5 bold Angels predictions as spring training begins ahead of the 2026 season

With the Los Angeles Angels starting their spring training schedule, and with the main news around the team being about their lack of television representation, there are already plenty of stories coming out of Tempe. Whether positive or negative,

Before things get too far along, let's take a stab at some bold predictions for what fans should expect to see once we get into the meat of spring training and we get a better sense of how the Angels look heading into the season.

Angels' spring training bold predictions for 2026

1.) Mike Trout looks exceptional in center field

2026 brings a phenomenal chance for Mike Trout to move up all-time lists, but he'll have to be healthy to do so. With his move to center field official, there is a lot of nervousness from fans about Trout's ability to stay healthy. However, as long as he is on the field, Trout will be a competent center fielder. He always has been, and there is little reason to believe his performance in center will crater from his last time out there in 2024. After watching Jo Adell in center field for most of 2025, Trout will be a sight for sore eyes.

2.) A rookie pitcher makes the team... as a reliever

A handful of top Angels' prospects were invited to big league camp, and the headliners on the pitching side are Tyler Bremner, George Klassen, and Chase Shores. There is only one start above Double-A within that trio, as Klassen ended his season in 2025 with an appearance for the Salt Lake Bees.

Nonetheless, the Angels clearly believe in the idea of turning a young starter into a reliever for a season, as they attempted to do so with Ryan Johnson last season. That did not go as planned, but there is little reason to believe Klassen or Bremner has a zero percent chance of making the roster. Bremner was the second overall pick, and Klassen's stuff could play out of the bullpen. Given the bullpen is currently made up entirely of veterans and possibly Ben Joyce (more on him later), adding a young, upside arm could be a huge asset for Kurt Suzuki.

3.) Reid Detmers named Opening Day starter

Jose Soriano and Yusei Kikuchi both had stretches in 2025 that could lay claim to ace-level stuff, but Detmers is rejoining the rotation after an elite season in the bullpen. His chase and whiff percentages were both in the mid-90's percentiles, and his ability to fool hitters seems vastly improved heading into spring training. An elite preseason could have Detmers not just rejoining the rotation, but leading it.

4.) Logan O'Hoppe leads team in OPS

A lot has been made of Logan O'Hoppe's potential comeback season in 2026, but that all starts in the preseason. After an offseason of work at Driveline and longtime catchers Kurt Suzuki and Max Stassi coaching him up, O'Hoppe has no excuses but to come into Tempe and dominate. All signs point to a true comeback coming, and O'Hoppe will prove it when he steps up to the plate this preseason.

6.) Ben Joyce is named the Angels' closer

This is an absolute longshot, but no one on the Angels' current roster has a pitch as good as Ben Joyce's fastball. His heater is an elite weapon, and he has begun throwing bullpens in Tempe. As long as he's healthy, he will be on the roster. But if he comes in and his fastball-slider combination is as dominant as it used to be following surgery, his 2.08 ERA in 2024 signals a pitcher with elite potential for the ninth inning.