TEMPE, Ariz. -- As Angels pitchers glance at their pitching schedule posted on the far wall of the clubhouse, they now have another important sheet of paper to look at that’s posted right next to that. 

The Angels are displaying daily strike percentages on 0-0 and 1-1 counts to reinforce the importance of getting ahead and throwing strikes. It’s an obvious concept, but Angels pitchers believe that stressing it this spring has been helpful under new pitching coach Barry Enright and bullpen coach Steve Karsay. 

“Now we’re talking about it,” said veteran lefty Tyler Anderson. “Like I knew that, but last year I got away from it for a whole bunch of other reasons. But they’ve made it a point of emphasis. Whereas last year we didn’t really talk about it and it wasn’t a part of our identity. But now it is.” 

The numbers certainly bear out the importance of getting ahead of hitters and how the Angels got away from that last year and struggled as a result. 

MLB hitters had a .619 OPS after an 0-1 count last year, but an .826 OPS after a 1-0 count. And hitters had a .503 OPS after a 1-2 count but a .793 OPS after a 2-1 count. They also had a .779 OPS with a full count. For context, the league-average OPS was .734 last season. 

The Angels had a first-pitch strike percentage of 60.6 percent, which ranked below the league-average mark of 61.5 percent, and it correlated with their 4.64 ERA -- which ranked 23rd. They also had the third-highest walk rate in the Majors, walking 10.1 percent of opposing batters.  

“If you take your average hitter and [the count is] 2-1, he’s hitting like an All-Star, but your average probably wouldn’t be good enough to be in the league if you’re hitting 1-2,” Anderson said. “I feel like if you can put more guys in those situations, we have good data on that. But just in general, you'd rather compete in the zone and go out getting hit than you would walking guys or falling behind.” 

Lefty Patrick Sandoval explained that it can be easy to get away from obvious concepts like getting ahead of hitters when there is so much other stuff to focus on like their mechanics, the advanced statistical reports and dealing with the mental side of the game. 

“It’s a very basic concept but I think pitchers tend to overthink it and complicate it for ourselves,” Sandoval said. “So I think just constantly hammering in the philosophy of getting ahead and winning counts is good for us right now.” 

Sandoval said it’s already led to a change in his mentality on the mound, as it allows him to clear his head and just think about getting ahead of the hitter instead of overthinking things or nibbling.  

“It just kind of narrows your focus,” Sandoval said. “You don't think about anything else other than win this count and get ahead. [It’s such a] simple concept, but sometimes we need it.” 

The Angels focused more on things such as their whiff rate last year, but it didn’t always correlate to success or even above-average strikeout totals. For example, they ranked sixth in the Majors in inducing a swing and miss on 27.3 percent of their pitches, but their strikeout rate ranked just 16th. 

It shows the Angels have the ability to get swinging strikes but weren’t using their sequencing or pitch selection correctly, as making batters miss with two strikes is much more than important than with no strikes or one strike. They’re now no longer chasing early swings and misses, as they’re embracing early contact and getting quick outs. 

“It’s baseball 101 -- you have to get ahead but you also have to finish guys,” said closer Carlos Estévez. “It’s something I think we’ve been missing. The way guys pitch today is different than six years ago. But you’re still going to have your stuff and still be able to put away guys. But you have to remember if you’re ahead and you’re throwing strikes, they’re going to be in trouble. The numbers show that by far.” 

Who holds the Angels’ record for shutouts in a season? 

A) Frank Tanana 
B) Nolan Ryan
C) Bert Blyleven
D) Dean Chance 

 • Shortstop Zach Neto has enjoyed working with manager Ron Washington and said he views himself as the quarterback of the infield. He’s also off to a strong start offensively this spring and Washington said he believes Neto can stick with his leg kick. 

 • Right-hander José Soriano said he’s pleased with the decision to be stretched out as a starting pitcher this spring because he enjoyed starting as a prospect before he underwent Tommy John surgery twice. But Soriano went from being a lock in the bullpen to potentially opening the year in Triple-A Salt Lake’s rotation. 

 • Hard-throwing reliever Ben Joyce was the first Angels pitcher to go through a new drill called “chaos,” which features a boombox blaring loud music and fans yelling while throwing a bullpen session on the club’s half-field. Joyce enjoyed the experience and has bounced back to pitch well in his last two outings. Lefty Reid Detmers will be the next to experience the unorthodox drill that helps the pitchers drown out outside noise and lock in on the mound. 

 • Here’s an FAQ about Spring Breakout, which will feature the Angels’ top prospects against the Dodgers’ top prospects on Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Top pitching prospect Caden Dana is scheduled to start for the Angels, while top prospects Nelson Rada and Kyren Paris will both be in the lineup. Angels Minor League field coordinator Joe Kruzel will serve as the club's manager in the Spring Breakout game. 

D) Chance, who threw 11 shutouts in 1964. His 1.65 ERA that year is also the lowest in club history and he won the franchise’s first American League Cy Young Award. 

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