The Angels may have suffered a fatal blow to the lineup with the loss of Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers, but this may be the start of a new beginning for the club. The Angels have had a history of bad signings that include Mo Vaughn, Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, and most recently, Anthony Rendon. All these players came off all star caliber seasons looking for a bag, in which they got. All of these signings absolutely flopped. So in my eyes, this looks like it may be the end of a trend here.
Some notable additions they made in the off season include Robert Stephenson RHP, Aaron Hicks OF, and Matt Moore LHP. The Angels also have a few young guys set to break out including Logan O’Hoppe who had a .500 SLG in 51 games last year, Zach Neto who has shown moments of being a good player, and Nolan Schanuel who played his first MLB game 40 days after he was drafted last year.
The last time the Angels made the playoffs was 9 seasons ago, tied with the Detroit Tigers for the longest playoff drought in the MLB. Angels fans all around are getting quite impatient. The Angels have had 3 managers since 2019 and now have another manager, Ron Washington. Washington managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014 for a total of 8 seasons, taking the team to the World Series in back to back years.
My prediction for this year's record will be 79-83. Many are saying that this team is a lot worse, but I disagree. This team is just a lot different from what it used to be. No Ohtani does make a difference, but it may end up being a good thing for the club.
The projected opening day lineup according to mlb.com is:
- Anthony Rendon, 3B
- Nolan Schanuel, 1B
- Mike Trout, CF
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Brandon Drury, DH
- Luis Rengifo, 2B
- Logan Hoppe, C
- Aaron Hicks, RF
- Zach Neto, SS
“The Angels are set to experiment with Rendon in the leadoff spot, while Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell will also share time with Hicks in right field based on matchups.” - mlb.com
Rotation is:
- Patrick Sandoval, LHP
- Reid Detmers, LHP
- Chase Silseth, RHP
- Tyler Anderson, LHP
- Griffin Canning, RHP
“The Angels will go back to a five-man rotation after utilizing a six-man with Shohei Ohtani. All five spots are considered locks, barring an injury or a new acquisition” according to MLB's website.
