The Angels were sans Shohei Ohtani for the first time since 2017 after the two-way sensation signed with crosstown rival, the Dodgers, in the 2023-24 offseason. So, how did the Angels with Ohtani? Los Angeles finished 63-99 thanks to a lack of pitching depth and injuries to key bats, including Mike Trout. Here’s our recap of the 2024 Los Angeles Angels.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 635 | 28th |
| Home Runs | 165 | 22nd |
| OPS | .671 | 28th |
| Whiff% | 25.6% | 17th |
| Hard Hit% | 36.4% | 27th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.97 | 28th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.99 | 16th |
| Strikeouts | 1,252 | 29th |
| Whiff% | 25.3% | 16th |
| Chase% | 28.1% | 21st |
The Good
As far as the Angels’ pitching was concerned, there weren’t a lot of success stories. Los Angeles couldn’t get much pitching depth — which I’ll get to in a minute — in the rotation but had a decent bullpen.
Closer Carlos Estevez was arguably the Angels’ best pitcher over the first half, before he was traded to Philadelphia. That opened the door for Ben Joyce, who rose to stardom with the Tennessee Volunteers, to take over as closer.
Joyce notched four saves last season and overall, struck out 33 over 34.2 IP. But what got Joyce national attention was the velocity on his plus-plus fastball. Joyce regularly hit triple-digits with the Vols and that remained true last season. Matter of fact, Joyce’s hardest-recorded pitch was a 105.5 MPH fastball thrown in September.
If anything, the Angels found out who their closer of the future will be.
Aside from Joyce, the other youngster who broke out in 2024 was Zach Neto. Neto cracked 23 home runs and stole 30 bases in what might have been the quietest 20-20 campaign in the league last season. And, Neto — a 2022 first-round pick — established himself as a key building block for the Halos’ future.
Neto and Taylor Ward, who set a career-high in home runs (25), were the two primary bright spots for the Halos’ offense in 2024. And, Jo Adell was a servicable offensive threat after he struggled significantly with swing-and-miss troubles in his pro career. Adell hit 20 home runs, tied for third-most on the Angels.
The Bad
It’s hard to stay competitive when your team’s best player misses most of the season. However, the Angels dealt with significant injury troubles aside from Mr. Trout.
But let’s start with Mike Trout, who started 2024 with a bang. Trout hit 10 home runs over his first 25 games of the season and his production placed him 10th in the team in total bWAR (1.1). That’s remarkable, given Trout only played 29 games last year.
Trout sustained two separate left meniscus tears, the second of which ended his season in August. It marked the third time in four seasons Trout was unable to play at least half the regular season.
What lies in Trout’s future, though, remains unknown. A stalwart in center for much of his career, Trout stated in September 2024 he would be open to play a corner or even be a regular DH to keep him in the lineup. That. however, might not be the plan in 2025.
He wasn’t the only one who was hurt last season. Anthony Rendon played only 57 games and hit .218/.307/.267 with no home runs. Luis Rengifo, who set a career-high in OPS (.783) in 2023, played in 78 games with Los Angeles.
All those injuries put the onus on the offense on the likes of Ward, Neto, plus Brandon Drury and Logan O’Hoppe.
Drury was a key part of the Angels’ offense in 2023, as he hit 26 home runs and showed his Silver Slugger-winning season in 2022 wasn’t a fluke. The 2024 campaign was a different story for Drury. He hit .169 (.469 OPS) with the Angels last season, including a .168/.244/.237 slash line in the second half.
Drury’s .481 OPS in that stretch was second-worst (min. 175 PA) in the league. Only Patrick Bailey (.434 OPS) had a lower figure.
O’Hoppe, on the other hand, was good overall for the Angels, as he hit 20 home runs for the Halos. His .578 OPS was 12th-worst in the league in the second half, somewhat concerning given O’Hoppe played a lot last season. The 24-year-old played 120 games behind the plate, third-most last season among all catchers in Major League Baseball.
Moving to the Angels’ pitching staff and things weren’t steady there, either. Even though Tyler Anderson, a 2024 All-Star, was a reliable arm for Los Angeles, he was the Angels’ best starter by a healthy margin.
Griffin Canning, traded to the Braves and subsequently non-tendered, led the AL in runs scored (99). Reid Detmers looked great to begin the season but still ended up with a 6.70 ERA and 18 home runs allowed over 87.1 IP. Detmers was demoted in the summer but recalled in September. He surrendered 22 runs over 24.1 IP.
Patrick Sandoval required Tommy John surgery after he came down with an elbow injury last season. He didn’t pitch well (5.08 ERA) before going under the knife. The Angels non-tendered him, as he’ll likely miss all of 2024.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Logan O’Hoppe/Travis d’Arnaud
- 1B: Nolan Schanuel
- 2B: Luis Rengifo
- 3B: Anthony Rendon
- SS: Zach Neto
- OF: Taylor Ward (LF), Mike Trout (CF), Jo Adell (RF)
- DH: Jorge Soler
- SP: Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Caden Dana, Kyle Hendricks
- RP: Ben Joyce, Brock Burke, Jose Suarez, Ryan Zeferjahn, Hans Crouse, Jose Quijada, (FA Addition(s))
The Angels were the busiest team over the first month of the offseason. Los Angeles added another catcher, Travis d’Arnaud, to tandem with Logan O’Hoppe. The Angels also picked up a slugger in Jorge Soler via trade with the Braves.
Los Angeles also grabbed two starters in Kyle Hendricks and Yusei Kikuchi. Hendricks has long been a strong innings-eater thanks to his ability to manipulate the baseball and pound the zone. His 2024 campaign, though, was bad, as Hendricks surrendered hits (10.1 H/9) at a rate not seen throughout his career.
Kikuchi, meanwhile, will join the Angels after he was arguably one of the 20 best starters over the final two months of 2024.
If there’s one key position the Angels need to target this winter at this point, it’s in the bullpen. Los Angeles won’t have Robert Stephenson for possibly the first half of 2025, possibly even longer, thanks to elbow procedures. And, several of the Angels’ most-used relievers in 2024, including Carson Fulmer and Hunter Strickland, are no longer on their roster.