#20
The Los Angeles Angels continue to squander the primes of two of the best players the sport has ever seen. Will 2023 bring about an elusive postseason run for Trout and Ohtani?
#9 - 1st in AL West, lose in Wild Card Round
MIH - Anthony Rendon
MIP - Noah Syndergaard
PTW - Reid Detmers
2022 Results
#21 - 73-89, 3rd in AL West
Highest WAR (Position ... excluding Ohtani) - Mike Trout
Highest WAR (Pitcher ... excluding Ohtani) - Patrick Sandoval
I feel like it's important to exclude Shohei Ohtani when calculating highest WAR on the team since he technically qualifies in both categories and almost had an unheard-of 10 win season in terms of WAR. Then you add in Mike Trout's 6 win season in under 120 games. Yeah, definitely sounds like a team that almost lost 90 games. That's because that's almost all they had. Very few other things worked for the Angels. Even after manager Joe Maddon was fired, the team actually got worse. The few bright spots for the Angels came from outfielder Taylor Ward, who had a breakout season, and rookie Reid Detmers who threw a no-hitter in May.
Additions / Subtractions
One of the biggest dilemmas every year for the Angels is their rotation. They never seem to be able to land the star pitcher (outside Ohtani) so they take chances on lesser pitchers. This year's version is Tyler Anderson, who is coming off a great season for the Dodgers. He will fill the hole left by departing Michael Lorenzen. For the lineup, they brought in infielders Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury as well as Mike Trout doppelganger Hunter Renfroe.
Most Important Hitter
Anthony Rendon
Just like last year, the Angels fate will turn once Anthony Rendon is healthy enough to contribute on a consistent basis. Rendon is entering year 4 of his 7 year megadeal signed after winning a World Series with the Nationals. In his first 3 seasons, he has played a total of 157 games while hitting 20 homers and 89 RBI's. Not the type of production you would like out of one season from a $38 million per year player, let alone 3 seasons. He is now entering his age 33 season and apparently the healthiest he has been since his first season in LA. If he can return to the form that got him the contract in the first place, then the Angels will be in really good shape offensively.
Most Important Pitcher
Tyler Anderson
Just like last year, the most important pitcher for the Angels is their free agent pitcher signing that they are hoping can be a formidable #2 starter behind Ohtani. Last year, it was Noah Syndergaard who didn't really work out. This year, it is Tyler Anderson who is coming off an All Star season with the Dodgers. It is really feeling like Anderson is having a true career renaissance, but he is also one of the first names brought up as a pitcher who will be hurt by the new rule changes. He doesn't overpower, he pitches to contact, and without the shift, the career low 2.57 ERA could easily balloon in 2023. The Angels, after giving him a 3 year contract this offseason, are hoping this is not the case.
Prospect to Watch
Logan O'Hoppe
The Angels boast one of the worst farm systems in baseball. Despite that, their top prospect, ranked #53 in all of baseball, is ready to break out this season. Logan O'Hoppe joined the Angels system in 2022 from Philadelphia as part of the Brandon Marsh trade, and the 23 year old catcher should get a good opportunity to show why he was such a desirable player in that trade. His bat should play, and his defense should be serviceable. It's always difficult for catchers to make the jump to the big leagues with the added responsibility of managing the pitching staff, but O'Hoppe will most likely be the Angels starting catcher by the end of the season.
2023 Prediction
4th in AL West
I took the bait last year and thought the Angels were ready to break out. Now, the Angels appear stuck while the rest of the division is either elite or improving rapidly (or are the A's). Trout appears to be getting close to the end of his prime. Ohtani is in the last year of his contract. This season will probably not be successful, and the Angels will have some difficult questions to answer on where they are going moving forward.
Fearless Prediction
Manager Phil Nevin will be fired before the All Star Break.
One of the most peculiar moves the Angels made this offseason was retaining interim manager Phil Nevin. The Angels were mediocre under Joe Maddon at the start of 2022, but they felt like they needed to do something to spark a change. So they fired Maddon and hired Nevin as the interim manager. Under Maddon, they were 2 games under .500. Under Nevin, they were 16 games under .500. Apparently that type of regression was what the Angels were looking for. If the start of this year goes the same way the end of last year went, Nevin won't last long.
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