The Problem Roster Targets Staff Stats Roadmap Blog
25
Los Angeles Angels · Catcher

Travis
d'Arnaud

C · #25 Age 36 · Bats R / Throws R · 6'0" 210 lbs Hometown Backstop
ST AVG
2026 Spring
ST OPS
2026 Spring
ST HR
2026 Spring
76
HR (6 yrs)
7th among catchers
1 WS
Ring
ATL 2021
C
Grade
Solid
Backup
🌵 2026 Spring Training — Updated Nightly
Games
AB
AVG
OBP
SLG
HR
RBI
BB
YearGAVGOBPSLGOPSHRRBIWAR
2022 ATL118.249.308.454.76218602.0
2023 ATL94.253.314.435.74914461.5
2024 ATL99.238.302.436.73915480.9
2025 LAA.197.255.343.598621
2026 ST

Grew Up an Angels Fan in Long Beach. Took 36 Years to Get Here.

Travis d'Arnaud is from Lakewood — about 15 miles west of Angel Stadium — and grew up watching the 2002 World Series the way every Southern California kid did that October. When Minasian signed him to a 2-year, $12 million deal in November 2024, d'Arnaud said family was the most important factor. That's not fluff. His parents, siblings, and in-laws all live in the area. He has three young kids. This is where he wanted to end up.

The baseball case is straightforward. The Angels needed a veteran backstop to back up Logan O'Hoppe, mentor a young pitching staff, and provide credible plate appearances on days O'Hoppe sits. D'Arnaud has been one of the better backup catchers in the National League for years — 76 home runs in six seasons ranks seventh among catchers over that span, in considerably fewer games than anyone above him on that list.

2025 was a rough first year in Anaheim — .197/.255/.343 with 6 home runs in a season disrupted by injuries. That's the number to acknowledge. It's also not the number to panic over. His Braves seasons from 2022-2024 were consistently solid, and the Angels' new hitting coach Brady Anderson has a specific mandate to get the catching tandem back on track offensively.

What d'Arnaud brings beyond the bat matters more than most rosters acknowledge. He spent five seasons with Atlanta under the same coaching staff that's now partly assembled in Anaheim — former Braves third-base coach Ron Washington managed him in Atlanta from 2020-23, and Sal Fasano (the Angels' new assistant pitching coach) was the Braves' catching coach throughout d'Arnaud's tenure. These relationships are real and translate to how pitchers trust him on game-calling.

He teared up at the press conference. He talked about watching the 2002 World Series as a kid. He reached out to Logan O'Hoppe before the deal was announced to tell him he was there to help, not compete. Whether any of that makes him a better backup catcher is a separate question. It does mean he arrived wanting to be here, which is a thing this franchise has not always been able to say about its veterans.