Evaluating the Angels against their AL West rivals 50 games into the season

You'd be forgiven if you complained of whiplash as you've watched the Angels rise and fall and then rise again in the AL West standings over the first 50 games of the season. After the Halos finished 2024 with a franchise-worst 63-99 record, many pundits predicted that they'd finish 2025 in much the same fashion -- in the AL West cellar.

However, the Angels rode a hot streak to begin the season, briefly holding first place in the division. A prolonged cold streak followed, and predictably, opinions changed, believing that the early-season success was merely a mirage.

The Angels fell to the basement, but as of this writing are rising again, sitting in third place at 24-25 with the first-place Seattle Mariners in their sights. This is a team that posted a seven-game losing streak to close out April and begin May, and is now currently riding a seven-game winning streak as they look for more, taking on the miserable Miami Marlins in the upcoming weekend series.

What is there to make of an Angels' season that can best be described as consistently inconsistent so far? The team has yet to truly hit its stride. Mike Trout still hasn't returned from injury and, aside from some impressive power numbers, wasn't playing like himself before he went down.

Other key veteran contributors on offense have been streaky or have struggled to live up to the back of their baseball cards so far this year. The starting rotation has had moments where it looks better than expected, while at other times it has performed like a true liability.

Two things have been consistent. Young cornerstones, Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe, have shown out this season. On the flipside, the bullpen has been a group of arsonists throughout the first third of the season.

Where the Angels eventually land in the AL West standings might have more to do with their rivals than their own performance. Diving in and evaluating where the club fits among the other teams that make up the AL West might reveal some answers as to just how far the Halos can climb.

Given the state of their AL West Rivals so far, the Angels may end up surprising people in 2025

Seattle Mariners 29-21

At the moment, the Seattle Mariners lead the way in the crowded AL West. While that might not have been the consensus pick prior to the season, it isn't a total surprise either. What is surprising is the way they've gotten there.

Much of the talk around the division heading into the season surrounded the vaunted Mariners rotation being possibly the best in baseball, while many wondered aloud if their offense which had bee putrid for years would have enough juice to put together a consistent winner.

So far, the exact opposite has happened. Seattle's stellar rotation has suffered numerous injuries and poor performance, ranking a pedestrian 17th in ERA at 3.94. On the flipside, Seattle's offense ranks fifth in the majors in wRC+ at a 113 mark.

Expect both sides to regress to the mean. Offensively, Cal Raleigh is a stud, but the rest of the cast is a tough bet to continue producing at their current levels, given past performance. The rotation, once healthy, will likely reclaim its place among the league's elite.

Overall, this is a solid ball club, but one that has many questions to answer as the rest of the season unfolds.

Houston Astros 26-25

Houston is no longer the juggernaut that claimed seven out of the last eight AL West crowns. The team has seen an exodus of past stars as they try to thread the needle between retooling and contending, exercising extreme caution not the cross the luxury tax line.

Hunter Brown has emerged as a top-tier ace while Framber Valdez continues as another top-end starter as the duo form one of the most formidable one-two punches in baseball. The rest of the rotation, however, leaves a lot to be desired and ranks as a middling group overall ranking 16th in ERA at 3.88. No member of the rotation aside from the top two owns an ERA under 4.

Offensively, the once-mighty Astros are hurting. The club ranks 19th in runs scored with 204, ranking ahead of only the Texas Rangers in the division. Prized free-agent acquisition Christian Walker has been a huge bust with a 72 wRC+, while departed stars Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman are both turning in MVP-caliber seasons for their new clubs.

The one saving grace for Houston is that their bullpen has been outstanding, ranking second in ERA with a sparkling 2.78 mark.

Overall, the dominance at the top of the rotation combined with an exceptional bullpen should keep Houston hanging around, but without the offensive forces in the lineup, this is a much different team than the one that has terrorized the Angels for the better part of a decade.

Texas Rangers 25-27

The 2023 World Series Champions got to the top of the mountain on the strength of an overpowering offense. That season, they ranked third in both runs scored (881) and home runs (233). Those numbers fell off greatly in 2024, and the decline has continued in 2025. Texas's 54 homers are slightly above average at 12th in majors, but they've struggled to score runs outside of the long ball with an anemic total of 171 which ranks 27th.

The Rangers' veteran-laden rotation has been superb, with Jacob DeGrom leading the way and Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, and a resurrected Patrick Corbin supporting him en route to the second-best rotation ERA in the league at 2.84.

Texas is essentially transforming from a offensive powerhouse to a pitching dominant ball club that still has high hopes to contend. The question will be whether they can score enough runs to support their enviable pitching staff, and while there's potential for them to make a run, they look much less fearsome than they did just two short years ago.

Athletics 22-30

Now out of Oakland, the Athletics did something uncharacteristic this past offseason -- they spent money. Now, the money they spent is small change compared to some of the financial behemoths around baseball, but Luis Severino's three-year $67 million deal was the largest in franchise history and was followed up quickly by the extension they lavished on Brent Rooker which could eventually eclipse Severino with a total potential payout of $82 million going to the slugger.

Severino has been good, not great for the Athletics, and the rest of the rotation leaves a lot to be desired with a 27th ranked 4.86 ERA. Their bullpen, not much better than the Angels, has struggled mightily with a 28th ranked 5.98 ERA.

The Athletics boast an impressive collection of young hitters led by Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and others, but their pitching staff lags so far behind that it's extremely unlikely they'll be able to make a run in the division. The future may be bright for this team, but they still have a lot of work to do.

Angels 25-25

In this context, the Angels might not be as far away as originally thought. A few things will need to break right, however. First, the club will need the bats to perform at a level that is above league-average, something that we've seen during this winning streak.

The rotation can't be much more than slightly below average at worst. We've seen exactly that from the Halos' starters up to this point in the season.

What will need drastic improvement is the bullpen, and while there are some pieces there, they'll need help. Robert Stephenson returning for injury is a start, but barring a breakout, they'll still need another arm or two on which they can rely. If they're able to pull that off, there's a real chance they can compete in this division's landscape.

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