with the barrel control and all the aspects of how to get on base and hit the ball hard.”
So far in spring training he’s 2 for 10, with five walks and five strikeouts. He has not hit a homer yet.
Noda and Niko Kavadas have similar profiles, so both are competing for a spot as first baseman Nolan Schanuel’s backup. Both can also play the corner outfield spots. Both are left-handed hitters, just like Schanuel. If the Angels want a right-handed hitting complement to Schanuel, J.D. Davis could be the choice. If the Angels don’t keep any of them, Schanuel’s backup would probably be catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
LOOKING TO STICK
Right-hander Shaun Anderson had an eye-opening outing on Sunday, when he struck out six in two innings. The only blemish was a solo homer.
Anderson, 30, has pitched 69 big league games with seven teams. In 2019, his rookie season, he pitched 96 innings with the San Francisco Giants as a starter and reliever, but since then he’s been passed around the majors, trying to find his footing.
He’s in camp on a minor league deal, and so far he’s encouraged that some recent changes have paid dividends.
This winter he began throwing a splitter, and he also changed the way he throws his cutter and sweeper. He said he’s learned a lot about himself in just a few weeks working with the Angels staff and around veterans like Kenley Jansen and Kyle Hendricks.
“I feel like I’ve learned the most from these guys in the last two weeks, and I’ve learned a lot in my career,” Anderson said. “The biggest thing is just simplifying it all. I’ve always had a large arsenal but didn’t really know how to maximize it. I feel great. I feel I’m able to attack the strike zone a lot better.”
Anderson is among a handful of pitchers competing for a few spots in the Angels’ bullpen. The locks for the eight-man bullpen are Jansen, right-hander Ben Joyce and left-handers Brock Burke and José Quijada.
There are probably eight or nine pitchers who could make a case for the other spots, led by right-handers Ryan Zeferjahn and Hans Crouse. If left-hander José Suarez continues to do what he’s done through his two outings (four innings, one earned run, no walks), he’s likely to stick as the long reliever.
NOTES
Manager Ron Washington acknowledged that Jo Adell has had issues so far this spring in his adjustment to center field. “He’s growing,” Washington said. “Gotta grow. I think I remember last spring people were complaining about him playing right field. It’s an everyday process. There’s growth and he’s gonna get to it. We’re gonna keep working with him to get there.” …
Right-hander Robert Stephenson, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, said his rehab continues to go well. He’s now up to 90 mph in bullpen sessions. He’s only throwing fastballs still. Stephenson is not expecting to face hitters until April. He’s eligible to come off the injured list in late May. …
Shortstop Zach Neto continues playing catch with Angels’ athletic trainers. He asked Washington to evaluate his technique on Monday. “He’s got people watching his stroke that don’t know anything about stroke,” Washington said. “Today I’m gonna go watch his stroke to make sure that he’s staying natural.” Neto said last week he’s throwing at a distance of 60 feet. He needs to get out to 120 feet before he can start throwing to first from shortstop. Neto will miss the start of the season because of his rehab from shoulder surgery.