TEMPE, Ariz. — Max Stassi’s $17.5 million deal with the Angels ought to be an inspiration for any player whose career seems to be on the wrong path.

A day after the Angels inked Stassi to the three-year contract, he thought back on the journey.

“I’ve had some ups and downs,” he said. “If you look at my Baseball-reference page, there’s some dark years there.”

Stassi, 31, was referring to parts of six seasons he spent at Triple-A, but he also acknowledged that he was “probably the worst hitter in baseball” when he hit .071 in two months after the Angels acquired him in 2019.

Since then, though, Stassi has hit .250 with a .784 OPS and 20 home runs in 424 plate appearances, numbers that are well above average for a catcher.

“The hitting coaches, all the guys here, they put in a ton of work for me,” Stassi said. “They’ve made me feel comfortable from Day One. They’ve had my back since Day One. I’ll forever be thankful for that. They’ve allowed me to become the player that I knew I could become.”

Stassi is now a player that the Angels wanted to lock down. He would have been eligible for free agency next winter.

General Manager Perry Minasian said the deal came together quickly after they settled with Stassi on a one-year deal ahead of the arbitration deadline on Tuesday.

“This is what we want to be about, this guy right here,” Minasian said as he sat next to Stassi in a press conference on Friday morning. “I think he’s one of the leaders on this club. We wouldn’t have done this if he wasn’t. There’s a comfort level knowing he’s going to be here and I expect him to be a big part of where we go going forward.”

NOTES

Outfielder Justin Upton played first base during the Angels’ “B” game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday morning. Upton handled routine plays without issue. Upton has never played any infield spot in the major leagues, but the Angels are experimenting with him at first to provide him more versatility. Although Upton was not tested with any tough plays, Manager Joe Maddon said he was still encouraged. “He looked comfortable,” Maddon said. Upton also hit a home run in the game. …

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