Angels Plummet in Latest MLB Power Rankings
The Angels are in a bad place right now and it shows in the latest MLB Power Rankings.
Dropping eight total spots the Halos are now ranked 20th by MLB.com. This comes just 11 days after MLB.com labeled them as the biggest jump in the rankings after the trade deadline.
What caused this sudden drop in the list?
The big trade deadline addition of Lucas Giolito was supposed to net an All-Star caliber starter for a hefty price tag. What has been the result so far is a pitcher who in three starts has a 9 ERA and a -0.4 WAR in just 15 innings.
This struggle along with struggling arms already in the clubhouse put the Angels on a terrible start which would lose the team seven straight games after the deadline.
This awful stretch has improved a little bit but the team from Anaheim is still one game under .500 at 59-60 and is 6.5 games behind the last Wild Card spot in the American league.
Is there any hope for the Angels this year?
The one bright spot right now for the Halos is that it looks like Carlos Estevez, the team's All-Star closer is back to his normal self after blowing his first two save opportunities of the season.
That adjustment combined with a team that can be getting Logan O'Hoppe and Mike Trout in the next couple of weeks will give some much-needed run support to the struggling pitchers in the rotation.
With teams like the Yankees and Red Sox playing .500 ball over their last 10 games, the Angels need to put together a couple of good weeks and a Wild Card spot can still be in their future.
