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SALT LAKE CITY — Chase Silseth says he came very close to following in his older brother's footsteps when it came to going to college.
Cody Scaggari was an infielder for the University of Utah baseball team, hitting .330 during his senior season with the Utes in 2016. Watching him play helped inspire Silseth himself as the two grew up playing the game in northwest New Mexico.
"I saw him play growing up my whole life," Silseth said, as his eyes peered out toward a snow-covered baseball diamond in front him Thursday. "He's still my role model to this day, how he is as a man and what he does."
But he ultimately decided to go to Tennessee and then, later, Arizona before the Los Angeles Angels nabbed him in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft. And as fate would have it, Silseth's baseball path took him to Salt Lake City anyway, playing at the same ballpark his brother once did.
Silseth, the Angels' No. 4 overall prospect and top pitching prospect, broke spring training with the Salt Lake Bees. He's been tabbed to start the team's season opener at Smith's Ballpark Friday afternoon, according to the club. It's his first time pitching at the ballpark because he split his 2022 MLB rookie season between Los Angeles and Double-A Rocket City.
"When I found out I was coming here, I told (my brother)," he said, adding that since his brother still lives in the area, it was easy for him to find a place to stay. "I've been around Salt Lake enough so it already kind of feels like a second home. I'm already pretty comfortable around (here)."
Having that connection is a nice advantage. He plans to ask Scaggari for a scouting report about how the ball travels in the park before his upcoming start.
"It just makes it more comfortable to have him here to support me and be at every game I throw at," Silseth adds. "It's another good baseball mind that I (rely on)."
Other names the Bees' opening roster
Silseth is one of at least eight members of the Angels' 40-man roster in Salt Lake City for opening day. Former Angels top prospect Jo Adell, who has spent parts of the past three seasons with the main club, will begin the season in Salt Lake as he looks to secure a spot in the bigs full-time.
There's also Mickey Moniak, who was the first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. The Angels acquired him from Philadelphia in a trade last year that sent pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the Phillies. Moniak is also vying for a spot in the Los Angeles outfield.
Other 40-man roster members include infielders Livan Soto, Michael Stefanic and Andrew Velazquez, as well as pitchers Justin Garza and Zack Weiss. A spokesperson for the Bees said there may be some additional changes over the next few days as the Angels finalize their roster.
There are some interesting prospects in the mix, too.
Outfielder Jordyn Adams, for example, was named the organization's "best athlete" by Baseball America for the third-straight year. The former first-round pick is just one of three high school athletes to be named an Under Armour All-American for both baseball and football. NFL stars Kyler Murray and A.J. Brown are the other two.
Gerardo Reyes made a splash out of the bullpen for Team Mexico in the recent World Baseball Classic, even closing out his home country's win over the U.S. earlier this month. That experience, he said, is something that he will cherish forever.
"It was awesome," he said. "It means a lot. We know that in Mexico baseball is not (as) big as soccer. So putting our sport and putting everybody together ... we proved we have good talent in Mexico."
He's now hoping to use what he learned as he tries to get back to the majors.
A familiar face in the dugout
The players will have a new skipper in the clubhouse but he's a familiar face for fans.
Keith Johnson was named the team's manager in Feburary, marking his third stint with the team. He managed the team from 2011 through 2014 and again from 2016 through 2018 before joining the Miami Marlins organization. Johnson served as the team's first base coach last year under manager Don Mattingly before an offseason coaching change there.
"It feels like coming home," he said. "It's going to be getting back to Angels baseball. We're going to be doing things the way that we were when we were winning a lot of baseball games, being aggressive. It's going to be a great product."
The Bees' 2023 campaign begins Friday against Sacramento. Despite a mixture of rain and snow lingering into Friday morning, conditions are expected to clear up later in the day. First pitch is currently scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
