Half-Price Halos

 

Well, at least the deadline waffling you can find anywhere else in the league isn't present with the Angels, heavily regarded as the worst team in the league. Everyone's on the table. Zach Neto, Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, Jo Adell, probably Jorge Soler, possibly even Mike Trout. They're not even cagey about it. They already dealt Logan O'Hoppe to Texas, they scratched Jose Soriano from his weekend start, the Red Sox and Phillies are both linked to Neto. It's completely transparent. 

I say...the majority of that bunch will go. Neto, Soriano, Detmers, all for sure. Maybe some relievers. Maybe one or two rentals. Trout I'm still not sure about. But when it's all over, it will leave a much slimmer, much less populated Angels team. Which we kind of already have.

If people leave Nolan Schanuel might be one of the few remaining Angels everyday guys. He's not exactly the greatest building block to leave behind, but he's alright. He's currently hitting .279 with 6 homers and 37 RBIs, very much a fine effort. I think if Trout goes he might be forced onto the marquee, which is odd for a guy who was an interloper into this roster just a few years ago. It's just proof that the Angels seriously need to beckon on a rebuild, and the failure of guys like Christian Moore or Denzer Guzman [or Caden Dana] to really catch fire has made things even more disappointing. Cause then you're left with a Schanuel or an Oswald Peraza or a Wade Meckler and that's what's holding up the team. If Soriano and Detmers go, big starts are going to Walbert Ureña, who's good but a rookie, Grayson Rodriguez and Ryan Johnson, who both have 7.50 ERAs, and probably Sam Aldegheri or George Klassen, who've had even worse luck in the bigs.

And like there aren't too many prospect heir apparents ready for a bit either. No real pitching guys, save for Klassen or Dana, but neither are all that great this year. Is it nearly time for Nelson Rada? Cause that's basically all that they have right now who's anywhere near ready. Everything else is short-term solutions and guys who are available and can start for a minor league team, because if guys get traded this will be one.

I'm not saying they shouldn't trade these guys. They're all high value. I just think it reestablishes the failure of the current CBA to prevent tanking, because if they cash in now, they're gonna be the worst team in the league next year and will 100% rebuild and sacrifice the next few years, because that's all the Angels ownership knows how to do right now. We didn't have a 2024 White Sox level bad team this year, but if Trout gets traded we just might.

Coming Tonight: A rookie outfielder for a team that might be losing a few pieces as well.

Off the Walbert

 

The Anaheim Angels. Do people still go to games? Actually yeah, they still draw. Is Mike Trout sticking around? Probably, out of necessity at this point. Is there anything else really going on with this team this year? Not really.

The Angels are currently tied for the worst record in baseball with the Royals, with the Rockies a half game ahead. I'm kinda relieved this season isn't gonna have a mega-loser getting the bottom spot. Maybe some teams will lose 100 games, and it wouldn't shock me if the Angels lose 41 more games, but it's not like a 'worst ever' thing is happening this season. Then again, 'best ever' isn't exactly a competition either, as a lot of teams are more middle-of-the-road than anything. So what does that make the Angels? Just a regular bad team, I guess. Not painfully bad, not franchise-endingly bad. Just bad. And that's alright.

The Angels are led by three halfway decent rotation pieces, one of which is probably getting traded, one of which could potentially be traded, and the other is far too young and controllable to be traded but nothing's counted out. Reid Detmers is probably on the way out, he's pitching too well for his 3-6 record. Soriano maybe as well, he had a Cy Young case going but has evened out. But look at Walbert Ureña underneath them. 22 years old, brand new to the league, given a starting spot a month in, now he's got a 2.88 ERA, 78 Ks and a 1.6 WAR. His WHIP's a little high at 1.316, mostly from all the walks he gives up, but he's a pretty smooth, trustworthy young kid that could be a foundational piece for this Angels team. Then again I thought David Fletcher was gonna be a foundational piece for these teams and look how well that turned out.

The current incarnation of this lineup is actually a working model, and everybody who's stayed in this roster has a reason to be there. Denzer Guzman's getting starts at third, he's not terrific yet but the production's beginning to pop a bit. Wade Meckler's a decent depth outfield piece, and he's a .307 hitter with some random, Tristan Peters-esque everyman quality. Schanuel and Neto are the pillars, they're doing pretty well. Soler's past his prime but still hits the odd home run. Adell's good for cheap thrills. And Mike Trout still has a .863 OPS, 18 homers and 39 RBIs. It's not quite 2012 numbers but he's still more active than he's been in a while, and that's worth a lot to this team.

There really won't be much for this team to accomplish for the rest of the season sadly, other than some stuff for Trout's highlight reel and perhaps some previews for, hopefully, a fuller youth-decked version of this team next year. Grayson Rodriguez is gonna get more starts, but will they be closer to his Baltimore prime? Caden Dana will get another shot, but will this time be any different? Christian Moore will be back, but will he hit well against teams that aren't the 2025 Yankees? It'll all get figured out, and even if it doesn't, Angels fans will still flock to games.

Coming Tonight: He made it out of Arizona, and now in Denver he's somehow even more integral.

Reid 'Em and Weep

 

Gotta say, Reid Detmers has had a really weird career. Pitches a no-hitter in his first full season, steadily builds a reputation in his sophomore season, pitches hurt in 2024, then is the 6th man in the rotation who pitches mainly out of the bullpen in 2025. And now he's starting again and having one of his best seasons yet. It's rare for a guy to not miss a season over his first 6, but Detmers has at least played a role in this team's picture even if he's not at 100%. You have so many pitchers that'll be no factor in a team's build for 2 years then come back and recapture momentum. Detmers has been active for the Angels even when he's been bad.

So it makes this season, where his ERA's at 3.93, his WHIP's at 1.053, and he's thrown 104 strikeouts even before June, even more of a triumph. The man never left, he just bode his time, and now he's got a legitimate starring role in the Angels' success, alongside Jose Soriano. And for his efforts....he's probably gonna get traded.

Again, because Detmers is only 26, he's honestly a really good trade deadline asset, and this season's proving his ceiling is still very high. He's had a small bit of trouble recently, especially his previous start [I'm writing this before I know how he did last night], but overall he's still a solid, reliable starter who's used the vacancies from Anderson and Kikuchi to make even more of an impact on this team. Even when he was good, Detmers was only like the 3rd or 4th man, now he's a solid #2 to the still-strong Soriano [8-4 with 102 Ks], and them, along with Walbert Urena, have made for a much more solid Angels rotation than anyone thought.

Now...without Mike Trout, the offense isn't exactly stellar, but we knew that as well. Neto, Peraza and Schanuel are decent centerpieces, but Neto currently leads the AL in strikeouts, and none of them have an OPS over .800 [yet somehow Wade Meckler does]. The exciting replacement level smashes we spoke of last time are all basically gone, with only Donovan Walton remaining. Denzer Guzman and Christian Moore, on call-ups, have ranged from okay to forgettable. Lowe and Adell are pissing people off. It's just not an especially varied offensive strategy right now, and I don't know if Neto can really carry things as much as the team wants him to.

The Angels probably won't finish anywhere else but last, as I don't see the Astros, A's or Rangers finishing with a worse record. Some big pieces will likely go at the deadline, including Detmers, and possibly even Soriano or Trout. I have no idea when the Angels will next be good, and firing the GM isn't gonna salvage things if the owner deliberately wants the team to lose. 

Coming Tonight: Many Japanese pitchers are tricky flamethrowers who out leverage you easily. But sometimes you get a guy who's a pure control artist who gets you out just by outthinking you. And somehow one of those is working in Colorado. 

Too Fun For the Majors

 

A couple years ago, when the White Sox were going for the all-time losses record, occasionally it would be said, 'oh, well this is a minor league team, isn't it?'. And that is what the 2024 White Sox felt like at times. The only star feels like he is rehabbing, the big pitching talent is being kept under preexisting MLB talent, the big prospect's bored out of his mind, most people are replacement level. Sad stuff.

So when I say that the Angels right now feel like a minor league team, that's not necessarily an insult. So far in 2026, we've yet to find a last place team that truly bores me to tears every time I have to write about them. Every last place team is interesting this year, from the somehow-superior Rockies to the disappointing but rallying Mets to even the backpedaling Royals. The Angels, being one of the candidates for last overall, should be an exhausting last place team. But they're not. Because they've somehow cobbled together a motley crue of former top prospects and have created the most surprising lineup in the bigs. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who runs the Bananas is taking notes. 

Beyond Mike Trout, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel, this lineup is so frigging weird. So first of all, you have Jo Adell, former top prospect, who will either hit 2 home runs and have the catch of his life or strike out 3 times and make an embarrassing error. No in-between. He's got 10 homers and 37 RBIs already, but at what cost? Then you have Oswald Peraza, consistently blocked in New York, playing everyday and hitting .270 with 7 homers and some terrific 2B play. 

That's basically the extent of the understandable lineup additions though. Cause then you get to the really wild stuff. Like Wade Meckler, former Giants farmhand waived this January, who's hitting .300 in left and is already an upgrade from Josh Lowe. Then you have backup catcher Sebastian Rivero, a career minor leaguer who had some cups of coffee with the Royals in the early 2010s who just went 5 for 5 with 6 RBIs against the DODGERS of all people. Just in the last few weeks you've had insane comeback campaigns from Jose Siri, who's hitting .375 with a 1.068 OPS, 9 RBIs and 2 homers in 19 games, and Nick Madrigal, who's hitting .346 with 9 hits in his first 10 games back. Both of these guys were dead on arrival after some injuries got them dropped by the Mets, and now they're succeeding in Anaheim.

AND! AND! Just last night the Angels brought up Trey Mancini, who hasn't played since his Cubs contract in 2023 didn't go well. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI. This is ridiculous, but somehow it's working. And to be clear, the Angels were thinking like this before as well, that's how Travis d'Arnaud, Jeimer Candelario, Adam Frazier and Yoan Moncada got roster spots. But like...none of them worked. So they brought in people who WERE doing well in the minors, and they're actually helping the team. This team beat the Dodgers 13-5 on Sunday. Not every team this season's gonna be able to say they scored more than 10 against the Dodgers.

Now, does this make them a competitor? No, not necessarily. They're playing the Astros and Rays this week, two teams that have been doing the 'whichever cheap guys can help the big league ballclub' schtick better, and for longer, than the Angels have. Last night the Astros squeaked one out. The Angels are still expected to finish in last, and I do not think this month's bonkers mentality is sustainable. But they're not exactly keeling over and dying, and they're not giving the fans a product that isn't worth going to games for.

I salute these piecemeal, ragtag Angels, for making things interesting when they could be otherwise cut-and-dry.

Coming Tomorrow- 

Somebody's Got to Be Last

 

In 2024, the White Sox were not just bad, they were legendarily bad. In 2025, the Rockies were similarly awful. So...is it possible that 2026's last place team will just be a normal, regular old bad team. No 'worst team ever' stuff? Because right now, I don't think the Rockies are the worst team in baseball, I don't think the White Sox are anywhere near the worst team in baseball...and even if they're 30th of 30...the Angels aren't even an interesting kind of terrible.

Like, okay, what do they have. Their best pitcher's Jose Soriano, who's having a Cy Young caliber age-27 season, with a 6-3 record, a 2.44 ERA and 74 Ks. He might not be an Angel in August, guys. I don't see why they wouldn't try to trade him. And yes, it'd lead them with a rotation consisting of Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, Grayson Rodriguez, Walbert Ureña and, eventually, Yusei Kikuchi, but they've come back from worse. Besides, isn't it fun that they've got a guy named Walbert? Nobody's named Walbert!

Their best hitter is Mike Trout, who, despite only hitting .239, has 12 homers and 25 RBIs. The lower sample size is due to having 47 walks, which should be your indication that he's back. Nobody walked him when he wasn't hitting. They also are getting a pretty decent year out of Zach Neto, who's got 10 homers and 24 RBIs despite 73 Ks, which makes him one of 4 Angels with over 50 Ks. Neto's still looking like a foundational piece for this team, but I also said that about David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and Jared Walsh and Trout outlasted them all. 

Beyond that, a lot of the lineup plan is already being crumpled and tossed. Moncada's hurt [as he tends to be], so the backups, namely Vaughn Grissom, Adam Frazier and Donovan Walton, are covering third. Josh Lowe didn't work, so they're going with Jose Siri and Wade Meckler in left, and both are...doing alright so far. Oswald Peraza's actually been pretty brilliant covering second, he's displayed all the contact wonder that the Yankees had zero room for. Nolan Schanuel, Jo Adell and Jorge Soler have had decent moments but all are struggling at various other facets. You look at the gameplan for last season and barely any of it's shown up this year. Where's Karen Paris? Where's Christian Moore? What about Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri, weren't they supposed to be the next starting guns back in 2024? Even the Alek Manoah publicity stunt bombed. That guy might just be cooked, which is pretty upsetting. 

It's really frustrating to look around this team that's been trying to build something for so long and see no immediate future. It can't just be Trout, the Angels have been trying to look beyond Trout for a decade now. But, this is where they are. And as they remain in last, they need to start being honest with themselves. Soriano's probably gonna go...Trout might need to as well, sad to say. And then they can actually focus on a full rebuild, which has worked with the White Sox. If it hasn't occurred to them yet, that's on them.

Coming Tonight: Ironically the guy the Angels cut last year, who's now having a bounce back year in THE place to bounce back.

Trout of Nowhere

 

Only one time during the 2020s thus far have we seen a season from Mike Trout that's in any way comparable to his peak years in the 2010s. In 2022, despite only playing 119 games, Trout hit 40 home runs with a 0.999 OPS. It'd have been a big deal had Ohtani and Judge not been having MVP caliber years themselves. And then Trout kept missing swaths of seasons, then would show up for a month then miss the rest of the year. Last season he was relatively healthy but not 100%, and more strikeout-prone than ever without payoff. And so, of course, you worry the legendary run is over, that there's no real highlights left.

And then...suddenly...it's like he never left. 2026 so far has been peak Mike Trout, and while it felt like a mirage at first, it could not be more welcome. In 36 2026 games, Trout is hitting .262 with 11 home runs, 22 RBIs, a 1.000 OPS and 36 walks. This is Mike Trout. The Trout long balls mean something again, and have heft that they haven't had the last few years. He's as mobile as he used to be, as scary at the plate as he used to be, and...as solely responsible for the rise and fall of the team as he used to be. 

Because let's not kid ourselves...aside from Trout and Jose Soriano, the Angels don't really have much right now. I think Trout's used to it, though. So many Angels teams really just had Trout, and this is just another one. They're in last place right now and they're still trying to find an identity, which has been made even more difficult considering Trout is essentially dragging the team back to 2015 in a sense. This still isn't Zach Neto's team, or Jo Adell's team. No, this is Mike Trout's Angels, and that will continue to be the case for a little while. It was nice to see Neto wake up at the plate, though. He credits his last homer to a Pokemon pack break. Wait til he finds out they make some of those with other baseball players on 'em..

Yet, for the first time in a while, this season also has the suspense of 'is someone gonna try and trade for Trout at some point?' Every so often it happens, and while usually there's the default of Trout saying he'll be an Angel for life, this is a pretty dire point for the Angels. He's got 4 more years left on the contract, he can still play at the elite level, and...it may happen. As usual, signs point to the Phillies above all else, as he's from South Jersey, full Phils country, and back in the day Bryce Harper did a full recruiting mission. The most cynical of Phils fan would tell you we don't need another 30+ year old, and that would justify not wanting one of the best players in the game for them. Mostly I'd prefer this to the Dodgers getting another MVP. But that's if it happens, and I'm still not sure that it will. 

For now, I'm just enjoying seeing Mike Trout rake again. I know he did a bunch against the Yankees but I can't even be too mad about that. He's a future HOFer, a great baseball star, and I'm glad he hasn't completely faded off after 2019. 

Coming Tomorrow- What's this? An actual strong pitching performance in Coors Field??

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.

The Last Few Burning Questions of Spring

 

The last few exhibition games are being played out tonight, to get the last few trials in before the real ones. The final cuts are currently being made, call-ups are being announced, and we're finally ready to get the season moving before there's no season to play. It's the most exciting moment of a season, because it's the last moment where there's still potential energy, before the sobering reality hits. And then the colors mute, the cold returns, and the season runs ahead. 

I've still got a couple more customs from Spring Training to dole out, and so from there, let's examine some of the last few lingering concerns and loose threads that might be at play during the 2026 season.

-Does Ranger Suarez mean the Red Sox' rotation is for real? On paper, the combination of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Brayan Bello and Connelly Early looks good, but with the exception of Early, all of these guys have shown downsides in recent history. Gray's coming off a down year, Suarez struggled to come back fully after the hand injury, Bello's ERA stayed plainly around 4.50 for a while, and Crochet was in injury hell for a while. How likely will it be that everything clicks at once? Luckily, Johan Oviedo, Payton Tolle and Kutter Crawford are around in case something goes wrong.

-Will Kevin McGonigle succeed where other Tigers infield prospects haven't? Trey Sweeney and Jace Jung, two infield prospects that looked like hits, both failed to make the team out of camp. Colt Keith still has second for now, and Zach McKinstry is mostly an interloper. The future is paved for McGonigle and Clark, but will they take advantage of the moment or end up like Jung, Sweeney, Ryan Kreidler and more?

-Is the world ready for a decidedly non-competitive Cardinals team? Despite the complete lack of star power, the entirely decimated pitching staff, and the reliance on guys like Masyn Winn and Ivan Herrera to provide some form of normalcy, many pundits are still predicting the Cardinals will finish with more wins than the Pirates. Even with substantial evidence that Oli Marmol is well past his expiry date. It's not like the Patriots where it can just suddenly happen overnight. J.J. Wetherholt is likely very good at baseball, but is he gonna be enough to get anyone to care about this team? 

-Similarly, will THIS team be the Angels team that brings non-Ohtani relevance back to Anaheim? A lot of the pieces that worked separately in 2025 are still intact. Trout will be healthy and ready to go, Neto's onto another stage of his peak, Adell can finally power-hit in the majors, now Grayson Rodriguez has a place to pitch, Logan O'Hoppe looks to have a strong year, Soler's healthy. If all goes according to plan, the Angels could surprise some people. But in a division with the Mariners, A's and Astros, will they be able to get anything done?

-Has the injury bug already doomed the Braves before the year can even get going? Yesterday Spencer Strider was announced as an injured piece. The team already knew they'd be without Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Ha-Seong Kim and Joey Wentz for a while. This team also has Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Austin Riley, Mike Yastrzemski and Martin Perez on it. And Ronald Acuna is back, but who knows if he'll be at full capacity this year. Even if there's more reinforcements this year with that possibility in mind, will they have enough to keep them in the mix all year, or will they be running on fumes by August once again?

Will the White Sox finally lap the Twins in a battle for least inept team in the AL Central? Believe me, the White Sox have had a nice head start and had some truly terrible seasons, but the Pohlads completely have up and the Twins now consist of Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and a bag of chips. Even with strong second-year infielder Luke Keaschall gearing up for a more dominant full season, the Twins don't have much at all this year. Pablo Lopez is hurt, none of the young core has developed, Royce Lewis still spends 2 months on the IL every year. Do the Twins have enough accumulated to outdo the White Sox's smarty-built younger squad?

-Are the Rockies looking at another year firmly on the bottom? I don't really see any evidence that suggests otherwise. Some of these rookies look decent, Kyle Karros and Chase Dollander and Zac Veen, plus the possibility of Charlie Condon and Roc Riggio sometime soon. But man, there really is nothing to this team, even still. And they have to play a ton of games against the Dodgers and Padres. Will there be anything at all that will be seen as an improvement by year's end?

-How off-kilter is the Nationals rotation going to be? In years' past it's been pretty straightforward, the young core of MacKenzie Gore, Mitch Parker, Jake Irvin and D.J. Herz, plus assistance from Trevor Williams. Now it's taken a turn. Josiah Gray was set to make his comeback after 2 years of injuries, but apparently that's not happening for a while. So what's left? Is Cade Cavalli ace material? Does Miles Mikolas have anything left? Did the other 29 teams pass on Zack Littell for any specific reason? Is Foster Griffin a viable MLB option? And is there any place for Cole Irvin, and eventually Herz and Parker, on this shifting team?

-What are the Rays getting at now? At last they get a working core, with Caminero, Aranda and Lowe all propelling them forward, and then Lowe, Mangum, Fairbanks, Josh Lowe and Baz all end up elsewhere. Is it possible that the Rays were closer to competing before than they are now? Even with Chandler Simpson, Carson Williams and Ben Williamson looking to make strides this year, the holes are apparent. If the Rays actually wanted to build a team without needing to save money, they definitely had the opportunity to. Will this season, and an impending lockout, give the Rays any incentive whatsoever to attempt to build a perennial competitor?

Just food for thought, I suppose. Tomorrow night we kick this whole thing off.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Angels

 

As per usual, we spend December on the blog knocking out customs of every memorable, or notable, season that didn't get one during regulation. We go in alphabetical order, which means once again, we start with the Los Angeles Angels.

At this point, the Angels have to be aware that the usual tactic isn't going to work. The past several seasons have consisted of Mike Trout having an amazing start, getting injured after a month and the season effectively ending for them. The issue is that they're spending so much time focusing on Trout that they can't build an effective team, and are baffled when this doesn't work. So this season, not only did they build a much better team with multiple a new WAR leader and two 35+ home run guys, they actually had 130 games of Mike Trout, his most since his last MVP season in 2019. And STILL, despite all that, the Angels finished in last place, behind the A's, with 90 losses. Wash didn't work, Maddon didn't work, Ausmus didn't work, here they are.

This was a season of baseball from Mike Trout that, while healthier, was not exactly elite. Trout hit .232 with 106 hits, 64 RBIs and 26 homers, and a 1.5 WAR. Exceedingly average. He's 34 years old, he's been injured every year for the past several years, and now he's past his prime and just trying to perform at all. The Ken Griffey comparisons are real, man. A decade of dominance and a lot of empty space afterwards. And you can tell he hates letting people down, too. But yeah, Trout was at least somewhat reliable this year, at least from a power standpoint, but it was his most mediocre season yet.

2026 Prediction: An improvement statistically, though perhaps not appearance-wise.

Luis Rengifo is another one of those guys who seems to jump into the action with the Angels and perform great as a backup, then immediately gets injured and halts the momentum. Last season he hit .300 but in only 78 games. So here he got to start from the getgo, and like Trout, was healthy for most of the year, and played in 147 games. Unfortunately they were not his best work. Despite 119 hits and 43 RBIs, Rengifo's OPS went below 7 for the first time since 2021, and had a blistering -17 bWAR figure. Defensively he was average. Perhaps he's just not a great choice to start.

2026 Prediction: He's a free agent, and I don't think the Angels need to re-sign him considering that they have Christian Moore. Makes camp as a utility guy with a contact team, think the Brewers or Guardians.

After splitting 2024 between San Francisco and Atlanta, the Angels brought on Jorge Soler, thinking he'd boost their power game. Unfortunately, for the first time since his first year in Miami, Soler had some injury troubles, and only made 82 games this year, and not some of his best ones, with a .215 average, 34 RBIs and 12 homers.

2026 Prediction: Crosses 30 longballs again. 

For most of this season, the Angels settled on a compact rotation of Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz, eventually bringing in Mitch Farris and Caden Dana down the stretch. All of this to say that the Angels did not have room for Reid Detmers in their rotation, making 2025 a year without Detmers, Sandoval or Canning, the once promising young core. Detmers moved to the bullpen, and in 63 innings had a 3.96 ERA with 80 Ks. This might be the way going forward.

2026 Prediction: Leads team in appearances, perhaps notches the odd save.

The Angels actually brought on two staples of the Renteria/LaRussa White Sox teams this year, though Tim Anderson didn't go especially well for them. Yoan Moncada, yet another guy who makes waves then immediately misses 5 months, fit right in with this team. As the primary third baseman [in Rendon's absence], Moncada made only 84 games, and hit .234 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs. It's upsetting to realize just how much time Moncada lost after being set up for success in the Boston farm system.

2026 Prediction: Oh how the hell am I supposed to know? Hits .300 for the Twins, then gets clotheslined by the groundskeepers and tears his aorta. I cannot predict this man.

People are already calling Kyle Hendricks's 2025 season, his final one and his only one in a uniform not belonging to the Chicago Cubs, an oddity. I wouldn't go so far. Tim Lincecum on the Angels was an oddity. Jered Weaver on the Padres was an oddity. Brandon Crawford on the Cardinals was an oddity. Kyle Hendricks actually had some nice material in a full season in Anaheim. In 31 starts, he went 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA, 114 Ks and a 1.7 WAR. Considering how unreliable Hendricks had been in the last few seasons for the Cubs, the fact that he was consistent, healthy and had some nice moments is admirable. Dude pitched 11 years strong, did his job and hung it up when it didn't spark joy. Gotta respect it.

Coming Tomorrow- A lot of people who were promised October in Houston and couldn't get past September. 

Puzzlingly Warming the Stove

 

Well. Primitive of me to assume the offseason can ever start gradually. It's never a subtle, slow burn. Always just a bang. Josh Naylor re-signed with Seattle the other day, the qualifying offers went through today, and now I suppose it's on. Cause the O's and Angels just did something pretty crazy.

Okay, let's see here. Taylor Ward is one of the longest-tenured Angels aside from Mike Trout, he's okay on defense but his power ceiling's very high, and he just had his biggest year at the plate with 36 homers and 103 RBIs. This is the kind of year the Orioles would deal away someone for having, not deal for. Ward is gonna be 32, he's been healthy the past two seasons, and is still definitely a suitable lineup piece. Therefore, the Orioles trading for him is a very big move to adorn their still-young lineup with a veteran presence. 

Next year, the Orioles will be relying on Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holiday, Jeremiah Jackson and possibly even Adley Rutschman if they decide to keep him. That's a stacked roster, but it's also very young. A Taylor Ward type is a very good add-on, and one that could lead to a surprise Trumbo-in-2016 or Cruz-in-2014 type success. So I like this move from the O's perspective, just on the grounds that the Orioles need a bat like Ward, and he's better off there than in Anaheim.

However...I'm not quite sure about what they gave up for him.

So. Going into 2026, the Orioles' rotation is looking like it'll be some combination of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich if he decides to show up. Eflin and Sugano have left in free agency. It's not a deep bench, and four members of it have recently missed large swaths of time due to injury, leaving the only actual proven consistent guy for 2026 as...Dean Kremer. And I'd like to remind you that the Orioles do plan on competing next year. So even if Rogers, Bradish, Wells and Povich do manage to figure out A.) how not to get hurt and B.) how not to entirely shit the bed given the opportunity, looking at you Cade, that's not the kind of rotation that strikes fear into the heart of competitors. That's assuming Trevor Rogers plays like he did this year, Kyle Bradish plays like he did in 2023, and Tyler Wells plays like he's done in partial seasons. All at the same time for at least 32 games. You're probably understanding why I'm concerned.

The Orioles were going to get Grayson Rodriguez back next year after missing 2025 with arm surgery. And they just traded him to Anaheim. 

Now. MAYBE. Possibly. Mike Elias has something else up his sleeve in regards to bringing in starting talent. I really want to believe this. I'm also hesitant, because when he gives the idea that he's going to do this, all he brings in is a year of Tomoyuki Sugano, and a year of Charlie Morton. That's not trending upwards, that's treading water. In 2024, this rotation had Corbin Burnes. Now it doesn't even have Grayson Rodriguez. So I really hope he's got some other ideas on how to repopulate the rotation. There's guys out here who can make this look more impressive. Because if he doesn't, and Bradish, Wells and Rogers all go down again and all they can muster is Brandon Young, George Soriano and a barrel of hammers, he isn't allowed to play the 'well we triiiiiiied and it's haaaaaard' game. If you don't want to run a baseball club's roster, pick another vocation. 

Grayson Rodriguez will probably be fine for the Angels. I sincerely hope he's able to stay healthy there, because if he does he'll finally reach the potential he was [sigh] supposed to with Baltimore. Yeah, remember that? Around the same time as Rutschman, Henderson and Holliday were big prospects, Grayson Rodriguez was talked about in the same breath. His MLB material, especially in 2024, was worth it. I was in Baltimore this year, getting in early enough to see people walking home from a game, and they were carrying Grayson Rodriguez bobbleheads. It was his bobblehead day. Injured, yes, but he got one. Because there was that much promise. And to throw that away, even when you NEED a guy like him to keep the rotation in any way suitable...that's suspect.

Who knows, maybe this works out and Elias is a genius. I just have a funny feeling that they're gonna regret paring down the rotation shelf. Unless the return for Adley is an Opening Day rotation guy [or two], I'm gonna be baffled by them parting with Rodriguez for a little bit, Ward and all.

Chasing Milestones

 

On one team you've got a guy looking for his 400th home run and another guy relatively close to his 500th save. Seeing as it's the Angels that's really all they've got to look forward to right now.

Mike Trout reaching 400 feels like something that, had his 30s been a luckier period of his career, should have happened a while ago. It's very much the Ken Griffey thing where so much talent and promise couldn't be sustained past thirty because of those awful injury-lost years. Having him in a better state this year has helped, but this isn't peak Trout either. In 119 games he's hit .231 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs, some very pedestrian numbers for a guy who'd routinely pass 35 during his prime. You can see he's trying desperately to help this team and return to his prior period of dominance, but he's 34, on the verge of a downslope and still playing kinda hurt. I've never seen a road to a 400th home run feel so anticlimactic. Heck, how likely is it that Trout even makes it to 500? Maybe it's a Griffey thing where he just makes up some ground in his late 30s without the high quality, but the wind's been taken out of the sails, and it's just sad to see.

Meanwhile, you've also got Kenley Jansen on this team, and somehow HE's the one still giving out prime seasons. Since Craig Kimbrel has been winding down, Jansen has become the sole tentpole closer in the bigs, and he's also managed to deliver consistent dominance in the ninth into his late 30s. Since becoming an everyday closer he's never finished a [non-2020] season with less than 25 saves. Right now he's got 27, and a 2.73 ERA to go with it. Despite some really sketchy early 2010s seasons, Jansen's career ERA is currently 2.58, and isn't really in danger of going over 3 anytime soon.

Jansen will likely hit 500 saves next year, which will all but guarantee a Hall of Fame induction he's honestly deserved for a while. For a whole decade, Kenley Jansen was a lights-out closer who never got hurt [substantially], always rose to the occasion and just kept at it. He's probably the greatest closing pitcher in Dodgers history, and he might be one of the best pure closers of the 2010s. In an era where the closing job has become so variable, and is routinely given to simply the best reliever on the team these days, you don't see as many people as a primary closer for 10 years. Josh Hader's coming close but he's definitely had his missteps. Clase was on the way but who knows what the rest of his career looks like now. Even Chapman had years where he was a better reliever than a pure closer. Jansen is just that guy consistently, and has been that guy for every team he's played for. His next save will be number 475, and seeing as you get the sense he's not done yet, 500 is not out of the question.

As for what IS out of the question...an Angels playoff run. I can admit there's been improvements, and having Taylor Ward and Jo Adell as a 30+ homer duo feels absolutely correct, but all the pieces I thought would bring this team further forward really haven't. Kyren Paris, Christian Moore, Ben Joyce and Luis Rengifo all struggled this year despite the promise of taking on the load. And again, no input from Anthony Rendon. What a terrible contract that's turned out to be. I can only assume 2026 will be better, but...what'll go wrong that time? 

It's very weird that I'm more confident in Kenley Jansen's 2026 accomplishments than the Angels themselves, but that's where we are.

Coming Tomorrow- South Jersey export trying to salvage a decidedly down year. 

A Waste of a Good Rotation

 

Here's a fun fact that many of you probably haven't even realized: the Los Angeles Angels have only used six starting pitchers this year, not counting openers. Their entire Opening Day rotation has 22 starts or more, and Victor Mederos is swinging into Jack Kochanowicz's spot this month. It's very funny, considering that 2024 ended with the promise of Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri factoring into this team that the rotation's been six guys and none of them are especially prospect-y. I guess Kochanowicz counts, but after this season it feels like he's been pitching for 5 years.

So it's wild that Jose Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks have all started more than 25 games and are all in pretty nice shape. Hendricks is a little closer to plain 'good' than the rest, but after his tumultuous 2024, where he flirted with greatness but also had torrid months around it, we'll take it. Despite a 5.04 ERA, Hendricks still has 87 Ks and 6 wins, plus a 1.2 WAR. He's had worse seasons. Same with Tyler Anderson, who's 2-8 yet still has 103 strikeouts. If it were a 6 ERA like Sandy Alcantara in the first half I'd be worried, but he's still a solid pitcher who's at the mercy of a bad team.

Soriano and Kikuchi have given some pretty strong campaigns, though, for anybody. Kikuchi got an ASG nod earlier this year, and while he's leveled out a bit since July, he still has a 3.68 ERA and 156 Ks. I did not expect Kikuchi to have much longevity over here after his blah rookie year in 2019, but he's been really strong for a number of great teams. Jose Soriano has continued his quiet come-up as a reliable, consistent starter in LA, and has a 9-9 record with a 3.85 ERA and 136 Ks. Soriano's had a lot of dominant starts this year, and it does point towards an even stronger peak coming very soon.

Now...having a great rotation is one thing, but the Angels just haven't given it much of a team though. Hence all those lopsided records. The Angels are looking like they'll have two 30+ homer guys this year in Taylor Ward and Jo Adell, and yet in a season where Mike Trout was healthy for the majority of the year, he's probably topping out at 25 without a late surge. You'd waited for Trout to be back and healthy and gives you the first human numbers of his career. How upsetting is that?

After this season, the Angels will be losing Anderson, Hendricks, Kenley Jansen and Luis Rengifo, and I wouldn't be too shocked if they tried trading Taylor Ward as well. Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano and Christian Moore will hopefully get to lead this team back from the depths. And if nothing happens next year, it will, at the very least, be the last year of that wretched Anthony Rendon contract, so the dark cloud will lift relatively soon. 

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of dark cloud, a guy who completely flipped the script on two teams upon a trade, and not in the way he was intending. 

What You Were Asking For

 

Well...the Angels got a fuller season of Mike Trout. Because he'd missed parts of the last several season, he missed the part where he was supposed to phase out of his prime gradually, so instead we just have a huge drop-off. Here's normal Trout numbers. 20 homers, a .240 average and predominantly DH starts. This is what you waited for. 

I'm not acting like Trout's 2025 has been completely terrible, as his power numbers are reliable as ever, but the Angels are one of those teams that can only work if their star player is functioning. You've seen the Yankees without Judge, you've seen the Brewers without Yelich, and obviously you've seen a lot of the Angels without Trout. The last few years have gone 'season starts, Trout gets off and running, Angels look decent, Trout gets hurt, season over.' And so having a season where Trout gets hurt but only misses a month is an interesting change of pace for this team. We finally get to see what the Angels, especially these Angels teams, look like when they don't have to cover for Trout for 5 months. And the answer is...slightly better? 

Like, you've seen an uptick in some of the supporting players. Taylor Ward has had a very fulfilling season as a key power contributor, he's got a team-leading 27 homers and 87 RBIs. Ward is very much the product of his hot streaks, and the last month has been a very nice one. You're also seeing even more production from Jo Adell, who's got 25 homers and 70 RBIs. Adell may not exactly be what the Angels signed up for, but he can definitely contribute some power material. This team also has a halfway decent rotation formula, with only Jack Kochanowicz feeling like a weak link. Kikuchi, Anderson, Hendricks and Soriano have all been pretty solid this year, and have ensured the Angels that the deep well of rookie starters won't be necessary quite yet. Caden Dana is still waiting in the minors, but that may wait until they really need him. They even have a really strong closing performance from Kenley Jansen to rest on this year. 

Now, this doesn't make them a good team, or even a competitive one, but it makes them better than your average brand of Angels team. This team does not have to rely on Mike Trout as heavily anymore, and while he doesn't contribute, he doesn't need to be the team's savior, because they have Neto and Ward and Kikuchi and such. I think this more realistic strategy will make next year easier to plan, and the idea of eventual competition easier to work towards. 

...now if Trout's back to his old, .300-hitting self next year they might be screwed.

Coming Tonight: The ultimate role-playing pitcher, who came into the year as a relief option but has been responsible for some of the Diamondbacks' best starts.

On Not Letting the Flame Die Out

 

As the regular season ramps back up again and heads towards the second half, there's a bunch of teams with truly fascinating stories that I'm gonna be keeping a close eye on. One of 'em's the Angels. You can't completely count them out because at any second they could do something crazy. 

This team feels like it's hanging all its working pieces together by a thread. Jo Adell has been pounding out a surprisingly stable power season, with 19 homers and 54 RBIs. I think the idea when Adell was coming up was that he'd be a more well-rounded hitter, but being decent as a power bat certainly helps, especially with so many contact hitters on this team. Mike Trout is still healthy, and is hitting .238 with 17 homers and 41 RBIs. He's 5 homers away from 400, and seeing as he's back in Philly tonight it'd be wild if he gets it done this weekend. And that rotation trio of Kikuchi-Anderson-Soriano is actually really strong, and is getting things done still. Kikuchi has a 3.11 ERA and 115 Ks, meaning I certainly was wrong about him this time last year. 

Generally, this Angels team is in better shape than they were for the first month or so of play. They lost a ton of games in April, fumbled around last for a bit and were 17-25 midway through May. This was due to some early surges from AL West teams who've calmed down, an early slump from Mike Trout, and having to trot out Tim Anderson every game for a bit too long. Since then they've been a lot closer to .500, and a lot more of a well-balanced team. You'd think that losing Wash would wound them, but Ray Montgomery isn't too far removed from the Wash school of thought, and the team hasn't suffered much since losing him, almost as if the parade of legacy managers like Maddon and Ausmus and Wash didn't work as well as just getting a good system guy in there that the team will listen to. Worked in Philly, why not in Anaheim?

And yet, because the Angels are still strung together with so many odd fits and preliminary pieces, I can't actually tell if they've actually got something. They have enough pieces, like Zach Neto, Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel, that I can tell more of what this team's supposed to be than usual, but I don't know if it's gonna be enough. The Rangers are selling, the A's aren't looking to compete. It's a matter of can the Angels develop a team that's good enough to lap the Mariners for a playoff spot. And that's just bonkers enough to be a possibility right now. So we'll see.

Coming Tomorrow- He and two of his bullpen companions made the All-Star team. Now they've gotta hunker down and keep the season alive. 

Don't Get Any Big Ideas

 

In 2023, famously, the Los Angeles Angels, upon sweeping the New York Yankees midyear, suddenly decided they were ready to compete, and thus traded for tons of helpful stars, including Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk. Then they...stopped winning games, and had to waive most of them. It was a classic case of overconfidence that cost a lot of people their jobs, and led to Shohei Ohtani leaving for the Dodgers.

Well...the Angels just took three from the Yankees again, including a couple where they couldn't get runs out of them. And now they're at .500, lapping the Rangers. If they don't mess this up, they could be hanging around 2nd by the end of the first half. Which would be insane, seeing as the Angels have so many pieces that simply aren't working, and so many great players [from Mike Trout to Taylor Ward to Christian Walker] who are doing good things but not consistently enough to be having great seasons.

This team has already tried so much that has outright failed. Banking on a Tim Anderson reclamation project, yeah that unsurprisingly went nowhere. Giving Yoan Moncada a try, well after a month he got hurt, like he always does. Giving Kyren Paris more playing time, well, his start was phenomenal but he truly evened out and now he's hitting below .200. Getting a healthy year from Luis Rengifo--that's a -1.3 WAR that man is working with this year. When signing Kyle Hendricks, who has a 4.83 ERA, is comparatively one of your better ideas, you know things have gone wrong.

I do admire the Angels's ability to just get rid of what isn't working. Prior to the season, the Angels did away with the 'homegrown rotation' idea cause none of them could stay healthy. And while they were right about Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning is having a rebound year in New York. Honestly, the central trio this year of Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson and Jose Soriano has been pretty great. Kikuchi has 99 Ks and a 2.79 ERA, he's just built for this division. Soriano's ERA is around 3.50 and he has 80 Ks. Anderson's a little more even but he's still a crucial workhorse. The Angels have gotten starts from five pitchers and no one else [so far], which not even the Mariners can say this year. Even if Jack Kochanowicz is bringing up the rear of the rotation, he's still making all his starts and he's still capable of great moments. They haven't needed Reid Detmers to swing over, and they haven't needed to call up Caden Dana or Sam Aldegheri for much else other than mop-up duty. 

I do kinda wish the lineup had better luck, as there's still some holes. Nolan Schanuel, at least, has gotten off to a better June, he's now hitting .274 with 6 homers and 30 RBIs. Jo Adell, regardless of a lack of dimension, still has 17 homers and 41 RBIs. Mike Trout, despite this being his most human year yet, has hit 12 homers and has 29 RBIs. And rookie Christian Moore, even if he hasn't gotten his average up yet, has 3 homers and 6 RBIs, and is already a proven Yankee killer. Even if it isn't always pretty, this team can produce, and this team can still get past tough teams. They're not a full competitor to me yet, but if they keep at this pace they could shock a lot of people.

Coming Tomorrow- I think about the fact that the Mariners didn't especially need Jean Segura and traded for him anyway, thereby costing them a 2nd baseman for life. And you know how many 2nd basemen the Mariners have corrupted since then. Frazier, Wong, Polanco. It could have been so much easier..

You're Home Early...

 

I think the Angels players have gotten pretty used to, if Mike Trout gets hurt in April or May, him...not coming back. And just having to keep things going, best they can, without him. Cause it just keeps happening, year after year, and it's always a bunch of young kids holding the bag and they can only do so much. You know, follow the pattern. This year, Trout made it to the end of April, got hurt, was out a month. And I think everybody, Ward, Neto, Soler, were all going 'well here we go again', and prepared for a similar outcome.

Which, I think, is why Zach Neto has been looking like the Angels' savior lately.

Neto is 24, he's been in the league for almost two years, and in that time he has played more games than Mike Trout. What an antidote to the usual 'career begins at 26' thing we've been seeing a lot lately. Neto has a 9.2 WAR since his mid-2023 call-up, and leads the 2025 team in WAR currently with 2.5. He does this by being a multi-tool guy still in his prime in a central spot. He's hitting .273 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs, plus 8 steals and some above-average defensive play at SS. Everything he needs to be doing, he's doing well. He might even get an All-Star nod out of it. Even if he's the only Angel there, he'll deserve it. 

And honestly, after Neto, Kikuchi and Anderson this team kinda drops off a cliff. Lots of guys who are doing very okay, like Taylor Ward, Jose Soriano, Logan O'Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel, people where one component is working but the rest aren't there. And that's the majority of the team, people just sort of languishing, occasionally hitting for power and not doing much else. That's why they're 28-33, even with a decent streak last month. They're good enough to stay out of last, but not good enough to be especially intimidating to most competitors. 

But...things have the opportunity to change drastically. Cause, uh...Mike Trout just got back off the IL. Like...10 months ahead of schedule. And he's looking pretty good. 

Since his return on May 30th, Trout has posted a .476 average with 10 hits, 5 RBIs and 1 home run in 6 games. THAT is the Mike Trout we all know and love. The guy from April, he was good at hitting home runs but something was very off, and whatever it was got fixed after a month on the IL. Now this is the guy that can run a team, and with Neto similarly killing it right now, I feel a little better about the Angels' chances. Like, if this guy is back for the majority of the season, the Angels might actually be a factor in a division race. Imagine that!

Coming Tomorrow- Last year was a rare inconsistent, injury-plagued year for him, but he seems to have gotten all of that out of his system, and it couldn't come at a better time.

That Familiar Feeling

 

I think this is the third straight year that the Angels have peaked in April. And it's been almost the exact same thing every time. A thrilling start from some young players, the veteran pitchers doing what they're paid for, the promise of a new star in the making, and then within seconds they hit a losing streak and Mike Trout hits the IL. It happens this year every April. They just get it out of the way, and the rest of the year is filled with abject mediocrity. Like, this year it was literally 'oh wow, they're 9-5 and taking down Houston, this could be turning around, what's that they're in last already?'

Because a lot of teams, like the Rockies, Pirates and White Sox, will infuriate fans with just how pathetic they can be, but the Angels keep giving the fanbase the illusion that they'll be good. They put money into the team, they have good prospects, they position a strong group of people...and yet it always leads to this garbage.

There are a few people on this team worth a damn, but they're not exactly in much position to turn the tide. Zach Neto might be the only person in this lineup doing everything he's supposed to. He's still in his prime, has 4 home runs and has been great at short. And the rotation trio of Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano has been pretty damn strong actually. Anderson's having another great season in Anaheim, with a 2-1 record, a 2.58 ERA and 39 Ks. This would be great even for a team that wasn't the Angels. Kikuchi, despite not having won a game yet, also has 39 Ks and a 0.9 WAR. Soriano, essentially auditioning for a spot on another rotation now, has a 4 ERA and 37 Ks. These guys, while generally at the mercy of the lineup, go deep and provide the needed cover. 

But...too many people on this team are just not playing well. Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward, Nolan Schanuel, Reid Detmers, Travis d'Arnaud, Jo Adell...that's too many guys that were trusted to keep this team moving and just haven't. Ward, despite his 8 homers, is hitting .182. The theme of this team is that while there is power hitting, done by Trout and Ward and Jorge Soler, it's not pretty. Only three guys have an average over .250. Even Kyren Paris, after a fantastic April, has gone cold and his average is hurtling back towards .200. It's not pretty. Even without Trout and Rendon, which is kind of a given, the Angels just cannot get anything done.

It's more infuriating when you see teams like the Mariners and A's doing better, working towards the top of the division, while the Angels continue not to learn, even WITH Ron Washington. I'm not even sure what will work at this point. People are convinced that Trout coming back will save this team, and the way he was hitting before doesn't convince me too much.

Coming Tomorrow- There was a feeling, when he hit the majors after years in Triple-A, that he'd be a nice flukey, flash-in-the-pan story for a year. And now here he is six years later still leading the team and playing beautifully. 

From Paris With Love

 

For the first time in years, I can look at an Angels team, look at pretty much every position and go '...yeah, these are the answers'.

There's maybe one or two elements that can be retooled over time, like Jo Adell, and the back half of both the rotation and the bullpen, but a lot has suddenly clicked into place. The infield of Schanuel-Paris-Neto-Rengifo has fully arrived, with all four healthy and on the right track. Neto and Rengifo are recovering from injuries and heading back on track, but Schanuel is hitting .273 with 7 RBIs so far. Karen Paris, meanwhile, is the revelation, and after a brief major league run last fall, he seems to be a mainstay for the Angels, hitting .288 with 8 RBIs, 5 homers and 5 steals. He's also been excellent defensively, and he's really versatile as a hitter. He's young, he's ferocious, and he's making the most of the opportunity. Him, Neto and Schanuel together and surging will be a very good thing for this lineup, even with Trout and Ward still doing their thing.

The one worrying detail for the Angels has been Mike Trout's average, as he's only hitting .184. 8 of his 14 hits have been home runs. Now, unlike last year, Trout's RBIs haven't been on solo homers, as he's got 16 RBIs compared to his 8 homers. But he's just been less accurate than usual, and this is the most human he's ever been while healthy. Of course it's likely he'll go on a tear eventually and bring the average up, but this is perhaps a clue to the possible reality that Trout's peak may have passed during the injury-shortened years. Which is kind of awful. The Griffey comparisons have already been made, but this may be even more heartbreaking. This year he can still do something great, but that hot streak had better come soon.

The Angels, so far, have gotten great starting performances out of Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano. The Kikuchi deal was something of an odd one for the Angels, as it was based mostly off of his Astros numbers, but it's been paying off, with a 3.38 ERA and 28 Ks in 5 starts, despite no wins yet. Anderson has embraced his 2020s boom, with a 2.08 ERA through 4 starts. And Soriano's got a 3.16 ERA with 2 wins so far. This is a pretty strong core, even with Kochanowicz struggling, Caden Dana on mop-up duty [in the minors[ and Ian Anderson looking like an odd investment after all. I see this looking a ton fuller by the end of the year, I'm just not sure what exactly will happen for that to come to fruition.

The Angels look good right now, and while they're not breathing down the necks of the Rangers quite yet, they could factor heavily into the AL West this season, which would be pretty cool after all this time. Kyren Paris is looking like the real deal right now, and he could be the missing link this team needed.

Coming Tonight: The Yankees gave him up for a guy they couldn't even keep, and so he gave his new team the strikeout god they needed.

Logan Lucky

 

So, just to give you an idea, the Philadelphia Phillies have been trying to rearrange their outfield situation lately because, as is, it's not terrific. As I'm writing this, Johan Rojas, who was supposed to be an offensive upgrade, is dropping routine fly balls. We already knew, with Casty, Kepler and Marsh, it'd be an average defensive outfield but it just hasn't been ideal. At this point we're even starting Edmundo Sosa in LF, basically just to keep him in the lineup. Marsh is above average defensively but has struggled both in center and at the plate so far this year. As fun as Marsh can be when he's on, we've also just learned of the limitations he has, which is its own obstacle.

And when you do a 1-for-1 trade like that, it always has the chance of backfiring. Not every one of those can be as balanced as Zac Gallen for Jazz Chisholm. And I still think Brandon Marsh is a valuable, integral member of these Phillies teams. But we gave him up for Logan O'Hoppe. And I'm not saying I wish we had him back, because we have JT and he's still excellent. But right now, as the Angels work on a surprisingly decent April, Logan O'Hoppe is one of the definite standouts of the team. More Angels games this year are gonna come down to O'Hoppe than Phillies games coming down to Marsh, at least in my opinion.

Logan O'Hoppe has never felt uncomfortable in the majors as an Angel. In his 2023 come up he was incredible til his injury. Last year he was one of the highlights of their dire second half. O'Hoppe is very good behind the plate but even better as a hitter, with both contact ability and power perks. So far this season he has a .349 average, with 5 homers, 9 RBIs and a 1.229 OPS. The man knows how to get on base, and he knows how to keep infielders on their toes. The Angels have needed more guys like that for a while, especially post-Ohtani. Mike Trout can only do so much, and so far we're not 100% certain this will even be a peak year from him. 

And having O'Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano, Ben Joyce and Karen Paris on this team, and surging, does make me a little more optimistic about the team's future outlook. There's still a lot of replacement level guys haunting the roster, like Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson, and hopefully long term solutions will pop up soon enough [or, more likely, Neto and Rengifo will return from the IL]. It's really just the Trout factor worrying me. He's been fine thus far, but...Mike Trout isn't usually 'fine'. He made a whole thing out of being back from the injury and ready to go and...this is a little anticlimactic. Hopefully something's coming.

The Angels have a hold on 2nd at the moment, meaning Wash-ball finally seems to be working in Anaheim. My personal hope is they keep the others at bay, but you can't exactly count out the Astros or Mariners. The Angels always get stuck whenever they have to be a long term success rather than a flash in the pan, and it'd be nice if they got past that this year with these guys.

Coming Tomorrow- After years of being a top prospect, he finally broke out last year, and has bigger plans for 2025.

Whatever Yusei..

 I really don't know if Angels fans are gonna fall for it anymore. A fresh start, new free agents, the promise of a full season of Mike Trout, the possibility that this is finally the year something clicks. They've been here. Pretty much every year for the past decade, 'oh that didn't work last year but THIS is the team that does it'. It's literally the Charlie Brown football bit, cause the second they get too invested Mike Trout will get hurt and they'll fall to like fourth. 

And so this year I'm not really blaming Angels fans if they're hesitant to get their hopes up. Yusei Kikuchi went from being an average, middle-of-the-pack guy for Toronto to being one of the best things about the Astros in their last two months. Getting him to head the rotation while Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano, Kyle Hendricks and Reid Detmers follow behind is a definite upgrade. There are proven backups in multiple positions this year, including Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Newman and Yoan Moncada, to ensure that the injury frenzy that slowed the progress last year doesn't happen again. We already know that Zach Neto will be missing some time, and we of course know that Anthony Rendon will be missing the majority of the season [for old time's sake really], but this team is finally building depth options to prevent caving in. And even in a season where Mike Trout is far and away the best player on the team, and could sink the team if he gets hurt early again, that makes me a little more optimistic than usual.

Now, the downside is this team skews older now. Y'know, bringing in Hendricks, Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen and Jorge Soler will do that. There are little crevices for younger players like Caden Dana, Jack Kochanowicz and Sam Aldegheri to squeeze into, but Wash and co. have packed this team with veterans. For right now, as we're waiting for this team to really grow, that is fine. It could hold the Angels back from really holding a candle to Texas, which does have a fully formed, younger team, but it's better than throwing out Trey Cabbage and Michael Stefanic due to lack of options.

The most promising factor the Angels have seen this spring is Mike Trout's continued peak hitting. So far, in 7 games, he's hitting .308 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. He's still very much himself, and all he needs is a consistent campaign to really prove himself. Hopefully that is still possible. The Griffey comparisons are still very real, and Trout can outweigh them by having a year that eclipses anything Griffey put together in the 2000s. 

The Angels could surprise people this season, but the alternative to that is more predictability, and after so many seasons of the same thing happening, the fanbase could use something different.