Top Reasons for Angels Fans to Have Hope in 2026

After consecutive 90+ loss campaigns and a decade of losing seasons, the Angels hope to get the team headed back in the right direction in 2026. The team is not admitting this is a rebuild but it is at least a youth movement with an eye towards the future. With most pundits predicting the Angels to again miss the playoffs it might be hard to have much hope for the Angels in 2026.

But if you look at the roster and the plethora of arms that are near MLB ready, there are several reasons for Angels fans to look forward to the 2026 season. And many are at the MLB level.

The Angels have a very powerful lineup.

Last year the Angels the Angels slugged 226 home runs, good for fourth in all of MLB. The team lost Taylor Ward and his 36 dingers but could make that up in the aggregate. Jorge Soler was injured last year and could easily double the dozen he hit last season. Zach Neto is in his prime and could very realistically repeat the 26 he posted last season.

Overall there are at least four Angels who will can be expected to hit 25+ home runs this year. Mike Trout, Jo Adell (who hit 37 last season), Neto, and Soler. Just below them are Logan O'Hoppe and Yoan Moncada who hit 19 and 12 balls over the fence last season.

When a team has this many players capable of putting the ball in the seats each night, there is a reason to hope

Team on base percentage should increase.

Hitting home runs is a lot better when there are runners on base. Last year the Angels led the league in strikeouts and were the third worst in on base percentage. Second base was a black hole but is now filled with the very high contact hitter Adam Frazier. That move alone could shave 100+ K's off the team ledger this season.

Logan O'Hoppe is getting on base at a .352 clip in the Cactus League , well above the .258 OBP he posted last season. Jorge Soler is getting on base a ton as well. Plus the addition of Jeimer Candelario to the bench along with Oswald Peraza's current hot streak at the plate should mean more runners on base and more crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

There are some young arms with intriguing potential

Here is the proof the Angels are retooling or rebuilding. The pitching staff is wide open for young players to get MLB playing time. Some of them will succeed and some will fail. In a season with low expectations, this is the progress the Angels need to make.

It is easy to see why any or all of Ryan Johnson, Jack Kochanowicz, George Klassen, or Walbert Urena might be good pitchers. All possess intriguing pitches and youth. They are also all works in progress.

Three of those four are already on the Opening Day roster and it is reasonable to hope they all do well. Klassen likely cracks the bigs at some point this season. Plus there are other guys like second overall pick Tyler Bremner and former Angels top prospect Caden Dana being developed on the farm.

The organization also signed a group of veteran bullpen arms that will give the Angels relief prospects time to fully develop. Recent second round picks Chase Shores and Chris Cortez are being developed as starters but likely end up in the bullpen fairly soon. Joel Hurtado has the fastball and slider to potentially succeed as well.

Then there's the WBC wunderkid who mowed through Team USA and did well agains the Dodgers. Najer Victor has put himself on the MLB radar.

Hope for 2026 or down the road?

The Angels need so many things to break right that hoping for a 2026 playoff berth would be foolish at this point. However, if the young arms are able to pitch up to their ceilings while the lineup bashes home runs this could be a fun season to watch.

Ultimately, the goal this year is for the Angels to start moving their young arms up to the MLB level in hopes they can have a solid, homegrown pitching staff in the next year or two. With a payroll that is set to fall off a cliff the next two years, they can then supplement the pitching staff and young core with a couple of key veterans and open another competitive window.