Not The Hit They Had In Mind

 

I know I just said this about the Orioles, but the Angels are a deeply strange team this year. While the Orioles' strangeness is helping them stay good...I'm still not entirely sure where the Angels' strangeness is taking them. Anywhere?

First of all, I don't think the Angels are competing this year. Far too much empty space going on for that. If Jack Kochanowicz and Reid Detmers are in pivotal starting positions and Oswald Peraza is, I assume, the everyday 2B option, then clearly we're a few drafts away. And that's not even mentioning that the contracted guys, like Yusei Kikuchi, Yoan Moncada, Drew Pomeranz and Jorge Soler are not pulling their weight. The most notable thing Jorge Soler has done in two seasons in Anaheim has been trying to punch a guy for throwing at his head when he's notoriously proficient in hitting off of him. Remember when he hit 40 home runs consistently? Can he, like, do that anymore?

The stranger story is the people who are zooming to life and leading the team nearly out of nowhere. Jo Adell, last week, had a night where he robbed three straight Mariners home runs in iconic, SI-spread fashion, and that should be an indication to anyone that after years of waiting, Adell is finally a viable MLB option. His strong 2025 helped, but now he's finally showing how multifaceted he can be, complete with some contact moments this year, some defensive moments, and, yes, a home run or two. I think the Angels were expecting Adell to be this guy from the jump but the relief is palpable nonetheless.

And then you have Jose Soriano, giving this team a homegrown ace at last. The Angels have had to rely on signings like Tyler Anderson and Yusei Kikuchi to head up the rotation for the longest time, with homegrown guys like Sandoval and Canning trying to pick up the slack but inevitably getting hurt. Finally, Soriano is THE guy for this team, and right now he's 3-0 with a 1.2 WAR, 21 Ks and only 1 earned run in his first three starts. If we can eventually get Grayson Rodriguez, Caden Dana and George Klassen to file in behind him and make up a young, dominant backbone in addition to the help Kikuchi has provided, this team could be in better shape going forward.

Aside from that, this is still Mike Trout's team, and this is still Zach Neto's lineup to lead. The Angels have taken two from Seattle and two from Houston so far this season, they're holding their own in a tough division, and they've somehow gotten Jordan Romano to find his control again. Even for a year with low expectations, things are starting out pretty alright for this team, and it's better than the alternative.

Coming Tomorrow- The Phillies gave up on him, the Yankees gave up on him, and the worst team in the league was conveniently in the market for a corner infield bat.