Ohtani tops list of Angels' non-roster invites

February 7th, 2018

The Angels announced 19 players on Tuesday who have received non-roster invitations to the team's Spring Training camp in Tempe, Ariz -- including one very notable name in two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani signed a Minor League deal with Los Angeles in December in one of the offseason's biggest moves, and he will attempt to become baseball's first full-time player to pitch and hit on a regular basis in the Majors since Babe Ruth a century ago. The 23-year-old is not currently listed on the Angels' 40-man roster, but is expected to be a major piece of the team's efforts in 2018.
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The Angels' invitees include six pitchers: Right-handers , Adam Hofacket, Osmer Morales (the team's No. 29 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and , and lefties and . Krol posted a 5.33 ERA over 51 appearances for the Braves in 2017.
Twelve position players round out the list, including four prospects -- outfielder Jahmai Jones (No. 4), first baseman Matt Thaiss (No. 5), catcher Taylor Ward (No. 11) and shortstop David Fletcher (No. 12) -- currently ranked among the organization's Top 30 list according to MLB Pipeline. Veteran outfielder , who hit .264 while filling in for 47 games largely in 's absence last summer, has also received an invite to camp.
The Angels' remaining non-roster invitees include catchers Francisco Arcia, Michael Barash, and Jack Kruger, infielders and and outfielder .