The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will demonstrate one of the biggest truisms about baseball this season. It is a team game. The Los Angeles Angels have been demonstrating this for many years. And, this season, they will illustrate another truism: time waits for no man, or, as Yogi Berra said, ‘It gets late early.’ The Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, the best player on the planet for a decade, is slowing down, and that will hurt the Los Angeles Angels this season as they will finish in last place in the American League West and be poor. As the Los Angeles Angels show two truisms this season, would you be interested?
Los Angeles Angels Starting Rotation
The Los Angeles Angels improved their starting pitching rotation in the off-season. They signed Yusei Kikuchi to be their ace to a three-year, sixty-three-million-dollar contract. He is a left-handed pitcher who seems to be getting better with age. Crafty lefty Tyler Anderson is the second starter. He was successful with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was quite a bit better in 2024 than in 2023. There are alarming signs of an impending regression with him.
Jose Soriano is the third starter following a breakout season. He is the rare starting pitcher who has benefitted from a transition from the bullpen. The Los Angeles Angels also signed Kyle Hendricks in the off-season, early. He came over after spending 11 years with the Chicago Cubs, and he is a soft tosser like Anderson. He is regressing and has regressed a good deal and the Angels are likely to move on from him if he falters in Spring Training. The fifth starter is currently Jack Kochanowicz, but Reid Detmers, Caden Dana, Chase Silseth, Davis Daniel, and Sam Aldegheri all may end up filling that role.
Los Angeles Angels Bullpen
The Los Angeles Angels signed Kenley Janson to be their closer, which is odd. He is an accomplished closer, but also in the Angels bullpen is Ben Joyce, who topped out with his fastball at 102 MPH. Ryan Zeferjahn is the third option in the Angels bullpen. Jose Quijada is another arm in the bullpen, though he is recovering from arm surgery. Brock Burke was a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen for the Los Angeles Angels. Jose Suarez is a bullpen option for the Angels. Robert Stephson may help in the second half of the season.
Catcher
The Angels have two good catchers. Logan O’Hoppe is a power hitter who wore down last season and struggled against left-handed pitching. To address that weakness, the Angels signed Travis D’Arnaud to back him up. He is going into his age 36 season but still grades out well defensively and can contribute offensively.
Infield
Nolan Schanuel is the first baseman for the Angels after the first-round pick played just 22 minor league games. He has excellent strike-zone judgment but has thus far struggled to make hard contact. Luis Rengifo is the second baseman for the Angels and is very versatile. The shortstop for the Angels was supposed to be youngster Zach Neto, who could miss the start of the season following elbow surgery, so the starting shortstop will be veteran Tim Anderson for now. Speaking of veterans, the Angels have one at third base, with Yoan Moncada starting there with Anthony Redon injured and on the 60-day injured list.
Outfield
The Los Angeles Angels outfield situation in 2026 demonstrates two facts, one about baseball and one about life. Mike Trout will move to right field this year instead of the center field position he has historically played in his career. This move is probably because of his health, as the all-world Slugger missed a bunch of games last season, and the Angels need him to be healthy and have a great year. Former super prospect Jo Adell will move from right field to center field. Adell has been a disappointment in his career so far, never hitting greater than .247. Taylor Ward will be the less heralded left fielder.
Designated Hitter
Veteran Jorge Soler will be the Angels designated hitter for the Angels. He hit thirty-six home runs in 2023 and signed a three-year contract with the Angels in this off-season. Soler is a power hitter and walks a lot in his career, better than 10% in 9 seasons in Major League Baseball. He provides a much-needed power bat for the middle of the Angels batting order.
Management
Ron Washington is the Manager, the oldest one in baseball. He does a good job developing players. He was credited with improving the Atlanta Braves defense and baserunning, those were the two areas of focus for Washington in his first season with the Angels. Owner Arte Moreno has shown a penchant for signing big ticket free agents, but the team has routinely rushed prospects to the Majors. The General Manager is Perry Minasian, he is charged with handling the chaos.
Conclusion
The Los Angeles Angels will finish in last place in the American League West. However, they are interesting because their star, Mike Trout, demonstrates both that time waits for no man and that it gets late early. He is renowned for taking 5,000 swings a day off of a tee, but it is ending for him. This is too bad as the Angels need him to have a big season.
