TEMPE, Ariz. — Carlos Estévez went into the winter with a very specific plan for improving on what went wrong last season.
Although Estévez made the All-Star team and finished with 31 saves in his first season as the Angels closer, the taste that was left in his mouth was the rough finish.
Estévez had a 1.88 ERA and he had converted all 23 of his save opportunities through July, but he blew four save chances and had an 8.38 ERA over the final two months. He said last September that he thought he was fatigued because the physical demands of pitching the ninth proved to be more than he was accustomed to in pitching earlier in the game.
So this winter, Estévez changed his workout routine.
“I started a little bit earlier and I started doing more interval exercises, explosive with less rest, just to get used to the intensity of the ninth inning,” he said. “At the beginning, I was beat up. But I got used to it and I feel really good about it. Hopefully it’s going to pay off. It will pay off. That’s the way I see it.”
Estévez, 31, didn’t expect that he’d need to do anything differently after pitching six seasons in the majors. In fact, he’d figured it might be easier getting out of the high altitude of Colorado, where he’d been for his entire career up until last year.
“People think that once you’re a big leaguer, you’ve got everything figured out, but you’ve still got to make adjustments,” Estévez said. “That’s why you’re in the big leagues, because you can make adjustments the fastest. That’s what I believe.”
Estévez said now that his “arm feels in better shape” than it normally would at this time of year. He cautioned, however, that the results may not show up in Arizona.
“I’m a really bad starter in spring training,” said Estévez, who gave up nine runs and issued 10 walks in 7-2/3 innings last spring.
Angels manager Ron Washington said they currently have Estévez penciled in as their closer. This year, however, they have at least one viable alternative if Estévez gets in a slump. Robert Stephenson, who signed a three-year, $33-million deal last month, was arguably the best reliever in baseball over the second half of last season. He finished with a 3.10 ERA in 52-1/3 innings, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays.
CAUGHT ON VIDEO
Eyebrows were raised when right-hander Trevor Bauer released a video on YouTube that was filmed at the Angels complex in Tempe. The video is a mostly comical clip with Bauer pitching against some of his friends.
One of the hitters in the video, however, was Angels infielder Michael Stefanic.
Stefanic said on Sunday that he works out at the same facility as Bauer, and he took the opportunity to get some live at-bats against him. Stefanic said he “was told it was cleared” for Bauer to use the Angels complex, but he didn’t know who cleared it.
It’s unclear how Bauer ended up getting permission to use the field, but Angels management did not invite him.
For what it’s worth, Stefanic said that Bauer looked good.
“He’s nasty,” Stefanic said. “He’s always been nasty. I don’t think there’s any doubt about the pitcher that he is.”
Bauer, the 2020 Cy Young winner, remains unsigned, after pitching last year in Japan. Bauer was suspended from major league baseball because of allegations of sexual assault, but he was never found guilty in a criminal court. Bauer was originally suspended for 324 games, but an arbitrator reduced the suspension to 194 and cleared him to pitch again.
NOTES
Everyone on the roster is expected to participate in the first full-squad workout on Monday, with the exception of infielder Miguel Sanó and right-hander José Cisnero. Both players are dealing with visa issues leaving the Dominican Republic. Both are expected to be in camp in about a week. …
Luis Rengifo, who checked in to camp on Sunday, said that he’s been doing full workouts since late December. Rengifo had his season ended in early September because of surgery to repair a torn biceps muscle. …
The Angels claimed infielder Livan Soto on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, bringing back a player they had lost on waivers last month. José Quijada, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Soto.