Is a trio of young players enough to have hope in Anaheim?

You may have missed this headline over the winter since it wasn’t a well-covered story, but Shohei Ohtani is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He’s off to greener pastures, having signed an historic free-agent contract with the Dodgers. In the process, an already bad Angels team has lost its best hitter and pitcher.

Is there any chance of salvation for these fallen Angels? Or are they stuck in purgatory, condemned to playing out the string until Mike Trout has had enough and asks out? For answers on those questions and more, let’s take stock of the 2024 Angels.

Win total projection, odds

• 2023 record: 73-89 (fourth place in AL West)
• 2024 SportsLine projection: 72.5 wins
• World Series odds (via SportsLine): +18000

Projected lineup

1. RF Mickey Moniak
2. 1B Nolan Schanuel
3. CF Mike Trout
4. LF Taylor Ward
5. 3B Anthony Rendon
6. DH Brandon Drury
7. C Logan O’Hoppe
8. 2B Luis Rengifo
9. SS Zach Neto

Despite the aforementioned loss of Ohtani, the Angels didn’t add much in the way of lineup reinforcements. Veterans Aaron Hicks and Ehire Adrianza will serve as the biggest additions, and both could begin the season on the bench. Otherwise, this could’ve been an Angels lineup from last year.

Projected rotation

1. LHP Reid Detmers
2. RHP Griffin Canning
3. LHP Patrick Sandoval
4. LHP Tyler Anderson
5. RHP Chase Silseth

The Angels rotation ranked 19th in ERA last season. Nevertheless, they returned five of their six most-used starters. The exception being … well, you know.

Projected bullpen

• Closer: RHP Carlos Estévez
• Setup: RHP Robert Stephenson, LHP Matt Moore
• Middle: RHP José Soriano, RHP Luis García, RHP José Cisnero
• Long:  LHP José Suarez

The Angels poured more resources into their bullpen than either their lineup or their rotation. They signed Stephenson, Moore, and Cisnero for more than $40 million combined.

Can young core emerge?

Of everyone on this Angels roster, there are three players in particular who have the utmost significance to their long-term aspirations: first baseman Nolan Schanuel, shortstop Zach Neto, and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Each is 24 or younger and are relatively new additions to the organization: Schanuel and Neto were their most recent first-round picks, while O’Hoppe was the return for Brandon Marsh.

How that trio develops in 2024 will go a long way in determining if the Angels have any shot at returning to relevancy over the next few years. Let’s highlight what you need to know about each of them.

• We covered Schanuel in greater detail recently. There’s no denying that he has impressive contact and on-base chops — particularly for someone who went from playing at FAU to playing in MLB in a few months’ time — but his lack of power does concern us given his limited positional value. To quote ourselves: “Schanuel’s average exit velocity was 85 mph and he maxed out at 103.5 mph — the latter measure is arguably more important in this case, where the question isn’t about consistency but, rather, the ability to hit the ball hard at all. For reference, Tony Kemp had the lowest max EV in the majors last season, at 103 mph.” We’d like to see more feats of strength from Schanuel this season before declaring that he’s going to be a long-term fixture for the Angels.
• As with Schanuel, there’s no need to judge Neto too harshly given the circumstances. He had fewer than 50 games of minor-league experience before the Angels promoted him to The Show as part of a failed playoff push. Neto did OK within that context, posting an 86 OPS+ and grading as an above-average defender. He showed some positive offensive traits — minding the zone and hitting the ball both hard and on a line frequently often enough to envision him enjoying better years once he settles in.
• Then there’s O’Hoppe, who was off to a brilliant start last season (four home runs in 16 games) before tearing his labrum. He required surgery but returned in August. In 35 games down the stretch, he homered 10 more times and posted a .759 OPS. The big questions facing O’Hoppe now are can he stay healthy and can he improve on his defense. According to Statcast, he ranked in the 20th percentile or worse in both framing and throwing out baserunners. He did grade well as a goalie, however.

As you can see, each of the three have their merits. They also have some uncertainties within their profiles that — viewed from a certain perspective — cast doubt on their abilities to be more than average performers. Can they change that perception in 2024? We’ll find out, and the answer will go a long way to determining what kind of season this is for the Angels.

Is this Trout’s last year in L.A.?

We apologize in advance to Angels fans tired of contemplating the departure of another star, but it’s a question that will continue to be asked until either the team improves or Trout asks for a trade.

At present, there’s no indication the latter is drawing near. Trout spoke on the matter in February, describing himself as “loyal” to the Angels. He added that requesting a trade would be taking the “easy way out.” Perhaps, but we couldn’t blame him for thinking about it more as the losses pile up. Trout is nearing his 33rd 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day and he’s been to the postseason once in his career. That was back in 2014, or a decade ago, when the Angels were swept by the Royals in three games. There would be no shame in him wanting to experience more postseason baseball before his body and Father Time converge to cost him more of his productivity.

Besides, as odd as it reads, you can reason that the Angels should be the ones wanting Trout to change his stance on loyalty. Trout, again nearing his mid-30s, has averaged 79 games over the last three seasons. He hasn’t cleared the 150-game threshold since 2016. Players typically do not get healthier as they age, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Add in how Trout is owed more than $35 million annually through the 2030 season, and there are some unsavory left-tail outcomes on the table.

Of course, there are valid reasons to keep Trout. He is, at this point, one of the few reasons to buy a ticket to an Angels game. He also controls his own destiny, by virtue of having a full no-trade clause. If he doesn’t want to be dealt, he won’t be dealt. If he changes his mind, though, well, who could blame him?

What would make for a successful season?

This Angels team strikes us as having one of the lowest ceilings and one of the deepest floors in the league. It’s hard to see them climbing above .500, but it’s easy to see them sinking into a race for lottery positioning.

If that seems harsh, just bear in mind: the Angels combine a so-so big-league roster with a barren farm system. For them to overachieve, they’d almost have to get “lucky” — meaning overperform in one-run games, like the Marlins did last season, or stay impossibly healthy. Weird things happen in baseball all the time. We can’t fully rule it out. We can, however, describe such a scenario as unlikely based on today’s knowledge.

Shy of that, we think a successful season for the Angels would entail their young players taking a step forward and inspiring hope; them nailing the draft; and yes, Trout seeing a silver lining in the distance that convinces him to stick around. That’s not a dream season by any rubric, but it sure beats the nightmare.