TEMPE, Ariz. — Christian Moore hit a 114 mph bullet right to San Francisco Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman, who caught it and converted it to a double play.

That tough luck on Monday was typical for Moore’s spring.

The Angels’ infielder ranks 11th in the majors this spring with an average exit velocity of 96 mph (minimum 25 plate appearances), but he’s hitting just .219 (7 for 32) with a .599 OPS.

By contrast, his average exit velocity last year in regular season games was 89 mph, when he hit .198 with a .655 OPS.

Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe leads the majors this spring with an average of 100 mph. He’s got more to show for it, with a .292 average, three homers and 1.143 OPS.

Moore simply shrugs at his bad luck, satisfied that it’s still a sign of progress.

“Definitely in the offseason, I wanted to make changes on my swing and get it more short, trying to hit the ball on the barrel more,” Moore said. “It’s showing up. Whether it falls or not, I’m not really worried about that right now. I just want to make sure I’m making consistent contact every day and making sure I’m at least catching one barrel a day, and a legit barrel. That’s kind of where my focus has been and it’s been good so far.”

Manager Kurt Suzuki said he’s been pleased with Moore’s swings, despite the average.

“C-Mo’s been having great at-bats obviously,” Suzuki said. “Not a lot to show for. He’s hit some balls hard and on the screws and even the ones he pops up to, his fly balls to the outfield, those are great swings, just missing. But he’s working. He’s getting consistent with his swings and I think everything on the offensive side has been looking good.”

One of Moore’s problems last season was strikeouts. He whiffed in 34% of his plate appearances, much worse than the big league average of 22%. In a small sample this spring, he’s struck out 23% of the time.

Moore is in a fight for a roster spot with a handful of other infielders. Adam Frazier, Vaughn Grissom, Oswald Peraza and Nick Madrigal are also candidates to play second. Grissom and Peraza are both out of options, and Frazier has an out allowing him to be a free agent if the Angels don’t want him in the majors.

Grissom, by the way, has also had rough luck this spring. He’s tied with Moore for the major league lead in outs hit over 100 mph, with eight. Grissom also has just two strikeouts in 32 plate appearances, with four walks. He’s hitting .192 (5 for 26).

Moore has also been getting reps at third this spring. Yoán Moncada figures to be the starter at third, but he’s been injured often.

“I like the challenge at third,” Moore said. “It’s been fun. I just want to be able to be on the team and be on the field playing with these guys. That’s all I want to do.”

NOTES

Outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) has been taking batting practice against game-speed velocity on a machine, moving him closer to being able to face live pitching in a game. Suzuki said that they “will shoot for Friday” to get Lowe into a minor league game as the DH. Lowe can accelerate his preparation with minor league at-bats, so Suzuki they “are not worried” about him having enough at-bats to be ready for Opening Day. …

Tyler Bremner, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut in relief on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Ariz. Bremner, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft, hasn’t yet pitched in a professional game of any kind. The Angels held him back this spring to have him work on his slider. “I’m excited,” Suzuki said. “I can’t wait. I want to watch him pitch.” …

Samy Natera Jr. continued the Angels’ run of impressive pitching performances in the World Baseball Classic. Natera pitched a scoreless inning for Mexico against Team USA on Monday night. “He looked like a big league reliever out there, man,” Suzuki said. “He looked really good and he wasn’t afraid. That was definitely a nice thing to see.” Right-hander Najer Victor (for Great Britain) and left-hander Sam Aldegheri (for Italy) have also had impressive outings in the WBC. …

Right-hander Alek Manoah is scheduled to start on Wednesday, an opportunity for him to bounce back from a nightmarish start last week. He gave up five runs in 2⅓ innings, with five walks, against the A’s. Meanwhile, one of the pitchers seemingly in competition with him for the No. 5 spot in the rotation — right-hander Jack Kochanowicz — just pitched four scoreless innings against the A’s. “I know Manoah’s as competitive as they get and, you know, he wants to do well,” Suzuki said, “so I think he’s taking every start, every inning that he pitches as important.”