After nearly a decade of not making it to the postseason, Angels players, fans, and management are frustrated with what hoped to be the golden year for them. Like many years prior, the Anaheim Angels begin to decline right after the All-Star break in July and fail to regain momentum when it counts.
After last season’s record-breaking losing streak of 15 consecutive games, most Angel fans thought that the only direction to go was up for the ballclub. Finally, nearing the end of the 2022 season, the Angels acquired new faces and fresher arms to mix up the bullpen and starting lineup. Pitcher Noah Syndergaard and outfielder Brandon Marsh were traded for catcher Logan O’Hoppe, outfielder Mickey Moniak, and pitcher Tucker Davidson right at the 2022 trade deadline, which had fans wishing for a more consistent roster moving forward. However, after another disappointing season in Anaheim, those wishes remain ungranted.
“We’ve had two weeks where it’s been, for a lot of reasons, rough. We’ve had our share of injuries but we just have not played well,” former Angels Manager Phil Nevin told the LA Times prior to the All-Star break.
It’s no secret that one of the biggest ongoing Angel pitfalls is their pitching staff, which is why trading Syndergaard stirred up a controversy among fans. Since then, all pitchers acquired from the 2023 draft or trades have either not been added into the regular rotation, sent back down the minor leagues, or have faced injuries in some way or another.
Along with inconsistencies in pitching, the Angels, much like other ball clubs, have faced numerous injuries that took nearly a dozen men off the active roster this season. Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani were some of the more prominent injuries that solidified the pitiful outcome of the Angels’ season.
The two superstars have proved to be some of the best in baseball, yet despite their ability, the team as a whole lacks synergy. In addition, 2023 has marked the end of Shohei’s contract with the Halos, making him a free agent which allows other baseball organizations to pick up the two-way powerhouse. With Ohtani potentially being out of the pitching rotation till 2025, it may throw off the already unsteady bullpen.
This leaves a few decisions for Anaheim to make about the rebuilding and expanding of the Angels’ name and shifts the focus from players to management and ownership. Nevin’s role as a new manager amidst the Angels’ losing streak last season was supposed to be the first step of many in the right direction for the team. However, the Angels have continued to struggle by relying on home runs rather than being aggressive on the base pads and wearing out their already languishing pitching staff.
“We’ve played the same game quite a bit. We’ve had a lot of gut punches,” Nevin said to The Athletic. “You’re in every single game and you lose that many in a row. It bothers the room. It hurts everybody.”
The halo around the Big A in Anaheim dimmed after what fans hoped to be the fruitful season for the Angels. The team originally made serious progress at the beginning of the year but lost its momentum midway and never got it back. Now, it’s time for management to make some big-deal decisions for a brighter future and Angels Halo.
