3 LA Angels players whose careers went awry in 2025

The Los Angeles Angels could ill afford any of their key contributors not providing what was expected of them in 2025, but they were once again let down by several players who had high expectations last year. Whether it was veterans who had shown that they were once above average MLB players, or youngsters looking to make a name for themselves, the Angels did not find what they were looking for from these three players.

3 LA Angels players whose careers went awry in 2025

Logan O'Hoppe

Doesn't it feel like Jo Adell was supposed to turn into Julio Rodríguez and Logan O'Hoppe was supposed to turn into Cal Raleigh? The Angels' division rivals roster two of the most promising players baseball has to offer, and Adell and O'Hoppe have suffered setback-after-setback early in their careers. Obviously, playing for the Angels is a setback in of itself...but still.

There is obviously still plenty of hope for the 25-year-old O'Hoppe moving forward, but he's no Big Dumper. All Angels fans can hope for is a 2026 season in which O'Hoppe can slightly improve upon some of baseball's worst metrics he posted in 2025 -- a batting run value and fielding run value in the 2nd percentile and a 31% K% that was in the 4th percentile. O'Hoppe posted the single-worst fWAR (-0.8) of any Angels player.

“I completely lost that foundation I had behind the plate,” O’Hoppe said to Sam Blum of The Athletic. “Second-guessed everything.”

Ray Montgomery suggested that the pitching staff lost trust in the franchise's catcher of the future, a notion that O'Hoppe vehemently denied. It was a strong statement from Montgomery, one that does not feel like it came out of the blue. Whether or not Montgomery or O'Hoppe is in the right here, the catcher clearly struggled in all facets of being a defensive catcher. MLB instituting an ABS rule change next year will help with O'Hoppe's pitch framing, but he still needs to clean up pitch calling, blocking balls in the dirt, throwing the ball, and overall decision-making.

O'Hoppe's season was the embodiment of the 2025 Angels -- terrible defense, bad baserunning, a lot of strikeouts and whiffs, and just not enough power to cover up those flaws. The catcher and the team have a lot of warts to cover up next season if they are to get back on track.

Jack Kochanowicz

The Los Angeles Angels were completely let down by their pitching staff last season, and Kochanowicz was the squeakiest of all the wheels. Kochanowicz astoundingly made 23 starts for the team last year, and opposing hitters were teeing off of him to the tune of a .309/.393/.489/.881. Of the 16 Angels pitchers who made 15 or more pitching appearances, Kochanowicz's batting average, OBP and OPS against him were all the worst marks on the team. Only Connor Brogdon had a worse SLG against him than Kochanowicz.

Kochanowicz went from a priority player, to a player the Angels rolled out to get shelled because they were out of options. When the Angels optioned him down to Triple-A for the second time after a horrible start against the Tigers on August 10th, he should never have been brought back to the majors. However, the organization's complete lack of pitching depth came at the expense of Kochanowicz's confidence, as he was recalled for a start against a Texas Rangers team that demolished him in multiple starts last year. In his last MLB outing of the season, Kochanowicz went 3.1 innings, allowed 9 hits, 11 runs, 10 earned, and posted a 1:3 K:BB.

The 24-year-old still could have a productive career, but it does feel like he needs the Reid Detmers treatment for next year. With Detmers moving back to the starting rotation after a strong campaign as a reliever, Kochanowicz could earn himself a role on the Opening Day roster if he too is moved to the bullpen. It's honestly astounding the Angels did not try Kochanowicz out as a reliever last year, but maybe they could revive his career with a role change.

Jorge Soler

Soler's season was a huge letdown for a batting order that appeared to be one of the best in baseball for a couple months. If the Angels were going to compete last year, they needed to slug their way to victory every game because the pitching and defense were never going to even be average. Soler was one of the linchpins of the lineup, and he let the team down in his first season in Anaheim.

Outside of his 2017 season, Soler had the worst year of his career. The designated hitter, at least the Angels thought he was going to be a full-time DH, was brought in to put balls in seats and drive in runs. Soler did neither, as he only amassed 12 home runs and 34 RBIs. His BA, OBP, SLG and OPS were all the second lowest rates of his career. Soler played in 279 games the last two years, but could only play in 82 last year as he was transitioned to the outfield on a more full-time basis due to Mike Trout's knee injury.

The Angels bought low on Soler, as they traded a starting pitcher they were going to DFA/non-tender anyway in Griffin Canning for him during the offseason. However, his career is in peril after what he showed last year, and it seems like the Angels will have to eat his contract if they are going to clear him out in order for Trout to DH full-time again.