Happy Opening Day to you and your loved ones.
No need to change much from last year, but just simply update, so hold on to your britches. This may be a bumpy ride.
Verbatim from last year's opening statement: There are some things that may not be fun to hear, but they are factual and have to be stated.
The Angels lost 89 gam... oh my, scratch that.
The Angels lost 99 games last season, the worst mark in franchise history. Shohei Ohtani is now two years, $700 million (kind of), a World Series title and full season removed. The Angels have not had a winning season since 2015 and have not made the playoffs since the year before that -- both of which are the longest active streaks in Major League Baseball.
It was another overhaul for the top of the roster for Perry Minasian and staff over the winter, which included bringing in Yusei Kikuchi to serve as the front man of the rotation; Jorge Soler to add power and stability to the middle of the lineup; and add Kyle Hendricks and Kenley Jansen to mentor a young pitching staff, and in the case of Jansen, close out games.
The rest will be highlighted across this preview.
In a collective effort from The Sporting Tribune staff, we give you a preview into the Los Angeles Angels 2025 season, and what to anticipate with a breakdown of each generalized position, as well as predictions.
This preview is a collective effort from the Angels writing staff from The Sporting Tribune – Anthony Bautista, Brandon Deutsch, Holdenn Graff, Michael Huntley, Jack Janes, Thomas Murray and Taylor Blake Ward.
STARTING ROTATION -- Jack Janes, Lead MLB Analyst for The Sporting Tribune
On Monday, the Angels solidified their starting rotation by naming right-hander Jack Kochanowicz as their fifth starter. It’s a rotation that has a blend of experienced veterans and a pair of young starters still building a name for themselves.
Angels starters sported a 4.97 ERA last season, which was the third-worst in baseball. In an attempt to solve the starting pitching woes, the Angels brought in two veteran starters to round out the rotation.
Here’s how the Angels' rotation looks heading into Opening Day:
Yusei Kikuchi
In late November, the Angels signed Kikcuhi to a three-year $63 million contract and promptly named him as the Opening Day starter. The left-hander is coming off a polarizing season that saw him struggle until his trade to the Houston Astros, where he posted a 2.70 ERA in his 10 starts as an Astro.
The biggest key to Kikcuhi’s success after the trade was his growing usage of his slider. In the month of September, Kikuchi threw sliders the most of any pitch at 39.2% and held a 2.88 ERA. Kikuchi has been working on a new sweeper this spring training, and it helped him collect 16 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched while giving up four earned runs.
José Soriano
In his first full season in the big leagues, Soriano impressed with a 3.42 ERA in 20 starts. The 113 innings pitched also marked a career high for him at any level. Soriano’s success stems from getting groundballs with his sinker. His sinker sits at 97.7 miles per hour and drops 4.7 inches more than the league-average sinker. Soriano’s groundball percentage last season was 60.1%, whereas the league average was 44.4%.
In spring training this year, Soriano threw 20 innings while giving up eight earned runs with 21 strikeouts and 10 walks. If Soriano continues his increased strikeout rate, he could be in line for a better season than last year.
Tyler Anderson
It was a tale of two halves for Anderson. In the first half, he posted a 2.97 ERA in 19 starts and was selected for the All-Star Game. In the second half, Anderson struggled and had a 5.43 ERA in 12 starts, evening his total on the season to a 3.81 ERA.
With a fastball velocity that sits below 90 miles per hour, Anderson relies on soft contact instead of whiffs to get outs. The biggest key to a successful season for Anderson is his command because his walk rate has been below average both years as an Angel at 10.2% in 2023 and 9.5% last year.
In five appearances this spring, Anderson threw 17 innings while giving up 14 earned runs on 23 hits with 12 strikeouts and five walks.
Kyle Hendricks
The veteran right-hander is coming off the worst year in his career but was still able to sign a one-year $2.5 million contract in early November. His 5.92 ERA last season was far from his career. 3.68 mark, but the majority of the damage was done in the first half of the season. From July 1 to the end of the season, Hendricks made 14 starts and had a 4.54 ERA.
He obviously isn’t the same pitcher that won an ERA Title back in 2016, but Hendricks can still provide value to the Angels if he can eat innings. Another way he provides value is through his veteran presence. Hendricks is a cerebral pitcher, and he’s been talking to the younger pitchers on the Angels staff and helping them through their development this spring.
In spring training, Hendricks threw 18.2 innings and only gave up five earned runs on 17 hits with 18 strikeouts and three walks.
Jack Kochanowicz
Kochanowicz spent the spring battling for the last rotation spot with left-hander Reid Detmers, with both pitchers putting together good enough springs to earn the job. What helped him separate himself from Detmers was the fact that he was carrying over success from last season to this season.
Kochanowicz got called up to the big leagues in July and struggled in his first two starts, causing him to be sent back down to the minors. Once he rejoined the Angels a month later, Kochanowicz posted a 2.78 ERA in his nine starts to close out the season. Much like Soriano, Kochanowicz relies on inducing groundballs with his sinker. He threw his sinker 72.6% of the time and for strikes, too. Kochanowicz sported a well above average groundball rate (56.5%) and walk rate (3.8%).
This spring, Kochanowicz gave up four earned runs in 12.1 innings on 11 hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.
BULLPEN -- Michael Huntley, MLB Analyst for The Sporting Tribune
The Angels bullpen is unique in that it features a group of the least experienced relief pitchers in baseball and also features the most experienced pitcher in the league.
Kenley Jansen leads all active players in saves with 447, including 27 in 2024 with the Boston Red Sox. He throws his cutter 85 percent of the time and has only missed one week due to injury in the last two seasons.
He will be the team’s closer and will also be tasked with mentoring the closer of the future, Ben Joyce. Joyce had a 2.08 ERA over 34⅔ innings in 2024 and threw the fastest pitch in the majors last season at 105 mph.
The other veteran pitcher who may be used in high-leverage situations is Brock Burke. Burke debuted in 2019 with the Texas Rangers and had a breakout season in 2022 with a 1.97 ERA in 82⅓ innings. He was traded to the Angels late last season and had a 3.54 ERA in 21 games.
The rest of the bullpen is filled with unproven, but high-upside arms. 22-year old Ryan Johnson made the team this week and has never played professional baseball before. Johnson was impressive in spring training with a 3.97 ERA which made him the first player in line to make his major league debut without playing a minor league game since Garrett Crochet in 2020.
Rule 5 pick Garrett McDaniels has only pitched two games above Single-A ball, but had a 3.00 ERA in spring training. Ryan Zeferjahn will be a high-leverage pitcher, but has only pitched in 12 major league games.
The long-relief men are former starters Reid Detmers and Ian Anderson. Detmers was competing for the fifth starting spot after a disastrous 2024 season, but will begin the season in the pen. Detmers has pitched in 75 major league games and has started all of them. Anderson was acquired from the Braves in a trade for fan favorite Jose Suarez. He hasn’t pitched a major league game since 2022 and has also never pitched a major league game out of the bullpen.
Zeferjahn, Joyce, Detmers and Johnson have minor league options remaining. Michael Peterson, Victor Mederos and Hans Crouse are relief pitchers on the 40-man roster that will likely pitch in games for the Angels this season. Robert Stephenson is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is in line to likely return in July.
CATCHERS -- Taylor Blake Ward, Managing Editor for The Sporting Tribune
One familiar face, one unfamiliar. Logan O'Hoppe missed what would have been his every day job at backstop in 2023 with an oblique strain that held him to 51 games. Fully healthy, O'Hoppe made up for lost reps (and then some) by catching the third most games in the majors last year with 127 games behind the plate, and a total of 1,064+ innings. While not holding down his 40 home run pace from 2023, he did slug 20 home runs in 2024 with an exact league-average 100 OPS+ as a 2.1 WAR catcher (8th in the American League)
O'Hoppe is young and a large part of the Angels future, but something had to be done to give him at least a handful of days off behind the plate that he would not have received due to lack of production and value from the Angels backup catching.
Insert: Travis D'Arnaud for two years and $12 million.
One of the more respected veteran catchers in the game, d'Arnaud brings 12 years' experience to the Angels which has already been noted by O'Hoppe as an aid, after the pair would text frequently during the off-season and have lockers within arm's length of each other in the clubhouse.
d'Arnaud has been an average offensive producer for the past half decade (102 OPS), while his .441 slugging percentage since 2019 ranks ninth best among catchers and his .380 weighted on-base average (wOBA) against left-handed pitchers since 2021 ranks 18th best across all the major leagues.
It won't be a true left-right platoon but expect O'Hoppe to continue getting the bulk of starts while d'Arnaud jumps in multiple times a week -- particularly, against left-handed pitchers.
INFIELD -- Thomas Murray, Lead Angels Analyst for The Sporting Tribune
The Angels' Infield will look a bit different to start the year when compared to last season’s opening day roster as Nolan Schanuel and Luis Rengifo will be the only familiar faces returning to start the year.
Anthony Rendon is currently expected to miss the season due to a hip injury, and Zach Neto will be sidelined throughout the first month after having shoulder surgery over the offseason.
After having little to no depth in the infield last season, the Angels' approach over the offseason was to build up depth to last for the year.
Being one of the more aggressive teams to start the offseason, the Angels went ahead and signed Kevin Newman in November. They then went ahead and added Yoan Moncada in Jan. and signed Tim Anderson to a minor league deal. Anderson has made the Angels' opening day roster after finishing the month of March strong. The team also made a move earlier this week by signing Nicky Lopez to the team this past Tuesday.
While Rengifo does not have a set position, he will be utilized alongside Kyren Paris as a utility man in the Angels' infield.
Paris has been the talk of camp since making a major adjustment to his swing over the offseason. After spending time with New York Yankees star Aaron Judge’s hitting coach, Richard Schenk, he’s shown true power at the plate finishing camp with a .400 batting average followed by 13 RBIs, two home runs, and two doubles.
OUTFIELD -- Brandon Deutsch, MLB Staff Writer for The Sporting Tribune
Following the surprising release of Mickey Moniak who hit 14 home runs with a .646 OPS last year, the Angels appear posed to utilize a four-to-five-man outfield rotation featuring Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell and Spring Training breakout star Kyren Paris who had a 1.116 OPS in the Cactus League. Occasionally, Jorge Soler will play left or right field but will primarily serve as the team's designated hitter.
Mike Trout managed to hit 10 home runs with an .867 OPS while being limited to just 29 games last season -- a career-low mark. Now 33-years-old and aiming for a bounce-back campaign, Trout will make a notable defensive shift to right field for the first time in his career, a strategic move by the Angels in hopes of preserving his health.
With Moniak no longer in the picture, Jo Adell will take over near full-time center field duties. Paris will play center field 2-3 times a week, according to Ron Washington, but Adell will be the primary every day guy. Adell showed flashes of stardom last season, clubbing 20 home runs and driving in 62 despite finishing with a .682 OPS.
Adell's raw power is undeniable, but consistency remains the biggest hurdle. He'll flash stretches of 40 home run potential, while having other flashes of near-zero contact which have kept him on the fringe of breaking free. There's no question that Adell has outgrown Triple-A (take a look at his monstrous numbers in Salt Lake), but the jury is still out on whether he can put it all together at the major league level.
Taylor Ward rounds out the starting trio in left field after another solid season, posting 25 home runs, 75 RBI and a .749 OPS. Over the past three season, he has quietly become one of the more dependable corner outfielders in the American League -- a steady presence the club can count on.
Matthew Lugo appeared poised for a fourth outfield spot off the bench after an impressive spring where he hit .298 with an .807 OPS. His versatility and power off the bench could give the Angels a valuable depth option, though that will have to come from Triple-A and may be forced by any injury.
Jorge Soler, who hit 21 home runs with a .780 OPS last season, will handle most of the DH responsibilities, though he could see occasional starts in left field if needed. His defense remains a liability, but his bat can be a game-changer.
Ultimately, this outfield -- and arguably the entire Angels season -- hinges on Mike Trout's health. When healthy, he's still one of the best players on the planet, but he's only played more than 100 games once in the past five season (2022). The move to right field could be what helps extend his availability and health, but if Trout misses significant time again, the Angels hopes of "contention" take a massive hit.
With Ward's steady hand in left and Adell's high upside in center, the Angels outfield has intriguing potential. But make no mistake -- this unit will go as far as Trout takes them.
TST STAFF SEASON PREDICTIONS
"The Angels seem destined for another year of lingering below .500, offering some hope for the future but little immediate threat to the division’s top dogs.
The Halos are banking on health and consistency from aging core players to drive improvement.
If Trout, Ward, Soler can stay on the field for 120+ games each, the offense might surprise some people, but that’s a big "if" given recent history. Young talents like O’Hoppe, Neto—recovering from shoulder surgery—and Schanuel could provide a spark if they continue to build on their early promise.
Still, the overall outlook points to a team in transition rather than contention." - Anthony Bautista, MLB/MLS Analyst for TST
"The Angels were active early in the offseason, making several notable additions including Yusei Kikuchi, Kevin Newman, and Jorge Soler. There’s no question this year’s roster has more depth than last season’s.
That said, the AL West is primed for a bounce-back. After a relatively down year across the division in 2024, the Rangers and Mariners are both built to win 85+ games, and the Astros—while aging—still have enough firepower to stay above .500. Even the Athletics, despite being in a rebuild, look slightly more competitive heading into 2025.
Given that landscape, it's tough to envision a realistic path for the Angels to break 75 wins—even if Mike Trout stays healthy all season. The improvements are there, but the division is just too stacked. I’ll give them a modest step forward from last year and project a 72-90 finish, which unfortunately still lands them in last place in the AL West." - Brandon Deutsch, MLB Staff Writer for TST
"Given the Angels health problems and starting pitching concerns, I'm not expecting any sort of drastic improvement from last season.
The additions of Yusei Kikuchi and Jorge Soler certainly provide a boost, while Kenley Jansen will reinforce a sneaky good bullpen; but it doesn't change the fact that this team is full of question marks. Will Mike Trout's move to right field keep him healthy? Will a rotation with three projected starters aged 33 or older be able to deliver consistent and quality innings? Will the youngsters continue to show improvement?
I'm penciling them in at 71-91." - Holdenn Graff, MLB Staff Writer for TST
"The current Angels roster is considerably better than the roster we saw in the last months of 2024. Adding veterans like Jorge Soler, Travis d’Arnaud, Kenley Jansen and Yusei Kikuchi increase the floor of this team.
Stop me if you have heard this before, but the health of Mike Trout will greatly impact the win total for the Angels. If Trout plays over 120 games, the Angels are at least five to 10 wins better.
The offense in the infield is among the worst in baseball but will be improved when Zach Neto returns in late April. The bullpen has the potential to be excellent but is also built on unproven arms. Only three pitchers in the pen have pitched over 35 major league innings out of the pen and both long-relief pitchers have never pitched out of the bullpen in their careers.
Last season I predicted the Angels would win between 75-80 games. While I think this team is better than the 2024 Angels, they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. I’m more optimistic about the Angels than many analysts in the national media, but I still expect 70-73 wins." - Michael Huntley, MLB Analyst for TST
"Although the roster didn’t go through a complete overhaul, the Angels still added quality depth pieces. With that, the young guns hopefully taking another step in their development and what could be a good bullpen, I’m predicting the Angels to go 75-87 this season. Of course, health is always the biggest question with this team so if they can stay healthy, I could see the Angels improving by 12 wins from last year." - Jack Janes, Lead MLB Analyst for TST
"I just think this team is still growing and very young. They're getting better and I think they'll play better in the second half with growing pains and learning curves in the front half. Thinking a 10 win improvement roughly, so 72 wins or around that range." - Thomas Murray, Lead Angels Analyst for TST
"The Angels got better over the winter, but really, but how much? They won't lose 100 games, or close to it, but 90? Yeah, maybe.
I think Kikuchi makes the rotation better, only by a little though. I think Soler makes the lineup better, but only if he's at the plate and not in the field. I think Jansen is a nice addition to what might be an actually solid bullpen. And most importantly, and maybe a bit optimistic, I think Mike Trout might give you a healthy season of 120 games. Heck, I'd love to see Trout play 150 games. Those things alone should boost you 10 wins or so.
If the kids grow (i.e., get better) and Trout stays on the field, I'd call it a win. Slap me down on the 75-win range, though the target really should be 81. They have to break over .500, but health and growth is the only way to do it." - Taylor Blake Ward, Managing Editor for TST