Tags
American League, American League West, Anaheim, Angel Stadium, Angels, baseball, Halos, Los Angeles Angels, Major League Baseball, MLB, Orange County, Ron Washington
The Angels sporting those UGLY red jerseys after a game. Photo courtesy of deactualidad3103wp.blogspot.com
LOS ANGELES ANGELS – 64th SEASON
2023 Record: 73-89, fourth place in the American League West, 17 games behind the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers
- A losing record for the eighth straight year
- No playoff appearance for the ninth straight year
First Season: 1961
Home: Angel Stadium, capacity 45,050
Manager: Ron Washington, first year
First Game: Thursday, March 28th at the Baltimore Orioles
First Home Game: Friday, April 5th vs the Boston Red Sox
Top Hitters:
- Mike Trout, CF – .263 average, 18 HR, 44 RBI (82 games)
- Anthony Rendon, 3B – .236 average, 2 HR, 22 RBI (43 games)
- Brandon Drury, DH – .262 average, 26 HR, 83 RBI
- Mickey Moniak, RF – .280 average, 14 HR, 45 RBI
- Luis Rengifo, 2B – .264 average, 16 HR, 51 RBI
- Logan O’ Hoppe, C – .236 average, 14 HR, 29 RBI (51 games)
- Zach Neto, SS – .225 average, 9 HR, 34 RBI
Top Pitchers:
- Patrick Sandoval: 7-13, 4.11 ERA, 128 strikeouts
- Griffin Canning: 7-8, 4.32 ERA, 139 strikeouts
- Tyler Anderson: 6-6, 5.43 ERA, 119 strikeouts
- Carlos Estevez (closer): 5-5, 3.90 ERA, 31 saves
FREEWAY SERIES vs DODGERS, 2024:
- June 21-22 at Dodger Stadium
- September 3-4 at Angel Stadium
Ron Washington, the Angels’ new manager; his hiring was a step in the right direction. Photo courtesy of ukmovies.yahoo.com
Thoughts and Predictions:
LIFE WITHOUT SHOHEI OHTANI.
With him now playing his home games 31 miles north up I-5, wearing blue instead of red.
On the surface, being that the Angels not only never made the postseason with Shohei, they never even had a winning season with him, either,
I reckon a lot of folks will say that the fortunes of those Halos will be even worse than they already have been these past ten years.
However,
My reaction to that is “not necessarily”,
For this reason:
Ron Washington.
The hiring of this baseball lifer and former Texas Rangers manager to manage the Angels was by far the best thing they did this off season, due to the fact that “Wash” is a known and proven leader who works well with young players and is great both in the clubhouse and at teaching infield fundamentals in particular.
Which is exactly what that ball club needs as except for Trout and Rendon, the brass is finally planning on going with young players like Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’ Hoppe.
If Trout and Rendon actually manage to stay healthy, and…
If the starting pitchers actually manage to keep their earned run averages under four and win more games than they lose,
No, I don’t see them as any kind of contender.
Not with the Seattle Mariners, the Astros, and the defending World Series champion Rangers in their division.
But their chances of finishing at .500 will be that much better.
Now if they would just get rid of those UGLY red jerseys and caps and go back to their 1970s/1980s look, my interest in them would grow.
As such,
My official prediction regarding this Angel team in 2024 is…
BETWEEN 75 and 82 WINS,
As while they will be a little better than they were, they will still have a long way to go before they can achieve relevancy. Or even be seen as on par with their neighbor/rival Dodgers.
Much like I said in their preview last season,
If those Halos from Orange County do win 81-plus games and reach .500 for the first time since 2015,
I’ll be happy for them – especially if they get rid of those NASTY jerseys and caps!
Boy, do those Halos need this guy to stay healthy! Photo courtesy of time.com