NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Angels enter the 2025 season looking to improve from the 2024 season that saw the team lose a team record 99 games. The Angels were decimated by injuries to key players and will look to stay as healthy as possible and will look to their core group of young players to show improvement this season.
When talking about the Angels’ roster, the first name that fans will look to is Mike Trout. Due to injuries, Trout was limited to 29 games in 2024. The Angels have made the decision to move Trout to right field. The team believes the move to right fields will have to keep Trout healthy. With Trout moving to right field, Jo Adell is expected to move over to center field. Taylor Ward, projected to play left field, also gives Manager Ron Washington the option to have Ward play center and move Adell to left field. Jorge Soler is projected to be the primary DH and is expected to bat 4th, offering Trout protection in the lineup. During the season, look for Trout to play a few games as the DH.
At the start of spring training, the team announced 3rd baseman Anthony Rendon would undergo surgery on his hip and is expected to miss the season. In the offseason, the Angels signed free agent Yoan Moncada, who was projected to play 3rd. Moncada is dealing with a thumb injury, and his availability for the beginning of the season is in question. If Moncada is not available, look for Luis Rengifo to move to 3rd base and free agent signee Tim Anderson to play 2nd base. Shortstop Zach Neto will begin the season on the IL. With Neto out, look for Kevin Newman to play shortstop. Nolan Schanuel will be the primary 1st baseman. Logan O’Hoppe will be the primary catcher handling the Angels’ pitching staff. Travis d’Arnaud will serve as the primary backup catcher, will bring veteran leadership, and will serve as a mentor to the young O’Hoppe.
The Angels have announced that Yusei Kikuchi, signed in the offseason, will be the opening day starter. The Angels will go with a 5-man rotation with Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano, Kyle Hendricks, and Jack Kochanowicz joining the rotation. Reid Detmers, who was expected to be the 5th starter entering spring training, will move to the bullpen.
The Angels signed free-agent relief pitcher Kenley Jansen in the offseason. Jansen is expected to assume the closer role, with Ben Joyce expected to be the primary setup man in the bullpen. The Angels have a solid 1-2 punch in the backend of the bullpen with Jansen and Joyce. Ryan Johnson is a pitcher to keep an eye on coming out of the Angels’ bullpen. The 2nd round pick in the 2024 draft has had a very impressive spring training and could play a key role in the Angels bullpen.
As with all teams entering a new season, health will be a key for the Angels. The team is banking on having Trout available the entire season. The team has a good core of young players that have shown promise. The Angels will look for consistency from their young players. With a strong backend to their bullpen, the Angels will need their starting pitchers to give the team consistent quality starts. The Angels have the potential to trend in the right direction. Look for the team to improve on their 63 wins from 2024 but come up short in their bid for a playoff spot this season.
