Dream Angels starting lineup for the 2024 season

Batting second for the dream Angels is DH Shohei Ohtani

Is Shohei Ohtani re-signing with the Angels going to happen? Who knows. Is it likely? Of course not. Is it okay for Angels fans to dream about the possibility of it happening? Absolutely. While the Angels certainly shouldn't be considered the favorites, they absolutely have a puncher's chance.

Now that that's out of the way, Ohtani fits in perfectly in the two-hole behind Schanuel. It's not always ideal to pair two lefties back-to-back right out of the gate, but it's not really like either player is going to be phased by a lefty coming in. Schanuel had a .375 OBP against lefties in his brief Angels stint, and that was mostly without Shohei Ohtani.

Having Ohtani hit behind the rookie should give him more pitches to hit. He's going to draw his walks because of how insane his eye is, but Schanuel should get pitches to do some damage with which should be helpful for everyone. That is, of course, because teams don't want anybody on base when Ohtani can change a game with one swing.

Ohtani would realistically hit second or third in this lineup. His numbers in 2023 and throughout his career have always been the best when he's hit second. There's no reason to change that up. Plus, having the number three hitter behind him could give him something good to hit on occasion.