As everyone was celebrating a new year around the country, Los Angeles Angels fans must have been wondering if it will be the same old Angels we've seen for the better part of the last decade, or will the Angels return to dominance.
I know what your are thinking. "Hey, I'll take a winning season at this point!"
We know Shohei Ohtani took our hearts when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason for a record-breaking amount. I don't blame Ohtani for taking $700 million dollars. If anyone deserves that, it is him. Wouldn't you have taken that?
Angels 2024 New Year's Resolutions
1. Get back to what made this organization great
This is for both for the organization and the fans. Remember the good days with the Thunder Sticks and a fan base who actually interacted with the whole team and not just one player? Mike Trout IS the Angels G.O.A.T. There is no question about that, but having the best player on the planet paired with him didn't help us make the playoffs, let alone the World Series. David Eckstein, Troy Glaus, Francisco Rodriguez. The three home run game by Adam Kennedy in the 2002 playoffs! The Rally Monkey debut. That is what the Angels organization is and what it should be. Ron Washington is one of those managers who can bring pride back into an organization.
2. Assign and stick to player roles
Fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, and many other platforms, rush to say we need the best players on the market, NOW! Brandon Drury, arguably the MVP for the Angels last year with his consistency and health, is a player that can fit in anywhere. He was not the biggest move in the 2022-2023 MLB offseason. There is a reason that we assign players positions. If you are a former player, playing left field is very different from playing right field, and playing shortstop is very different than playing second base. So, stop messing around with it. Luis Rengifo is a good example of how it showed in a player's fielding stats when changing positions. Finally, try to keep the batting lineup as familiar as possible.
3. Let Perry cook and stay healthy
General Manager Perry Minasian has been great at finding diamonds in the rough. Mickey Moniak, written off by the Philadelphia Phillies, made a major impact last year, especially when he was down in the order. He has earned an everyday spot in center field. Trout must realize to stay healthy, he should move to left field. It worked out for a former Angel, Torii Hunter. Logan O'Hoppe might have stayed in the race for Rookie of the Year the way he was playing in the first month of the season. Finally, staying healthy should be a prerequisite. That has been talked about at length so many times.
The Houston Astros are in a bit of a bind and so are the Seattle Mariners with their players with talks of names like Alex Bregman being floated around this offseason in Houston, and Paul Sewald being traded to Arizona last July from Seattle. The Oakland Athletics are, well, the Oakland Athletics. And the Texas Rangers will have the most pressure on them, behind the Dodgers, to repeat as champions. This could be a year where the Angels can stay underneath the radar and strike like Texas did last season.
Don't lose the faith Halo Nation!