What I Got Right, and Wrong, About the Angels at the All Star Break

The All Star Break signals the beginning of the postseason scramble in baseball. It is more than half way through the season and by this time of the year the pack of title contenders is apparent.

Expectations for the Angels to make the 2026 postseason were low as camp opened and even lower now. Some predictions about the season look great while others look foolish. Let's take a look at what I got right, and wrong, when the season began.

I got Mike Trout right.

Mike Trout showed up to Spring Training looking like Mike Trout again. His sprint speed was up, the adjustments to his swing were paying dividends, and he was back in his familar spot in center field.

Trout reminded us why we love him on Opening Day when he walked, stole a base, and hit a rocket home run. Since then Mike Trout has quietly changed the narrative around him from a player who used to be good to an All Star.

We got Walbert Urena right, and wrong.

Before the season began, Angels On SI profiled Walbert Urena as a rising arm in the Angels organization. At that time it appeared Urena would develop further and make his MLB debut as early as 2026.

The kid showed up to Spring Training and impressed everybody. He made the Opening Day roster, struggled a bit coming out of the bullpen, and after a brief demotion was brought back up as a starter. Walbert Urena has become a quality starter at the MLB level.

I was wrong about George Klassen.

At least, for now. After a couple of impressive early starts in Spring Training it looked like George Klassen would be in the spot currently occupied by Walbert Urena. However, Klassen was hit hard in his brief MLB cameo and has spent the remainder of the year in AAA.

Klassen's recent run in Salt Lake City might get him another call up this year, particularly if the Angels trade Jose Soriano and/or Reid Detmers.

I was dead wrong about Jorge Soler.

Coming off the worst year in his career, Jorge Soler looked like a solid bounce back candidate heading into the 2026 season. His struggles at the plate last season were blamed on back injuries and he was said to be fully healthy entering the current campaign.

Soler has been mostly horrible this season, outside of a bried hot stretch that ended the moment he charged the mound to fight his former teammate. A designated hitter who is 8% worse than the average MLB hitter is a drain on the roster.

I was right about Jose Soriano

Combining Jose Soriano's raw stuff with the tutelage of pitching guru Mike Maddux looked like a dream combination. To begin the season, it was, and Soriano was far and away the best pitcher the Angels have seen in many years.

He's cooled off a bit lately but still has really nice numbers across the board. Soriano has racked up 115 strikeouts in 111 innings while keeping the ball on the ground over half of the time. He still needs to limit his walks but all in all, Soriano is taking a solid step forward this seasn.

Was I right or wrong about Kirby Yates?

Kirby Yates has given up runs at some really innopportune times. It seems he is the bizarro world version of Mariano Rivera: the game is over once he enters, but the win goes to the other side.

However, his overall numbers on the season are pretty solid. In limited appearances due to injury, Yates has a WHIP of 1.000, FIP of 2.96, and has struck out 4 batters for every one he has walked.

Given his low price tag, Yates could still be classified as a sneaky good pickup although he has fallen well short of the "major weapon" possibility we wrote prior to the season.

I was right about Sam Bachman.

Sam Bachman was an afterthought as camp opened this season. Perry's forgotten first round pick showed up to Spring Training healthy and with increased velocity. On March 11th, I said that Sam Bachman could be a big boost to the Angels bullpen and he has been exactly that.

None of the Angels bullpen has been brilliant this year, but Bachman has been pretty consistent, has a ground ball rate of nearly 50% and is finally giving the Angels some value.

I will be right, and wrong, about more.

The only guarantee when you make public predictions is that some will be correct and others will not. Off the field this season has been really unpredictable. At Angels On SI the goal is to provide quality analysis and educated predictions. Ego is not part of the equation here.

Please email me or reply to our socials and let me know what you got right, and wrong, about the 2026 Angels.

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