Angels Projected to Finish 4th In AL West: Report
The Los Angeles Angels enter the 2024 season looking a little different than in years past. They no longer have two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the roster and did not use the offseason to acquire a starting pitcher or a designated hitter to take his place.
That means others will need to step up to replicate Ohtani's production. Star outfielder Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon will look lead the team forward, along with several young players who could very well be the future of the team.
Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe are all potential franchise cornerstones, but must prove it on the field this season. New manager Ron Washington is expected to help keep the team competitive this year after the Angels decided not to retain Phil Nevin.
The front office focused its offseason on adding more bullpen arms to narrow the gap on its late-game problems. As a unit, Halos relievers finished 25th in earned-run average in MLB last year.
Absent a player or two to fill the roster holes left by Ohtani, it's been a decent offseason for the Angels.
Even with Ohtani for most of last season, the Angels won just 73 games and finished fourth in the American League West. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are projected to finish toward the bottom of their division again.
According to PECOTA, the Halos are predicted to finish in fourth place with a record of 74-88.
Each season PECOTA projects standings for the upcoming season using a system to predict player and team performance. Preseason projections haven't always been kind to the Angels, and this season is no exception.
The Halos have one of baseball's longest playoff droughts, dating to the 2014 season. Only two teams in any professional sport (the NFL's New York Jets and NHL's Buffalo Sabres) have a longer postseason drought than the Angels' nine years. They are hoping to break that streak this season and prove people wrong.
The Angels certainly have the determination to make it happen, but now need to prove it out on the field. The hope is that they are more competitive this season and can finally break through the playoff field, regardless of what the projections have in store.
