Skip to main content
Halos Today

Angels Predicted to Finish in Last Place in AL West Despite Hot Start

Can the Halos turn it around and make up some ground in the AL West?
Apr 20, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) is removed from the game by manager Ron Washington (37) as catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14), first baseman Nolan Schanuel (18) and second baseman Tim Anderson (77)  watch in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 20, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) is removed from the game by manager Ron Washington (37) as catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14), first baseman Nolan Schanuel (18) and second baseman Tim Anderson (77) watch in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

A recent losing streak has taken away from the momentum the Los Angeles Angels had to begin the year.

Surprisingly out of the gate, the Halos compiled a 10-5 record. Since then, the Angels have lost eight of their last 10 contests. As of April 28, Los Angeles is sitting at 12-15 — good for dead-last in the AL West.

More news: Angels Hold Special Team Meeting After Recent Slide

To be fair, the Angels are only 3.5 games back from first place. It's also quite early in the year. There's plenty of time for the team to gel and string some wins together in what appears to be a very wide-open division.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report offered predictions on all of the divisions within Major League Baseball. It included a detailed look into the AL West, as well as a guess as to how the final standings will look.

Updated AL West Projections

  1. Texas Rangers
  2. Houston Astros (wild card)
  3. Seattle Mariners (wild card)
  4. Athletics
  5. Los Angeles Angels

Miller doesn't have much faith in the Angels moving forward. The franchise brought in a handful of decorated veterans (Kyle Hendricks, Travis D'Arnaud, Yusei Kikuchi, Jorge Soler) over the course of the offseason to try and stabilize the club. The hope was these players would aid in bridging the gap between young, green players and those who were either afterthoughts or ones that didn't have long-term futures with the team.

D'arnaud has been disastrous at the plate thus far. Kikuchi was brought in to be the team's ace. He's currently 0-4 with a 4.31 ERA. Hendricks has a 6.65 ERA in five starts. Mike Trout has already clubbed nin home runs — though he's uncharacteristically hitting below .200.

As stated above, there's enough time for the team to build proper habits which result in winning. There's not a single team within the AL West looking like a proverbial juggernaut. All of them are flawed in some way — whether it be a team struggling to hit (Seattle, Houston), one playing in a Minor League park (Athletics), or a squad featuring older injury-prone players (Texas).

All of these facets should collectively give the Angels some optimism and hope to stick around in the division race and prove many naysayers wrong.

More news: Angels Key Infielder Exits Game With Concerning Looking Injury

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations


Published
Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

Share on XFollow jasonfrayLA