By : Mike Rifkin
Every Season we expect the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to be a playoff team. And every year it is the same result they aren’t. The Angels just got swept in Baltimore by the Orioles and are now 38-49 fourth place in the AL West and seven games back of the third wild card. While seven doesn’t seem like a big number the only teams behind the Angels in the Wild Card race are the Tigers ( who are now only one game back of the Angels), Royals and Athletics who sold off a lot of their pieces prior to the season.
The Angels fired Manager Joe Maddon in the midst of their 14 game losing streak in June and hired Phil Nevin to be the interim. New manager same story the team has posted an 11-20 record since Nevin took over including the four game sweep at the hands of the Orioles the Angels are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
The Angels have a 3.93 team ERA so far this season, last season their team ERA was 4.69. Outside of Shohei Ohtani there isn’t a lot of trust in the rotation. Ohtani who is a unicorn has a 8-4 record with a 2.44 ERA, 111 strikeouts and an insane 12.3 strikeout to walk ratio this year. Ohtani was just named to the All Star team as a pitcher and will be the starting DH. The question is who would be behind Ohtani in the rotation? Now yes they tried to get big names like Max Scherzer and Gerritt Cole but they missed. They took a 20 million dollar shot on Noah Syndergaard who had thrown two innings the last two years prior due to Tommy John Surgery. Syndergaard is 5-7 with a 3.84 ERA now with the August 2nd trade deadline looming do the Angels trade Syndergaard or have they seen enough to attempt to extend him. Patrick Sandoval has a 2.95 ERA but Reid Detmers, Michael Lorenzen and Jose Suarez have ERA’s over 4 and that isn’t going to get it done. The Angels spent money on the bullpen this offseason as well. Ryan Tepera who signed a two year 14 million dollar contract leads the team with 15 holds but has an ERA of 4.19. Aaron Loup who in 2021 for the Mets had a 0.95 ERA signed a two year 17 million dollar contract has an ERA of 4.40. In the last two seasons Loup’s WHIP was under one and this year it is 1.37. The Angels also re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a four year 58 million dollar contract. Iglesias has a 2-5 record, 15 saves and three blown saves with an ERA of 4.50.
The Angels offense averages 3.99 runs per game this season down from their 4.46 runs per game last season. Mike Trout last season was limited to 36 games with a calf injury, this year Trout is back to being Trout with 24 home runs and 51 RBI with a slash line of .268/.367/.600. Shohei Ohtani the reigning AL MVP has 19 home runs and 54 RBI with a slash line of .256/..342/.491. Anthony Rendon who the Angels needed to have a big year hit .228 with five home runs and 24 RBI but is out for the season with a wrist injury. Next year Rendon will serve a five game suspension for his role in the brawl with the Mariners. Rendon has played in 155 games with the Angels since signing a seven year 245 million dollar contract has .252 average with 20 home runs and 89 RBI.
Add Rendon to the list of bad contracts of Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson among others the Angels have signed in the past who just haven’t produced for them.And while the Angels may have the two best individual players in Los Angeles they will continue to be second fiddle to the Dodgers. It looks like another season where we will not get to see Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani play in the postseason. Ohtani can be a free agent soon and with Trout in his prime and only playing in three playoff games the Angels need to put together a team that can win otherwise Ohtani won’t re-sign and Trout may end up asking for a trade.
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