![]() Jared Walsh was horrendous in 2022 (-0.6 fWAR) and is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery his presumed backup is Urshela, who probably won’t hit enough to justify starting at first base. Beyond Rendon, the rest of the infield is weak-to-awful. Unfortunately, for a team with Trout and Ohtani, there are far too many of these that probably could’ve been rectified in some way. Maybe the additions of Renfroe and Urshela add sufficient proven offensive performers to a lineup that seems fairly weak at the moment, though it might get better if Drury carries over his 2022 numbers and Walsh Jared Walsh returns to how he hit in 2021. Maybe a healthy season from Anthony Rendon will help. The Angels have continually fallen flat at the not-so-hard challenge of building a competitive roster around these two playoff-berth-in-a-box icons. The Angels have two of the best players in the game in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani - Trout has aged out of the best-in-class dominance he showcased through age 27, but is still a statistical monster, while Ohtani sets new records seemingly every day on both sides of the ball. Maybe this is the year their fringe contender roster plays up rather than foundering, but maybe not. Even in years they were supposed to be competitive, like 2023, they’ve fallen well short. ![]() However, it is worth noting that the Angels have consistently, and often hugely, underperformed their projections going back to 2016. Their projected win totals right now are in the 83-85 range, which would be the team’s best since 2015. Overall, the Angels project as a third-place team, not far behind the Mariners in the AL West. The bullpen returns a number of arms from last season and has added a number of depth options as minor league free agents in addition to Estevez. The rotation, on paper, appears to be slightly improved over 2022, with Anderson an upgrade over the departed Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen. Drury had - by far - his best offensive season in 2022, but hadn’t had a positive offensive season in which he played in more than 100 games since 2017. Renfroe has a proven track record as a power bat with five seasons of 26-plus home runs since 2017. The additions of Urshela, Drury, and Renfroe should add depth to the lineup, with Urshela and Drury providing the team with depth at multiple positions. What to expect from the Angels in 2023 largely hinges on whether Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, and Shohei Otani are able to stay on the field for a full season, something the three haven’t been able to do since Rendon was signed prior to the 2020 season.
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