'We'd sit right above here': Angels' top pick has plenty of experience with home ballpark

ANAHEIM -- Growing up an Angels fan in nearby Huntington Beach, Jared Grindlinger would go to games with his uncle and sit in his season tickets right above the home dugout.

So Grindlinger is plenty familiar with Angel Stadium, but he got to experience it in a completely new way before Friday’s game against the Tigers, as the first-round pick officially signed his contract and took batting practice. Grindlinger, the No. 12 overall selection out of Huntington Beach High School in Saturday’s MLB Draft, signed for the full slot amount of $5,889,300 and will begin his career as an outfielder despite also excelling as a lefty pitcher.

“It's been surreal,” Grindlinger said while sitting in the dugout. “Growing up, we'd sit right above here. We had season tickets. I remember getting yelled at for putting my feet on the dugout or something. So it's definitely nice to be on this side of the field.”

It was a change in policy for the Angels, who previously didn’t bring their Draft picks to the ballpark under former general manager Perry Minasian. But with John Mozeliak in charge as interim GM, he believes it’s a beneficial first step after being drafted and it’s something he did while serving as a Cardinals executive. Grindlinger was able to bring his family, including his parents, Adam and Karen, brothers, Trent and Bradley, and friends along with him, which made it even more special.

“Where I come from, we tend to take that first-round player and give him this experience because we think it's something that's cool,” Mozeliak said. “But more importantly, if it was in your backyard, how much better would it be? I definitely wanted him to experience this, and he'll never forget it. But once you sign your contract, it's a job, you go to work and he and I talked about that.”

Grindlinger, just 17 years old, said his two favorite players growing up were Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, so he was honored to meet Trout and give him a hug. He also said he talked with players like Jo Adell, Zach Neto and Logan O’Hoppe and asked Adell about the transition from going from high school to becoming a professional.

“He just said you get used to it but you have to stick with your routine because that’s what got you here,” Grindlinger said. “He told me that the Angels drafted me because they like me, so to just stay within myself.”

Like Ohtani, Grindlinger has two-way potential, but the Angels want to develop him as a hitter first, with pitching more of a fallback option. He’s currently 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds and his fastball has touched 97 mph, so the potential is there. He’s also a classic left-handed-hitting slugger who has earned comps to Freddie Freeman but is athletic enough to handle the outfield. He’s scheduled to head to Arizona soon to participate in a bridge camp against other newly drafted and signed players.

“Hitting's hard and I think trying to learn two is difficult,” Mozeliak said. “In other words, you look at history, you see very few people who have been able to do both. Obviously, someone here did it but, that doesn't mean it's an easy path. Given his age and where he's at, I think to get him started on a positive note and not trying to have him do both is something that I think will benefit everyone.”

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki had the chance to meet with Grindlinger as well and said he went through a similar experience after being a second-round pick with the Athletics in 2004. Suzuki said he believes Grindlinger can take a lot from the experience, including watching players’ pregame routines and getting a feel for how a Major League clubhouse functions.

“It’s definitely an exciting time for him and his family,” Suzuki said. “It’s something that he's earned. It’s just an experience. I remember I did it when I first got drafted. Obviously, he's probably nervous, but he's a good kid.”