Los Angeles Angels: 5 Reasons for Optimism -

One of my friends lives in Orange County, so I’ve probably seen the Angels in the flesh more than any other non-London-Series team. They’re easily among my top five California MLB teams.

It must be tough being an Angels fan, what with the sleep deprivation caused by West Coast start times and the embarrassment of failing to capitalise on the talents of two of the greatest players in my lifetime.

Since dropping “of Anaheim” from their name prior to the 2016 season, the franchise hasn’t posted a winning record. I’m not saying the Los Angeles Angels are cursed, but ten straight losing years is brutal, especially for a team that has never been shy about spending big money.

Actually… maybe they are cursed. Maybe another name change is worth a gamble.

Established in 1961 as the Los Angeles Angels, the club later became the California Angels before rebranding as the Anaheim Angels in 1997 – the name under which they won their only World Series. By 2005, with reigning MVP Vladimir Guerrero (senior) leading the side, the newly styled Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim embarked on an impressive run of ten winning seasons in eleven years, capturing five division titles.

Which brings us to 2016. Anaheim disappeared from the name… and winning disappeared from Anaheim.

Anyway, curse or no curse, maybe a switch back to the Anaheim Angels would give Mike Trout another shot at the postseason.

Until then, Angels fans need to forget what’s happening in Los Angeles – the proper Los Angeles – the Dodgers may be kings at the moment, but that never lasts. There are reasons for optimism in Anaheim. Here are five of them:

MIKE TROUT

Bizarrely, the three greatest players of my baseball-watching life all played for the Angels, although it’s fair to say the Anaheim crowd didn’t get peak Pujols.

Mike Trout, however, wasn’t just the best player in baseball; the gulf between him and everyone else was almost embarrassing. Look at the WAR accumulated from 2012-2020.

The now 34-year-old’s body has betrayed him over the last few seasons, but when he plays, he remains one of the most devastating hitters in the game. Yes, the last three seasons have been the worst of his career. Getting older is harsh. And yet, he’s still been a 127 OPS+ player over that stretch. It’s incomprehensible that Trout is spoken about as if he’s finished when he’s still producing 27% better than league average.

And so to 2026, and a new plan: the barrel-necked superstar as a full-time DH. If it works, it could keep him on the field and unlock numbers we haven’t seen since his prime. Sure, there’s a world where his body has already endured too much or maybe sitting in the dugout while teammates are on the field does not click for Trout’s all-or-nothing character, but this is an optimistic article, so I’ll ignore those.

OUTFIELD GOES BOOM

With Mike Trout moving from the outfield to designated hitter, the Angels swung a deal to bring the enigmatic Josh Lowe to Anaheim. There were once three Lowes in Tampa Bay; now there are none.

Lowe, a former first-rounder, offers the Angels the left-handed thump they so obviously lacked. Left-handers contributed just 13 home runs for the Angels last season – and one of those came from LaMonte Wade Jr. (shocked face emoji).

If Lowe can rediscover his 2023 form – 20 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and a .292/.335/.500 slash line – the Angels’ outfield looks capable of causing real problems this season.

We finally saw Jo Adell buff up the dull sheen of prospect fatigue, eclipsing his previous best season with a 37-homer campaign in 2025. And we all know the power that Jorge Soler possesses. Sure, there is a lot of swing and miss in that outfield trio, but there is too much upside to ignore.

HOMEGROWN SUPERSTAR

You can level many things at the Angels, but you can’t question their commitment to drafting good hitters and fast-tracking them to the big leagues.

Their first-round picks in 2022 (Zach Neto), 2023 (Nolan Schanuel), and 2024 (Christian Moore) will be permanent fixtures on the lineup card this season. I doubt any other MLB team can boast the same.

There is an inherent risk when promoting young prospects so quickly, but the rewards can be great. With Zach Neto, we saw a guy with only 48 minor league games under his belt get the call to The Show.

His defence is a work-in-progress, as you would expect from a guy who was rushed to the majors at 22, but at the plate, he is already one of the most productive shortstops in the league.

Neto has now produced consecutive 5+ WAR seasons, and he is still only 24. This is what a superstar in waiting looks like.

HEIST OF THE DECADE

In November, the Angels traded away the final year of Taylor Ward for a potential top-of-the-rotation starter in Grayson Rodriguez.

To say it hurt to lose Ward’s production is a pithy understatement, but the upside of this deal could be transformative for the Angels franchise. Rodriguez profiles as an ace.

The former first-rounder made a promising start to his major-league career, striking out 259 hitters over 238 ⅔ innings, until injury forced him to spend the 2025 season watching from the sidelines. Debridement surgery has removed bone chips, and he is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training.

If the 26-year-old comes anywhere close to fulfilling his potential, there could be multiple Cy Young Awards in his future. Better still, it’s a future the Angels control for the next four years.

REBUILT BULLPEN

With Ben Joyce hopefully ready for Opening Day, the Angels have quietly assembled a strikeout-happy relief corps that could shake up the AL West.

Based on last year’s stats, six of the relievers have a strikeout rate above 10 K/9. Combine that with the potential closer tandem of Joyce and Robert Stephenson, and you could be looking at one of the best bullpens in the league. Don’t laugh! It’s possible.

The Angels added veterans like Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates, and Jordan Romano, but the real intrigue might be in the young arms. Ryan Zeferjahn and José Fermin walk too many hitters, but strike out batters for fun. Their upside is tantilising… they just need to tame a bit of the wildness.

Featured image of Angels’ superstar Mike Trout by Christian Petersen

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