TEMPE, Ariz. — For Brock Burke, the difference between being tossed aside by the Texas Rangers and having a secure job with the Angels was, as it turns out, about eight inches.
The Rangers designated Burke for assignment last summer. The Angels claimed him on waivers. As soon as Burke arrived at the Angels’ complex in Arizona, he was approached with a simple idea.
They asked Burke to move his starting position about eight inches more toward the center of the rubber. He had been at the far end, toward third base.
“I threw one bullpen, and instantly it felt better,” the left-hander said. “I took it into a game the next day or two, and after that the rest is history.”
Life as a major-league reliever is volatile, so no one would suggest that Burke has solved the game indefinitely, but so far the results have been eye-opening.
Burke had a 9.22 ERA in 13 games with the Rangers and a 5.31 ERA with the Rangers’ Triple-A team.
Burke debuted with the Angels on Aug. 16, and he posted a 3.54 ERA over 20⅓ innings, with 25 strikeouts and seven walks. Opponents hit .213 against him, with one homer, after he moved to the Angels.
So far this spring, Burke has not allowed a run in five innings, with six strikeouts.
Burke is poised to join right-hander Ben Joyce as a setup man for closer Kenley Jansen.
All from eight inches.
“It just kind of cleaned up my mechanics where I wasn’t fighting so much to get back to the center of the plate,” Burke said.
Burke, 28, didn’t come out of nowhere. He was one of the Rangers’ most dependable relievers in 2022, posting a 1.97 ERA over 82⅓ innings. For the next season and a half, though, he lost his way, and much of it was seemingly from where he put his feet.
Burke said the Rangers never gave him the “life raft” of suggesting he move his position on the rubber.
“You look at your mechanics and think it’s this or that,” Burke said. “Why is the ball going here? You start looking at the middle stuff, rather than going to the base, where I set everything up. To think it was something as simple as that.”
BULLPEN PICTURE
The Angels optioned right-hander Hans Crouse, the first move of the spring to send down a player who looked likely to make the Opening Day roster.
Crouse, 26, posted a 2.84 ERA with the Angels in 25⅓ innings last season and he struck out five of the first batters he faced this spring. Since then, though, he allowed five earned runs in 4⅔ innings in his next four games, with three walks.
“I saw a little bit of inconsistency,” Manager Ron Washington said. “He’d have a day out there where he’s really, really, really doing what he wants to do, and and then some days are difficult. He’s going to help us. At some point this year, he really is.”
The Angels seemingly now have five spots locked in their eight-man bullpen, with Jansen, Joyce, Burke, right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander José Quijada.
Left-hander José Suarez appeared to have a firm grasp on the long reliever role based on his finish in September and his first three outings this spring, but he gave up six runs Tuesday.
Left-hander Garrett McDaniels (a Rule 5 pick) and right-handers Michael Peterson and Ryan Johnson are also still in camp. Johnson, a 2024 draft pick, remains a longshot because he has not pitched regular-season innings as a professional, but he’s still in camp because he hasn’t allowed a run in his three spring training games.
The Angels also could put one of the pitchers who misses out on the fifth starter job in the bullpen. The top candidates are right-hander Jack Kochanowicz and left-hander Reid Detmers, with right-hander Chase Silseth a step behind.
NOTES
Luis Rengifo (hamstring) was set to get more at-bats against minor leaguers Wednesday, the second straight day in which he was scheduled to hit. Rengifo is not playing the field or running the bases. For now, they simply want to focus on his swing and timing. “At some point, we’re going to have to turn him loose,” Washington said. “But these first couple days, if he gets on base, they’re going to send someone out to run for him.” …
Right-hander Robert Stephenson, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, said he’s up to 92 mph with his fastball in bullpen sessions. Stephenson said he’ll start working on breaking balls next week. He is not expected to face hitters until April. At this rate, Stephenson could be ready when he’s eligible to come off the 60-day injured list in late May. …
Former utilityman Cole Tucker was in camp as a guest instructor, although he’s not doing any instructing just yet. Tucker’s playing career is now over, and he’s considering getting into coaching, so the Angels invited him to get a taste of the job. …
Schlomo Levinger, a magician/mentalist, left the Angels in awe during a performance in the clubhouse before Wednesday’s workouts. Mike Trout stumbled onto Levinger’s social media a few years ago and ended up inviting him to Anaheim. Trout subsequently spread the word of Levinger to other baseball players, and he’s now performed for several teams, including the Dodgers last spring.
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