Angels Articles

December 24, 2024 - Written by Zac Holladay

How does a team that has a decent amount of talent on a roster end the season with a franchise record-setting 99 losses? Well, in this case, it is a bundle of reasons that caused the Los Angeles Angels to have a failure of a season yet again. In 2024, the Angels had decent hopes for contention. The expectation was that the Angels came into the year with a fun, young team but still had many holes and little depth. While they weren’t a lock by any means to be atop of the American League West standings, the team had hopes of blossoming into a team that had potential to do serious damage to fellow teams. But a lack of pitching that continued into last season and a number of injuries kept the Angels to any type of regular season success. So where exactly does the ballclub from Anaheim rank among the rest of the American League West?

To recap the 2024 Division, the likes of the AL West has been known to be a controlled division with the Houston Astros always coming out on top. Between 2016-2024, they had won the division every year except for one, beat out by the Athletics in the shortened season of 2020. After grabbing their first championship in ‘23, the Rangers made the world believe that the Astros have some serious competition. While the Astros still took the division, the Rangers made a commanding statement in the postseason. Yet, with all this in mind from the year prior, Texas came up short of expectations as they finished the season with a record under .500. This gave the Astros an easy stroll to another division championship.

The Angels in 2024 had their obvious ups and downs, but ultimately fell short of any improvement record-wise. The competition they have for the West next year will have to be fought hard for and won’t be an easy route. But 2025 may be the best chance for the Halos to compete for the division crown. Here are the odds against every AL West team for next year and what it will take for the Angels to beat their division rivals:

The Texas Rangers

The Rangers took command in their season series against the Angels winning 9 out of 13 games in ‘24. This matchup has always been a toss up in recent years as the Angels and Rangers have had similar records. Led by all-time great former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, Texas has had a new look ever since their successful run in the Postseason prior. Power threats that include Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, and Marcus Semien lead the pack with a well-rounded team built around them. The Rangers World Series hangover in 2024, a majority of the roster had a down year compared to their championship year. As for their starting five, They have an intriguing 1-2 punch with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi (Eovaldi resigned with the Rangers on a 3yr, $75 million dollar deal). Although with deGrom’s health, he is a factor that could determine the stability of their rotation by a wide margin. But other than him and Eovaldi, who has shown that he is a very stable and reliable front-of-the-rotation guy, the Rangers have a pretty shaky back end as the rest of the starting pitchers is yet to be determined. This team, like the Angels, has the potential to be a playoff team. The only question is will they execute and attain decent health?

Key against Rangers: Ambush their weak bullpen arms

The (Sacramento) Athletics

The former Oakland A’s, now just referred to as the A’s, had a very promising season in 2024 with some hope for their future in Sacramento. As they were expected to be at the end of all the statistical rankings and had no expectations of any success, they had shining spots in their offense. A’s received 20+ home runs from outfielders Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and catcher Shea Langeliers. Their most valuable piece in Brent Rooker, who hit 39 homers and drove in 112 runs, has been an obvious trade block for someone to pick up. But with the team growing a decent, young team that exceeded expectations in 2024, they are choosing to keep their pieces in hopes of competing in years to come. Their pitching was their base weak spot as their team earned run average was over 4. The few starters they had pitch over 100 innings did not show reliability as the starting rotation needs a boost. With the signing of Luis Severino, who had an outstanding bounce back year with the Mets, and the addition of Jeffrey Springs who they acquired in a trade with the Rays, that gives them a good starting building block for their inch to rebuild. And there is no success in 2024 for the A’s without breakout closer Mason Miller. He had a sub-3 earned run average with 28 saves. His fastball that averages over 100 miles per hour is one of the most electric pitches in the Majors. So while the A’s have many more holes to fill on their roster, the future of the A’s is as bright as it has looked in a while.

Key against A’: Keep their hot bats quiet

The Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners, also known as being owned by Mike Trout, have had a very confusing last 4 years. Their desire for playoff contention is very high, but they never seem to live up to the hype. Although they broke a twenty-year drought of missing the playoffs in 2022, their run wasn’t successful as they were swept by the Astros in the American League Championship Series. Ever since then, they haven’t found the courage to find consistent offense. In the last couple of years, the Mariners have added guys with decent power numbers in hopes that they can continue their power stroke. Guys including Luke Raley, Mitch Garver, Justin Turner and Jorge Polanco were all additions in 2024 that played significant roles on the team, but never played to their expectations. Unlike the offense, Seattle’s starting pitching has been their strong suit and an extremely successful one at that. Their starting five of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller is arguably the most consistent staff in the league in 2024. Each one of those arms threw 120+ innings, started 20+ games and had an earned run average of under 3.75. But as the offense struggles to put runs on the board, it goes to show for the Mariners that outstanding pitching can only get you so far in a ballgame.

Key against Mariners: Go toe-to-toe with their pitching

The Houston Astros*

And last, but certainly not least, the Houston Astros. The “kings of the AL West”, or so they were. In the last few years, even after winning the division in both years, they have lost in the ALCS to the Rangers in ‘23 and got swept in the Wild Card Series by the gritty Detroit Tigers. Their season wasn’t what they expected mostly due to injuries to their pitching and the decline of some numbers for their offense. Even though the Astros show no sign of slowing down with their reign of terror in the American League, the signs of a possible downfall are beginning to be seen. While being led by veteran designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and future Hall of Famer, second baseman Jose Altuve, the once “stacked” lineup is not looking so as of this offseason. With homegrown players like star outfielder Kyle Tucker being traded to the Chicago Cubs and third baseman Alex Bregman likely to sign elsewhere, Houston is looking to steer their team in a different direction. The Astros received surprise production from catcher Yainer Diaz (16 home runs and 84 runs batted in) and pitchers Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco (both won 10+ games and pitched 150+ innings). Included with their bright spots on the roster are additions that include 3-time Gold Glover, first baseman Christian Walker from the Arizona Diamondbacks (free agent) and power threat third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Cubs in the Tucker trade. So even with their tough subtractions from their lineup, they will always find a way to stay atop the West.

Key against Astros: Score off starter early

So what are signs that the Angels have a chance to beat any of these clubs and take the division? Well, a lot of gears have to be in full motion for the Halos to overtake all 4 of the other West teams. But the division is in its weakest position as it has been in a few years and Angels are on the rise. It is clear that the Angels are not folding into the idea of a rebuild. Their mission is to compete, whether they have the best players on the field or not. But every team has their weak spot, and the Angels can take advantage of every one of them. The Angels have immense potential and have strong pieces in every department. If they play how they are expected, they should have no problem with running the West down.

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