Angels Season Recap... So Far
By: Michael Sewell
Baseball is back in full swing returning to the normal 162 game season we all know and love. With opening day and a new season, new hope is always brought to all fans from each of the 30 major league teams, wishing their team will be the one to win it all this year. Angels fans desperately want to see Mike Trout and company in the playoffs and this team definitely has the talent to compete with anyone.
Currently the Angels stand with a 13-16 record. After the hot start they had being one of the best teams in the league, this is a very bad record that places them in the bottom of the American League West division. They have now lost four straight games and the once potent offense has gone missing the last few days. Injuries have been abundant early on this season so there is reason for optimism later on in the season when the team is fully healthy. As mentioned earlier however, every game matters and it is better to get on track sooner rather than later.
The injuries thus far have included two different stints on the disabled list for star third basemen Anthony Rendon. Along with that, catcher Max Stassi, outfielder Dexter Fowler, outfielder Justin Upton, and even superstar franchise player Mike Trout have missed games due to varying injuries. Health seems to be an issue for the Angels every year, and it is extremely hard to succeed in the league with so many starting players on the sidelines.
Pitching has been a big struggle for the Angels the last few seasons as they struggle finding quality talent in the starting rotation and the bullpen. While pitching looked better than expected early in the season with everyone performing at a high level, the stats have fallen off a cliff and the Angels are near the worst in the league in every major team pitching category. Rookie Chris Rodriguez and two way star Shohei Ohtani have been two of the few bright spots among the Angels pitchers. The remaining Angels pitchers have struggled getting outs and keeping runs off the board. New additions to the team including Raisel Iglesias, Jose Quintana and Alex Cobb have backfired early on as they are a big part of the pitching staff, and simply are not getting it done at this point. After so much negativity on the pitching front, there should be focus on some bright spots thus far.
The Angels offense, when healthy, is among the best in the league. Star hitters Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are already being considered for the league MVP award, given to the best performing player overall. Anthony Rendon has been his usual consistent self with the bat when he is healthy enough to play. Jared Walsh has continued his breakout that he started last season by showing massive star potential once again. David Fletcher, Justin Upton and Jose Iglesias round out the lineup all carrying consistent stats to lead this Angels offense. Every team has an off day sometimes, but the Angels offense has been very impressive for the most part.
Balance is needed when having a contending team, and the Angels simply do not have the pitching at this point. The potential to be a playoff team is strong and there are a lot of games left, so hopefully there are massive improvements from the Angels along the way.