Inside the Angels’ clubhouse at Tempe Diablo Stadium this spring were three potent reminders that baseball scouts make mistakes.
At one end of the room sat Dustin Ackley, the second selection in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, who received one of the largest contracts ever committed to an amateur ballplayer. A bust with the Seattle Mariners, he was in camp as a non-roster invitee, trying to stick as a utilityman.
At another end of the room was Tony Sanchez, the fourth pick in 2009, another non-roster invitee. He was thought to be ticketed for triple-A and was hoping to be the first catcher the Angels call up to the majors in the event of an injury.