While the Angels stumbled to their sixth straight season missing the playoffs in 2020, minor league field coordinator Chad Tracy witnessed the team’s future blossom a few miles up the road.
At the team’s alternate training site in Long Beach, Tracy worked with many of the club’s top prospects, compensating for the loss of a minor league season with a uniquely structured camp.
“They just got a lot of individual attention while they were there,” Tracy said. “And they got a lot better.”
That work has translated to an encouraging spring training performance from several top prospects, leading manager Joe Maddon to repeatedly insist the farm system — which most outlets rank in the bottom-third of MLB — is underrated.