TEMPE, Ariz. — Since the start of spring training, new Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Barry Enright has pressed the organization’s higher-ups to follow through on an important technological improvement to the club’s player development and training facilities: dedicated hitting and pitching labs.
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Team officials told him that they plan to add the labs to the complex. And Enright has been pushing to ensure it actually happens.
“We’ve been told that two days after we leave, we’re going to break ground on a brand new clubhouse, five-tunnel pitching lab, with hitting tunnels in there too,” Enright told The Athletic. “It looks great, I’m excited for it.”
That seemingly straightforward news would seem like cause for mild celebration. But when it comes to renovations to the Angels’ beleaguered spring training facilities, years of promised projects never coming to fruition, or beginning and then being abandoned, have forced many within the organization to adopt a believe-it-when-they-see it approach.
Team sources beyond Enright have confirmed that renovations of some sort are expected to begin just days after the team breaks camp on March 23. Even high-ranking team officials, however, say they are unclear on exactly what will be renovated, and where the renovations will occur.
Meanwhile, when officially asked for comment, the organization declined to confirm what the renovation plans are — or if renovations are happening at all.
“We are keeping the plans confidential at this point,” Angels president John Carpino told The Athletic.
The Angels have conducted spring training out of their minor league complex for the past four seasons, as much-needed renovations on the complex have been delayed for years.
The scope of work has changed over time. At one point, ground was broken on renovations to improve the clubhouse situation at Tempe Diablo Stadium. However, construction was soon halted. Other potential iterations have been discussed. No renovations have actually happened yet.
If work does begin soon, there is a hope that the outdated clubhouse can be upgraded. Additionally, adding a kitchen is believed to be a priority. Currently, all the players’ food is prepared in a trailer near the clubhouse and then transported to the food room.
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Many changes are needed, though a pitching coach can only control so much. So Enright is determined to make sure the team follows through on its pledge to add pitching and hitting labs.
“It’s huge. Guys are starting to ask about it now,” Enright said. “And again, it is only a tool. But it’s a big tool to have. … I’m on them every week to make sure that this is happening.”
Enright was consulted on the plan, in part, due to his experience using a pitching lab with the Arizona Diamondbacks, for whom he served two years as the assistant pitching coach. More and more teams have added labs in recent years as part of the baseball arms race. They can cost upward of $10 million to build and maintain.
The Angels would have five tunnels in their theoretical lab, Enright said. Two would be dedicated to pitching, three to hitting. They would be equipped with cameras, TrackMan and other technological measuring tools to assist players in their development.
The various tunnels would also allow them to simulate various scenarios in their bullpens in a way that has to be done more manually now.
“It is only a tool. But it’s a big tool to have,” Enright said. “Being able to see and change arsenals. Being able to see and help with mechanics. We all pride ourselves on having good eyes and (being) able to do that with our eyes as well.
“But having the tech to either confirm that or tell us, ‘Hey, our eyes were off at that time,’ is big. Being able to monitor all those things is humungous. Not only for our free agents. For our guys who roll through there all the time.”
The Angels have long lagged behind other major league clubs when it comes to standard amenities and technology. Former coaches have said that, before 2019, there was basically no state-of-the-art technology available to them. And while some improvements have been made, the Angels still trail most of the league.
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The team has made it work in their current Arizona setup. The clubhouse is old, but it is kept clean. The food is prepared in a different building, but there are few complaints about the quality. In past years, the Angels’ weight room was in a tent next to the stadium.
Making additions like pitching and hitting labs would represent the type of important investment that has long been lacking.
But those around the team will remain skeptical until it’s actually built. Just last year, an Angels spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times that renovations would start after last spring training. That never happened. And Angels owner Arte Moreno has always been a frugal spender, particularly in areas outside of the major league payroll. For those holding their breath, Moreno did say publicly earlier in spring training that renovations were coming.
There’s also skepticism that there is enough time to complete the changes. Players will likely start arriving for 2025 spring training about nine months after camp ends.
Additionally, it is unclear how any renovations would interrupt the year-round operations in Tempe. The club has a contract with an old San Francisco Giants facility in Scottsdale that runs through the early summer. That’s where minor league camp has been conducted in recent years. The Angels could continue utilizing the space until the contract expires for players and coaches who need to remain in Arizona.
The struggle to get Angels players and staff a big league-quality facility has been long and frustrating for many involved. And now, with just two weeks before it’s all supposed to finally start, there are still questions about exactly what type of facility everyone will return to one year from now.
And so, Enright is making it clear he wants the organization to follow through and get them the technology this team needs.
“I know that free agents that we will attract over the next few years will be excited to hear that we have this as well,” Enright said. “But I’ve seen the plans, and I can’t wait for it to come to fruition for us.”
(Top photo of Angels spring training: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)