Washington’s Wish Granted: Angels Sign Player for…

Los Angeles Angeles manager Ron Washington got his guy.

When the team signed former Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud to a two-year contract, the two were reunited and Washington got the ideal person to help Logan O’Hoppe develop into one of the game’s best backstops.

According to Angels play-by-play man Wayne Randazzo, Washington said the ideal catcher O’Hoppe should try to become was d’Arnaud. That hope could become a reality quickly as d’Arnaud looks forward to helping O’Hoppe become the best catcher in Angels history.

“I want him to be the greatest Angels catcher of all time,” d’Arnaud told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register on Wednesday. “I reached out to him moments before it was released to the press, because I want him to know that I’m here for him. I don’t want anything to get possibly stirred up from outside sources. I made sure I reached out to him to let him know I’m always here for him and anything he ever needs or wants.

“I’m always open ears. I’ll always tell him exactly what I think and not try to say the wrong thing to make him feel good. I want him to learn the right way and to grow and become a great player. I’m grateful and thankful that I get to work with such a stud.”

O’Hoppe is the future of the Angels and has shown glimpses of greatness despite not having a veteran like d’Arnaud to help guide him inthe right direction.

“I do believe having a veteran catcher like Travis d’Arnaud, with what he brings and how he can explain things like sequencing, is a huge deal,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “Game calling is really tough to quantify. He’s outstanding when it comes to putting the right fingers down.”

D’Arnaud isn’t expecting to play all the time and his playing time is up to Washington’s discretion but having the option to play a high-caliber backup is a luxury the Angels haven’t had in a couple years.

“The catching position is so important for a club, to have two players of this caliber on the same team and to feel like we’ll be able to put a catcher on the field every day that’s going to give us an outstanding chance to win is huge,” Minasian said.