DETROIT — Bryce Teodosio is an example of what Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said is an important distinction.
“There are people who play center field,” Montgomery said, “and there are people who are born to be center fielders.”
Teodosio is the latter, according to Montgomery. That means he has a chance to solve what has been a season-long problem for the Angels.
When the Angels decided last winter to move Mike Trout to right field, without acquiring anyone to play center, it set up them up for a season of experimentation. Four months later, the Angels were dead last in the majors in Outs Above Average in center field, with Jo Adell getting most of the time in the position.
Last weekend, the Angels finally pulled the plug, moving Adell back to right and bringing up Teodosio to play center, with Taylor Ward in left.
“We have three guys who are playing in what I would consider their best positions,” Montgomery said. “Then you just have the peace of mind knowing, if you’re pitching or watching, the balls that go up are going to be handled properly.”
It’s only been five games, which is too soon to tell how much impact Teodosio will have on the Angels’ run prevention. He’s already opened eyes with one spectacular catch and shown range to make other difficult plays look routine.
“It lends comfort to the guys on the corner,” Montgomery said. “It gives them peace of mind. For Teo, it’s just another day.”
The question now is whether he can hit.
Teodosio is 5 for 13 in a sample size too small to be meaningful. (Remember the hot starts for outfielders Kyren Paris and Matthew Lugo?) He’s also stolen three bases in three tries.
Teodosio said his success at Triple-A this season and early in the majors is the result of work he’s done with the Angels’ hitting coaches at Salt Lake and in Anaheim.
“We’ve tinkered with all kinds of different things,” Teodosio said. “We’re still working. We don’t have it figured out. Never have this game figured out. We’ve changed my setup a couple times to get me to where I was last year. It’s helped me tremendously to make more contact. When I’m on base, I’m a threat. Just for me to get on base is the biggest thing.”
If Teodosio can find his way on base at even a modest level, along with what brings to the outfield defense, he can become an even better story than he already is.
Teodosio, 26, has beaten the odds by even getting to the major leagues at all.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Teodosio had three chances to be drafted, and all 30 teams passed on him all three times. He was undrafted out of high school, so he went to Clemson. Most high-level college players are drafted after their junior year, but Teodosio’s junior year was almost entirely wiped out by the COVID pandemic. MLB held an abbreviated five-round draft in 2020 (it had been 40 rounds from 2012-2019), and Teodosio wasn’t selected.
Teodosio said he had turned down offers to sign as a free agent so he could return for his senior year at Clemson. In July 2021, with the draft at 20 rounds, he went unselected again.
“I’ll be honest with you, it was one of the toughest moments ever,” Teodosio said. “Just not hearing your name called. Expecting it to be called. And waiting for a couple days not hearing anything from any team. … I waited around thinking I’d potentially never play again.”
A few days after the draft, the Angels signed him as a free agent.
Early in his pro career, his defense and speed were the only tools he had going for him. The Angels sent him to Double-A for his first full season in 2022, and he hit .192. He went back to the same level the next season, hitting .212.
Joey Prebynski, the Angels’ assistant general manager in charge of player development, said they had to make changes with his lower body to get more out of his bat.
“His line drive rate, his average exit velo, his batted balls in play at 95 (mph) plus, have all increased,” Prebysnki said. “He’s doing more damage in the middle of the field. He’s been able to do that by staying behind the baseball better.”
Teodosio hit .276 with a .757 OPS last season at Triple-A, which earned him a September promotion to the majors. He broke his finger just five games into his big league career.
“Having my dream get cut short was like, ‘Wow, this really stinks,’” Teodosio said. “Obviously you hope you can make it back up, because you just never know.”
Teodosio then suffered a torn hip flexor a couple weeks into the Triple-A season in 2025, shelving him for three more months after surgery.
When he finally came back in July, he hit .303 with an .822 OPS in 17 games, which was enough for the Angels to give him another chance.
They are hoping he’ll hit. They know he can play center field.
“It’s elite speed, it’s elite jumps, really good routes,” Prebynski said. “For us, in center field, he’s among the best defensively.”
Teodosio, who is quick to credit his faith for helping him overcome the adversity, said it’s mostly natural talent that’s made him such a good outfielder. He has refined his skill by chasing endless fly balls in batting practice ever since high school.
“The best way you can get better at outfield is by just going all out in BP, trying to see what balls you can get to and what balls you can’t,” Teodosio said. “That’s just given me the ability to do what I do.”
If Teodosio can be as good as advertised defensively, the bar to clear offensively could be fairly low.
It’s not unusual for teams to allow regular playing time for an elite defensive player who is a subpar hitter, like Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz, St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II, Atlanta Braves shortstop Nick Allen or Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Teodosio believes he will be able to hit, though.
“I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can, to show up every day and compete at the plate,” he said. “They’ve got a really good plan for me here to do that, and so I’m ready to get going with that.”
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Kyle Hendricks, 6-8, 4.59 ERA) at Tigers (LHP Tarik Skubal, 11-3, 2.18 ERA), 4:10 p.m. PT Friday, FDSN West, 830 AM