Is An Angels Playoff Push Finally Upon Us?
Photo by the Associated Press (Getty Images)
In recent memory, the Los Angeles Angels have been the laughing-stock of the league considering their inability to make the playoffs with the incredible talent on the roster. The team hasn’t made a postseason appearance since 2014 and has been actively wasting the primes of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, two of the greatest baseball players of our generation. The Angels haven’t posted a winning record since 2015 and have been stuck in a constant cloud of failure. However, the team currently sits at 36-31, good enough for third place in the American League West, and certainly has the chance to make a push for October baseball.
The American League West has been a surprisingly competitive division as the league approaches the All-Star break in July. The Angels sit six and a half games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers and are only one game behind the defending champion Houston Astros for second place in the division. In what many didn’t expect to be a competitive division, the Angels shockingly sit one solid month away from competing for that first-place spot in the division. The team has certainly seen improvement from last year’s disappointing season.
It begs the question: Can the Angels make a playoff push?
First, the pitching woes seem to be improving.
The one thing often holding the Halos back is their lack of adequate pitching staff and a sustainable bullpen. The 2014 playoff team saw success from their deep pitching rotation and a strong bullpen. With a depth that saw four Angels starters garner double-digit win totals, headlined by former all-stars Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, the team was bound for success. In addition to a solid rotation, the team boasted all-star closer Huston Street and reliable set-up man Joe Smith who consistently was able to close out games. Since then, the Angels have been plagued by inconsistent pitching from both starters and relievers, as seen by Raisel Iglesias’ inability to consistently close out games for the Angels last year, which later led to him being traded to Atlanta. This year’s team, however, has seemed to find themselves a reliable bullpen and a decent starting rotation.
The 2014 Angels | Photo by Jamie Squire (Getty Images)
The team has found their clear-cut ace in generational talent Shohei Ohtani, who ranks third in punchouts across the league with 102 strikeouts. Even with Ohtani’s K rate dropping from his previous years, he still ranks in the 90th percentiles for exit velocity, barrel percentage, and expected weighted on-base average from hitters, which means that he consistently induces weaker contact that results in easy defensive plays. Even when Ohtani isn’t having his best year on the bump, his numbers are still very solid, boasting a 5-2 record with a 3.32 ERA. While Ohtani continues to be dominant on the mound, other pitchers in the Angels’ rotation have struggled on the year thus far. Patrick Sandoval has regressed from his previous year, as hitters are barreling him up more often, and his strikeout rate has seen a sharp decline from last year, going from 23.7% to 16.9%. Sandoval’s put-away pitches simply haven’t been able to put away batters, and his poor numbers definitely show it. In addition to Sandoval, Tyler Anderson, and Griffin Canning have struggled, despite their winning records on the year.
The enigma of the other starters is Reid Detmers, a young, blistering prospect whose potential has begun to flash in his early MLB career. While his stats are not eye-popping to the average fan, as he has a 1-5 record, 4.79 ERA, and a 1.51 WHIP, Detmers has actually been a solid pitcher for the Angels so far. Detmers flashes a high strikeout rate at 27% and has been improving at batters barreling up the ball. Detmers is only 23 years old too, and has had three years of experience at the major-league level, and has only been improving. Batters have been whiffing on his slider and curveball 20% more than last year, and expect his offspeed pitches to improve drastically over time. Similar to the 2014 team, expect Detmers and Ohtani to potentially be a one-two punch in the rotation for the Angels in seasons to come.
Reid Detmers | Photo by Carmen Mandato | (Getty Images)
In terms of the bullpen, the Angels have some relievers who have had great production on the mound. The team has found their closer for the next couple of years in Carlos Estévez, a once-forgotten reliever in Colorado who has found himself a new home on the West Coast. Estévez has racked up 17 saves on the year and has blown zero so far. His strikeout rate has drastically increased, jumping up to 31%, placing him in the 89th percentile for “K“ rate in the league. Estévez has only given up five earned runs in his 28.1 innings pitched of relief and looks to be one of the best relievers in the American League. In addition to Estévez, bullpen arms Jaime Barria, Chris Devenski and the currently injured Matt Moore have also looked very sharp on the year and given the Angels productive innings of relief. The Angels’ bullpen ranks sixth in the league for team bullpen ERA, a major improvement from last year when the bullpen ranked 18th in the league. The pitching woes may still exist in the starting rotation, but the bullpen has improved, and the overall staff looks to be heading in the right direction.
Second, the offensive production has improved from previous years.
The Angels are guaranteed to have some offensive production from their two stars: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The stars will continue to generate runs, hits, and home runs, but the success of the team depends on production from the other bats in the lineup. This year’s lineup has seen major improvements on the offensive end from the supporting cast than last year’s team. The Angels dealt with a plethora of injuries last year and were forced to call up prospects and have their lineup cards act as a revolving door of replacement players. These players did not bring sustainable offensive production, as according to OPS+ standards, all but five players who played more than 20 games on the season were below-average hitters when compared to the rest of the league. The Angels were ranked 22nd in team OPS and 24th in team batting average, awful numbers for a team with two of the best players in baseball. However, this season, the team has seen a major increase in offensive production. The Angels currently rank 10th in team batting average, fifth in home runs hit, and sixth in team OPS. All players on the active roster have contributed to this increase in offense, as nine of the active players are considered above-average hitters by OPS+ standards, which means that the supporting cast behind Trout and Ohtani is carrying their weight.
The standout of the supporting cast has been shortstop Zach Neto, who is in his first year of MLB action. Neto, the number two prospect for the Angels, currently ranks third on the team in WAR behind Trout and Ohtani and looks to be the shortstop of the future for the team. Neto replaced a lackluster Andrew Velazquez and has not looked back since, posting a slash line of .253/.337/.404 with an OPS+ of 104, meaning that Neto has been 4% better than the league average hitter. Combine that with Neto’s borderline elite defense at shortstop, and you have the recipe for a budding star in Los Angeles.
Zach Neto | Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea | USA TODAY Sports
With Neto’s high production coming at such a young age, it’s safe to say that the future will be bright for the Angels, especially when top prospect Logan O’Hoppe returns from his severe shoulder injury. However, the offensive production from the newcomers and stars shouldn’t go unnoticed and certainly has the Angels trending in a positive direction.
In conclusion, an Angels playoff run this season is unlikely due to the competitive nature and talent of the American League West. However, it seems that the team is headed in the right direction for success in the future. All fans can do is hope to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in October baseball together before Ohtani departs the team, or Trout’s prime comes to a close.
