Angels Manager Has Instituted Wild Cell Phone Rule for 2025 Season

The Los Angeles Angels are looking to get back into the contending conversation after an abysmal 63-win season.

Manager Ron Washington has implemented an unorthodox rule to try and get there, and after a short time with it in place, it may already be reaping the benefits of the intention behind it.

As reported by the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher, Washington instituted a rule earlier this spring prohibiting phone use by players in the clubhouse. As of Wednesday, this rule is going to be extended in the regular season.

“It’s not punishment,” Washington said. “It’s just trying to keep them focused.”

This is not a new way to try and leverage his team's attention as Washington used a similar tactic when in charge of the Texas Rangers. The skipper is also empowering veterans to enforce this rule among their peers.

Three-time MVP Mike Trout leads this group.

As expected, there was some skepticism when the rule was first implemented, but 24-year-old shortstop Zach Neto spoke on how much it's already helping the team.

“It was like ‘Whatever, Skip,’” Neto said. “Honestly, looking at it after about a month, I think for me personally and I know other guys have said it, it’s actually brought the team way closer. Everybody is talking to each other and having conversation. I think it’s pretty special.”

Another player to speak highly of this clubhouse shift is veteran southpaw Tyler Anderson.

“It keeps guys out moving, instead of just sitting there doing nothing,” Anderson said. “I feel like doing nothing is a big deterrent to success. It’s easy to sit there and think, I have five minutes to kill, I’m going to sit down and kill 30 minutes on Instagram. I think it’s good for productivity.”

Especially with veterans put in charge of enforcing the rule, this has the potential to lead to more conversations among teammates, an environment where more questions are asked to improve parts of ones game, and more cohesion among the roster overall.

After a decades worth of losing, the Halos are desperately trying to get back to contending — and if this minor shift ends up being a factor in that, expect more teams around the league to unplug.