3 Angels players who will take a step forward next year, 2 who won't

Making the 2024 Los Angeles Angels better will be a difficult challenge for Perry Minasian to complete. The first step would be bringing back Shohei Ohtani. The team won 73 games with him playing at an MVP level. Taking him out of the picture entirely would be a hard pill to swallow for the immediate future.

While Ohtani is the number one target for obvious reasons, the Angels still have several areas to improve. The bullpen is thin at best. The rotation has potential, but really regressed in 2023 and was below-average even with Ohtani making 23 starts. Adding in free agency and via trade will be crucial for the Angels this offseason, but the best way for this team to improve would be for the players already here to take steps forward.

Unfortunately, not everyone will take the jumps we are hoping for. In 2024, expect these three Angels players to get better while these other two stay around where they were.

Zach Neto will take a step forward

Zach Neto burst onto the scene as an inexperienced rookie and looked destined to take off. The Angels selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, but that didn't stop them from bringing him up to the majors less than one year after taking him. Neto got off to a slow 1-for-16 start, but once he got comfortable, really looked like a building block.

After Neto's brief four-game struggle to begin his career, he showed why the Angels selected him when they did. In the 51 games that followed, he slashed .279/.359/.468 with six home runs and 22 RBI. He had an .822 OPS in that span while playing elite defense at shortstop. He had hit three home runs in his last three games including a crucial blast in Texas before getting injured for the first time. Neto strained his oblique in the final game of the Angels' huge series win against the Rangers, causing him to miss the next month.

Neto returned right after the all-star break and was getting going before a back injury set him back once again. Neto missed over one month with a back injury, and he wouldn't return until September. Once again he struggled after returning but played decently well in the last week or two of the regular season.

If Neto can stay on the field, the tools are there for him to be great. He showed it in that 51-game sample earlier this season. His overall numbers took a hit after those injuries, but Neto was a crucial piece to what the Angels were trying to accomplish this season and will continue to be that as long as he can avoid injury in 2024. Expect big things in his second season.

Mickey Moniak's great season came with some concerns

Mickey Moniak was a bright light in a dark season for the Angels. He had struggled in all of the other chances he got in the majors but earned a shot in 2023 after a phenominal spring and start to his minor league season. He was only expected to be up for a brief period, but didn't let the Angels send him back down after how well he was playing.

Overall, Moniak's numbers looked fantastic. He slashed .280/.307/.495 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI. He showed off some great speed and strong defense making him an absolute lock to be in the lineup regularly in 2024. While Moniak's season was great, there were some concerns that came along with it.

First, he simply hasn't solved left-handed pitching. He had just 14 hits in 63 at-bats against southpaws this season and has 15 hits in 87 at-bats against them in his career. He did finish strong against lefties and even hit a home run against a southpaw late in the season, but whether he can be trusted to hit lefties remains to be seen.

Second, the strikeouts were out of control and only got worse as the season progressed. Moniak fanned 113 times in 311 at-bats this season. He struck out in 35% of his plate appearances. Strikeouts have always been a part of his game and isn't normally something to freak out about, but 35% is way too high.

In addition to the strikeouts, Moniak rarely walked. He drew a total of nine walks in 323 plate appearances this season. For reference, Andrew Velazquez walked 10 times in 94 plate appearances. Yes, the light-hitting Velazquez drew one more walk in 230 fewer plate appearances than Moniak.

Lastly, Moniak had a .397 BAbip in 2023. Part of that has to do with him hitting the ball hard, but there is definitely a lot of luck involved with that high of a BAbip. The league average is around .300. With regression in that category will come regression in Moniak's batting average. If he doesn't start walking more, there will be issues.

Can these things be improved on? Absolutely. He just hasn't given much of a reason for fans to believe they will. In the second half, Moniak was pitched to a bit differently with pitchers getting more film on him and he had a .670 OPS in 47 games. He struck out 70 times in 187 plate appearances, fanning roughly 37.5% of the time. That's an increase from his season total. I love Moniak, and think he absolutely has to be in the lineup every game against a righty. To deny that there are some concerns would be foolish.

Jo Adell doesn't have a big enough role to grow

When the Angels selected Jo Adell in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, they expected him to be a cornerstone in the outfield playing alongside Mike Trout. Through the first four years of his MLB career, Adell has proven absolutely nothing. He's been a liability both at the plate and in the field, and has now put the Angels in a tough spot.

The thing with Adell is he's currently out of options. This means the Angels have to keep him around in the majors or risk losing him through waivers if they want to send him down. The Angels won't risk running him through waivers, so barring a trade, Adell is going to be on the Opening Day roster regardless of how he does in Spring Training. Unfair? Maybe. But that's the business of baseball.

Adell performed better than he ever had in the minors and eventually had a full-time role carved out for himself when Mike Trout landed on the IL. Unfortunately, Adell went on the IL himself just a couple of days later. He'd return in September but played just 17 games this season. In the 62 plate appearances he had he wasn't too bad with a .706 OPS and three home runs, but he did strike out 25 times. An alarming amount of punch outs.

Strikeouts have been a constant for the young outfielder and is a big reason why his play hasn't translated to the majors. The Angels hope he'll improve with his plate discipline, but it's hard to do that when you don't play every day. As of now, the Angels don't have the room for him to be an everyday player with Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, and Mickey Moniak pencilled into the outfield.

Adell could have a couple of starts each week replacing Trout when he takes a day off or replacing Moniak against a lefty, but he's not going to even have the chance to start regularly without an injury. It's hard to expect real improvement from Adell if he can't even play every day.

Nolan Schanuel has a new level to reach

Those who were surprised when Zach Neto was called up must've been shocked to their very core when Nolan Schanuel was promoted to hte majors in mid-August. Schanuel had just been drafted a couple of months prior in the first round by the Angels and had played in just 22 minor league games. Despite the shockingly small minor league sample, Schanuel acclimated quite well to the majors.

In 29 games the rookie slashed .275/.402/.330 with one home run and six RBI. He displayed an absurd eye, drawing 20 walks compared to 19 strikeouts in 132 plate appearances. He reached base in each of the 29 games he played and looks locked into the leadoff spot of the order.

What's exciting about Schanuel is he has a ton of room to grow. The on-base ability is great, but I'd expect Schanuel to hit for some more power in 2024. He hit one home run and three doubles in his first month and a bit in the majors. He won't be a 30 homer guy, but what about 10-15? That'd really help elevate his game.

Schanuel's floor is always going to be high because of his eagle eye. His ceiling is very high as well because if he can make better contact, he has the chance to be among the best hitters in the game. He already recognizes the good pitches he can hit, and as he gets stronger and more comfortable he'll start seeking pitches to drive. Walks will always be there, but he can seek out hits as well and take a big step forward in 2024.