3 reasons why the Angels are still in the running and 2 why they're not

The Los Angeles Angels have been playing decent baseball as of late and that should keep fans intrigued about which direction the team heads toward. Around this time last season, the team was in the midst of a record-losing streak and created an impossible hole to dig out of.

The team has a lot going for them and a lot not going for them which results in the record that they have now, just above a winning record. Here are the 3 reasons why the team should still be in the running for a postseason berth and 2 why they are not.

1. Why the LA Angels are in the running: The depth has proven to be good

So far, the additions that Angels general manager, Perry Minasian, has made have proven to be successful in hoping to get to the postseason since 2014. Gio Urshela has been a unique bright spot for the team as he is slashing .318/.377/.500 in his last 15 games which has been great for a team that has been without their star third basemen, Anthony Rendon.

Brandon Drury has been another great addition to the team as he's put up a OPS+ of 112 and is slashing .255/.302/.481 while primarily playing second base. Similarly to Urshela, Drury can virtually play all around the infield and some outfield as well. Luckily, he has not needed to with the team's depth being a huge strength for them so far.

That allows for off-days from some of the names that Angels fans are most use to seeing like Anthony Rendon and Luis Rengifo. Perry Miniasian made it a key point to focus on depth in the off-season and it has proven to work out well.

2. Why the LA Angels are in the running: The bullpen remains elite

The LA Angels bullpen was a bright spot for the team last season and it continues in 2023 as the team has the 4th lowest ERA in MLB at 3.30 with some new additions as well. Adding arms such as Carlos Estevez, Chris Devenski, and Matt Moore has been a breath of fresh air as Moore is currently recovering from an injury.

Estevez has been the closer the team needed after they traded away Raisel Iglesias a season ago. He has a stellar 1.59 ERA with 17 saves on the season. Devenski has also been a great pickup as he has put up a 2.01 ERA and has proven to be a reliable go-to relief pitcher. He came over on a minor-league deal which shows that Perry Minasian went dumpster diving and found some really good treasure.

There have been a few exceptions however, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera have proven not to be good signings for the team as Tepera is no longer on the team. Loup is showing signs of life as Angels manager, Phil Nevin, has been still using him. In his last 7 appearances, Loup has an ERA of 2.57 and a 1.29 WHIP.

3. Why the LA Angels are in the running: The team is showing fight

Remember when the team went on that horrible losing streak of 14 games? Yeah, it still stings, but this season appears to be different as we've already gotten to the point where that streak happened and the team looks to be in good shape.

The team took a game from the first place Rangers that took them 12 innings to do it and late heroics from Shohei Ohtani. They were already down 5-1 through 3 innings and they came all the way back to win 9-6. It has seemed like common practice for the team to punt the game after being down by such a large margin, but fighting back and rallying as a team was such a sight to see.

If the team can keep showing the same type of competitiveness towards teams that are in contention for postseason spots, then it might be a sign of good things to come. Beating up on teams that are worse than you are one thing, but putting up tough fights against contenders is another story.

It also helps having a manager that will stick up for his guys and Phil Nevin has been that for the team. While former Angels manager, Joe Maddon, did the same thing, Nevin seems to be in good connection with the front office in what they are trying to do while also letting him be a manager.

While we discussed some of the reasons why the team should still be in the hunt for October, there have been signs they are not going to be contenders.

1. Why the LA Angels are not in the running: The Superstars aren't shining bright

When you think of the Angels, the two names that are front and center are Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Well, their names are still there, however, they haven't been at their peak this season. The team has been performing exceptionally well despite not getting the best from their two stars.

When talking about Mike Trout struggling, it is usually followed by it being an average players best year. Just based on the numbers, Trout is having the worst year offensively as he is slashing .255/.358/.831 with only 14 home runs and 37 runs batted in to show for it. In an article by the Athletic, Trout explained that he could find his form again stating "When I get a strong load, keep the front side closed, I'm the old Mike."

Ohtani on the other hand is still producing at an amazing pace offensively, his pitching is something else as it hasn't been what we're used to seeing. Ohtani is slashing .429/.485/1.036 with 5 home runs and 9 runs batted in his last 7 games. We've seen him carry the team in Texas. On the mound it's a different story, in his last 7 appearances, he has posted a 4.50 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and 56 strikeouts to show for it.