Angels Veteran Infielder on Ron Washington: Best Infield Guy I've Ever Worked With

The Halos manager has already made an impression on this infielder.

The Angels will kick off their Cactus League schedule on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's been four months and 22 days since the Angels last played a game that counted, and fans are anticipating the Halos' return to the field.

Even after a relatively slow offseason, the Angels' dugout and bullpen will feature several new faces. One is veteran infielder Hunter Dozier. After appearing in parts of seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals from 2016-23, the 32-year-old Dozier is the new kid in Anaheim. He's look to fight for a roster spot as a utility player. 

So far, things seem to be going well for Dozier. Dozier spoke to Halos Today and praised the Angels' first-year manager, Ron Washington, calling him the "best infield guy I've ever worked with."

“He’s the best infield guy I’ve ever worked with. He’s unbelievable. Him and Ryan Goins. They just care so much and they want us to get better. In the week and a half I’ve been here, I’ve already improved so much I feel like. Just Wash’s own thought process on how you should field a ground ball, it works. He’s had guys that have had a ton of success his whole career. So excited to continue to work with both of them.”

-Hunter Dozier, via Halos Today

Dozier signed a minor league contract with the Angels on Jan. 24. He had spent his entire career with the Kansas City Royals, who designated him for assignment last May with one year and $9 million remaining on his contract through 2024.

What exactly has Dozier learned from Washington in such a short time? The manager had this to offer: 

“Just hands. How you use them. How you sync the feet up with the hands. Cutting angles. Just attacking the baseball really. And when I say attack the baseball, that sounds violent, but it’s not. All it is is, when the ball is put in play, you go to the ball and not let the ball come to you. So the word attack sounds violent, but it’s not violent.”

-Ron Washington, via Halos Today

With an excellent spring training, Angels fans could see more of Dozier throughout the season.