Angels Lead Cactus League in This Spring Stat; Ron Washington Thinks It's a "Big Deal"

The Spring Training kings.

Spring Training wins and performance may not count toward anything beyond morale, but the Los Angeles Angels appear to be winning in the morale category.

The Angels have looked good in Spring Training so far. They hold an 8-3 record, and have won six straight entering Wednesday. After a season in which they ranked fourth in the AL West with a 73-89 record, the Angels appear to be off to a positive start.

This has also been reflected in the stats, as the Angels pitchers hold the lowest ERA in the Cactus League at 3.38 entering Wednesday. Only four teams in MLB — the Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets — have lower ERAs through Spring Training starts, and they all play in the Grapefruit League.

For manager Ron Washington, this ERA title indicates a positive start for the team as they head into the 2024 season.

“That means that they are progressing. I don’t think you can put any more on it. They are progressing. The best ERA in the Cactus League is a big deal. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

— Angels manager Ron Washington,

via Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register.

Though this is a good start, Washington appears to put the mark in perspective as just that: a start. Of course, what will matter most is how the Angels pitch come the regular season, which begins in 22 days for Los Angeles.

The Angels got off to a hot start last year in Spring Training, leading the Cactus League with an 18-11 record. The notable difference, though, is this ERA.

Despite their winning ways last Spring Training, their 4.64 ERA ranked 23rd in MLB. This 3.38 ERA is a much better sign that the Angels could actually carry their Spring Training performance to the regular season.