Fansided

3 things standing out the most in LA Angels remarkable season

By Jacob Cisneros |
Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Angels
Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Angels / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
2 of 3
Next

The LA Angels are off to a hot start and it's fun to be watching them doing what they do on a daily basis against some of the hottest teams in baseball.

Everything is going right for the team, however there are a few things that stand out above all the great baseball we have been seeing from this team.

No. 3 thing standing out the most in LA Angels remarkable season: Perry Minasian is ruthless

One of the biggest things that stands out is LA Angels General Manger Perry Minasian being ruthless when it comes to making moves. First, arguably one of his first big moves is cutting Albert Pujols from the team, which freed more playing time for Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh. While that move shocked many, it wasn't the last big cut, as he then cut Justin Upton from his remaining contract and the team just absorbed the remaining deal. However, there are other small intricate moves we've seen that have paid dividends to the success of the team.

Some other moves that have paid off for the team so far is the demotion of Jo Adell. Adell was struggling at the start of the season while slashing .231/.242/.431 resulting in a -0.3 fWAR before being demoted. We can see this as more of a wake-up call for Adell and will likely see him again at some point during the season as Perry Minasian said:

"I think for him and his development, just to get regular at-bats, regular defensive reps will help him."

Another player being sent down was starting pitcher Jose Suarez, who was mediocre at the start of the season with a 6.34 FIP and a BABIP of exactly .300 according to FanGraphs. We'll have to wait and see if these players can bounce back, but their demotions have allowed Taylor Ward to stay in right field, and opening a spot in either the rotation or bullpen.

No. 2 thing standing out the most in LA Angels remarkable season: Angels finally have starting pitching

On the topic of starting pitching, the LA Angels have the starting pitching that they've been lacking season after season with huge contributions from Noah Syndergaard, Michael Lorenzen, and most noticeably Reid Detmers. The Angels starting rotation ranks 11th best according to FanGraphs with a 3.56 FIP and is ranked third in innings pitched among starters with 166.2 innings of work.

Surprisingly, they rank 14th in ground ball percentage with 43.2% despite having a strong middle infield with the likes of Andrew Velasquez and Tyler Wade picking up the team with both David Fletcher and Matt Duffy being out. Some credit also has to go to Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh, who have been great defensively at the hot corners and saving a few base hits from being hit at the corners.

The most noticeable starting pitcher in the rotation right now has to be Detmers, who tossed a complete no-hitter in his last start despite only striking out two hitters the whole night. There's no doubt that his fastball and curve ball combination was electric as he's thrown the fastball for 48% of his pitches and curve ball for 24%.

He averaged his fastball around 90-95 MPH and his curve ball around 70-75 MPH for two huge differences to force batters to struggle. His no-hitter might be a sign of great things to come for him in the future as he definitely has a high ceiling of potential.

No. 1 thing standing out the most in LA Angels remarkable season: They're having fun

The cowboy hat is in full effect for the LA Angels whenever they hit a home run. They also have put stickers on the hat for every home run they hit. This kind of camaraderie is exactly what the team has been missing and it's been that way in part of the injuries that have piled up in the past.

But this helps bring the team together and makes others take notice. This is one of the first things we've seen that the team has done to rally the team together and have fun. Of course, we have the rally monkey, but that's more for the fans, this cowboy hat celebration is for the team and they seem to enjoy it.

Next. 3 can't-miss moments from Reid Detmers' no-hitter. dark

For the future of bringing the team together, the pitching staff could also do some kind of passing the baton and get involved in having some fun of their own. It's great to see that the team can have their own type of fun and build the chemistry of the clubhouse together to bring in positive energy. They will especially need it for those long strains of games they have during the season.

Next
Home / LA Angels News

Schedule