Angels hold team meetings focused on accountability

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM — After the Angels finish their hitting and pitching meetings before every game, a new twist has been added this season by manager Ron Washington and his coaching staff.

Angels coaches go over video of plays and pitches from the previous game to not only explain what went wrong but to get input from the players in front of their teammates on why they made the decisions they made. Washington believes it builds accountability while also teaching them valuable lessons on fundamentals and pitch execution.

“They’ve never been in the classroom reviewing things every single day. That’s different,” Washington said. “That’s education. And when you have a young team, you have to go outside the box. We’re doing so much in the classroom right now with video and having conversations about why you did that. We’re taking them to a different level, to wisdom and knowledge.”

Washington said it’s the first time he’s been on a Major League staff that utilized video in this manner, but he realized it was not only helpful but necessary with his young players in Spring Training. Bench coach Ray Montgomery helps lead the sessions with input from fellow coaches Eric Young Jr., Bo Porter, Tim Laker and Johnny Washington on the offensive, baserunning and defensive side, and Barry Enright and Steve Karsay on the pitching side.

“We want to know why you did this or did that, or why you didn’t react this way or why you reacted that way,” Washington said. “It’s not criticism. It’s trying to get you to understand what it takes to be successful.”

It’s similar to the way a football team conducts meetings after a practice or a game, pointing out mistakes in an effort to learn from them and correct them going forward. It’s obviously been a work in progress given the club’s results on the field, including a sloppy 5-1 loss to the Mariners in the series finale on Sunday, but Washington believes it’s been a helpful exercise and hopes that it’ll benefit them in the long run. He said some days the sessions are shorter than others after a good win, and the goal is to eventually not have to go over any miscues from the previous game.

“It’ll get to the point where we won’t have to do it, but we’re not there yet,” Washington said. “Right now, they’re enjoying it. They’re learning how to be successful, and the day is going to come where they will be successful.”

Washington also believes having the players speak up in front of their teammates is important. It’s not about being called out or shamed. Even veterans get asked to explain their decision-making, and he believes it helps the whole group.

“I want them to be able to deal with situations in front of everybody without feeling embarrassed,” Washington said. “And if you don’t know the answer in this group, someone in this group knows the answer. Whether you’re right or whether you’re wrong, [you] still get educated.”

Outfielder Jo Adell said he believes his teammates have bought in to the messages from the coaching staff and that they understand why they go over the things they do each day. Adell is part of a young core that includes Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, Kyren Paris (No. 3 prospect) and Nolan Schanuel, and he knows they all need to continue to learn and develop.

“I think collectively we all have a kind of an understanding of what went down and how we’re trying to improve it,” Adell said. “But we just address what went sideways in case some of the stuff has gone over our heads or we need a little bit of a reminder of what we could’ve done and what we can do better. It’s really helped out.”