3 surprising trouble spots for the Angels that have already emerged

Baseball is a grueling sport. Not everything is going to happen according to plan over a 162-game schedule. How a team deals with its flaws and improves on past mistakes makes all the difference in such a give-and-take sport. The Los Angeles Angels are going through some of that as the book closes on April.

The Angels are 12-16 entering the final day of April. They've lost six of their last seven games and 11 of 14 since a 9-5 start put the Halos in first place in the AL West for a few days. LA will enter May in last place.

The Angels need to improve on multiple facets of the game. Some of these were expected from a team coming off a 63-win season in 2024. However, greater concern lies in the unexpectedly flawed areas. It's difficult to envision the Halos climbing out of the AL West basement without sharpening these tools.

Angels outfield production has been non-existent

The Angels' offense is not good at the moment. LA ranks 29th in batting average and is dead last with a .268 team on-base percentage. A significant reason those numbers are so low is the lack of production from the outfield.

The three regulars - Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, and Jo Adell - are all hitting below .200. Among team rankings for on-base plus slugging percentage, the Angels are 25th in left field, 13th in center, and 24th in right. Over the last four games, Angels outfielders are a combined 3-for-45 at the plate.

Trout and Ward, two mainstays in LA's lineup, are hitting at a shockingly poor rate. You know about Trout's greatness and otherworldly hitting ability. Even with his down numbers since 2023, his career OPS is .986, but he's striking out too much. Ward's slash numbers regressed in the last two seasons, but he still posted a .779 OPS in 388 games from 2022 to 2024. His current .623 OPS is well below his standard.

The Angels recently recalled Gustavo Campero after he hit .333 with 11 extra-base hits in 26 Triple-A games. Maybe the longtime minor-leaguer can provide a spark in the outfield. Regardless, LA needs Trout and Ward to start carrying their weight in the lineup.