This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Greg Mahle is coming up.
Tyler Skaggs is coming back.
The two left-handed pitchers are headed for the big leagues — that seems certain — although the next step in their journey begins Thursday night when the Salt Lake Bees open the 2016 Pacific Coast League season against Sacramento.
For Mahle, who is 22, it will be his first Triple-A game.
After posting a 1.46 earned run average in 12 spring training games, he nearly made the regular-season roster of the parent Los Angeles Angles.
Instead, Mahle was sent to Salt Lake for a little more experience. But indications are his next stop will be the Angels' bullpen, perhaps as early as this summer, depending on injuries and the production of others in L.A.
"Obviously you want to be in the big leagues," said Mahle. "But now that I'm here, I'm excited. I've never been in Triple-A before, so it's a new challenge. I'm excited to try and help this team win."
Mahle reached Double-A Arkansas last season, where he went 3-3 with a 3.08 ERA. He struck out 36 batters in 35 1⁄3 innings. Still, he arrived at spring training as a long shot to break camp with the Angels.
He almost did, however, after taking advantage of L.A. manager Mike Scioscia's faith in him.
"I had a great spring," Mahle said. "I had a lot of opportunities. The front office and Scioscia were great about throwing me into the fire against the middle of everybody's order, and it went better than I could have imagined it. Hopefully, I can go from here. … It feels great to be on their radar."
At 24, Skaggs is only two years older than Mahle. But the former first-round draft pick has already pitched in 31 big league games for two franchises — Arizona and the Angels. He's also coming off Tommy John surgery, which cost him last season.
Skaggs enjoyed a limited but successful spring training.
He pitched the Angels' final exhibition game last Saturday — an 8-1 victory over the crosstown rival Dodgers. In three scoreless innings, he struck out four and allowed one hit. His fastball hit 94 mph — not 97, as a local television station reported.
"Don't believe what TV said," Skaggs said, smiling. "I'd like to take credit for it. But it was 92-94 — where I usually am. … I was really, really proud of that outing. I felt like I was back to my old self."
Skaggs' innings in Salt Lake will be limited to three or four per outing. If things go well, he will likely be back in L.A. quickly, considering the bottom half of the Angels' current rotation is dealing with an injury to C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver's age and Matt Shoemaker's consistency issues.
If Skaggs stays healthy, he looks L.A.-bound, sooner than later.
"I feel like my mechanics are better than before I got injured," he said. "I know my body a lot better. I've actually changed a few things with my mechanics and feel pretty comfortable right now."
Credit 18 months of grinding, lonely post-surgery rehabilitation.
"The eye was always on the prize — to come back, pitch in the big leagues and help the team," Skaggs said. "It was very monotonous. You do the same things. You run. You rehab. But you just tell yourself — every day — that all the hard work is going to pay off in the end."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Opening act
Salt Lake opens the 2016 Pacific Coast League season Thursday night at Smith's Ballpark against Sacramento. For the 16th straight year, Bees are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.
Starting pitcher
Right-hander Nick Tropeano is expected to be Salt Lake's starting pitcher on opening night. Ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Angels' system, he made 16 appearances for the Bees last season. He went 3-6 with a 4.81 earned run average. He struck out 96 batters in 88 innings. He also made eight appearances for the Angels.
Plenty of experience
The Bees have 19 players on their 25-man roster with Major League experience. Salt Lake pitchers have made 999 appearances in the big leagues. Two players have been part of world championship teams — pitcher Ramon Ramirez in 2010 with San Francisco and outfielder Quintin Berry in 2013 with the Red Sox.
Good advice
Lefty Greg Mahle spent spring training with the Angels and talked to many players who previously pitched in Salt Lake's high altitude and spacious Smith's Ballpark. What advice did they give him? "Just keep the ball down and change speeds," Mahle said. "And not worry about giving up a home run or a bad outing because everybody has them here."
No surprise
Infielder Kaleb Cowart hit .323 in Salt Lake before finishing last season with the Angels. He expected to return to Triple-A, however, after L.A. acquired Yunel Escobar in a December trade with Washington. "I had a good idea I would be here," Cowart said. "But I'm excited to be back and get better and, hopefully, get back to the big leagues at some point."