I could start this article by saying the Dodgers could be the most improved team, as after 98 wins and a title last season, they might put up the best record in MLB history this year if they can stay healthy. However, I know we are all tired of the Dodgers, so instead I am going to focus on a terrible baseball team to give their fanbase maybe a little bit of optimism. One of those teams is across town from the Dodgers, the hapless Los Angeles Angels.
The Angels have been an embarrassment for years now, and have wasted the prime years of one of the greatest players of our time in Mike Trout. That is part of why Shohei Ohtani shipped out, but another reason is because this team is notorious for being cheap. They have had some big contracts not work out for them, such as Anthony Rendon, which was a total disaster. However, there are a couple of reasons for Halos fans to at least have some optimism about the future of the team.
First off, the addition of Yusei Kikuchi at the top of the rotation immediately gives them something they haven’t had in a while: a solid starting pitcher. He’s not an ace, per se, but he drastically improves the rotation. He owned a 3.70 xERA and 3.20 xFIP last season, and was due for some positive regression, so I expect him to have some this coming season.
I also would expect a lot of the young prospects that have been starting to take another step forward in their development. Guys like Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe all showed some serious promise last season despite a terrible 63-99 campaign. In order for this team to get back to being respectable, they will need their young players to take those next steps. Obviously, it remains to be seen if they can actually do that, but it is a reason to watch for sure.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Trout here. While he is 33 years old now, if he can actually stay healthy, he is still one of the premier bats in MLB. The problem is his inability to stay healthy, as he has played only 266 games over the last four seasons, which has certainly impacted their ability to win baseball games. If they can get a full season out of Trout at 100 percent health, he probably adds an additional 10 wins on his own, making them automatically one of the most improved teams.
When you consider the young prospects that could make the jump, in addition to Trout being healthy with a solid starting pitching rotation, improving on a 63 win season shouldn’t be too tall of a task for the Angels. They have the pieces to win at least 75 games in 2025, and depending on how those young guys play, I could see them at least making a run at the postseason.
If nothing else, they need to make the playoffs for Trout, as he somehow has yet to win a postseason game in the over a decade he has been in the Majors. It has become sad, and I would like to see the puzzle pieces come together for Los Angeles if for no other reason than that.
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