3 Angels who’ve exceeded expectations after 50 games, 3 who’ve fallen short

After finishing off the sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Angels sit at a record of 28-23. Five games over .500 is tied for their high water mark of the season, as they were 19-14 earlier this month. The Halos have won four games in a row and are probably playing their best baseball of the season.

There are always preconceived expectations attached to teams and players before Opening Day, and the Angels are no exception. Getting to the postseason is always the goal, and while the Angels are a little short of that right now, things are definitely looking up.

There're some Angels players playing extremely well and helping the team stay competitive while others have held them back from reaching their true potential.

LA Angels closer Carlos Estevez has exceeded expectations

What more can be said that hasn't already been said? We saw how awful the Angels' bullpen was last season, and how mediocre to bad the free agent signings were. Ryan Tepera had an up-and-down free-agent year in 2022 and has since been DFA'd. Aaron Loup is on the same trajectory, and it feels like a matter of when, not if, he'll be gone too.

This gave Angels fans some cause to pause when Perry Minasian inked Carlos Estevez on a two-year deal this offseason. Some believed a change of scenery would do wonders for the former Rockie, as it has for so many who get out of the altitude, while others needed a bit more convincing.

What else is there to say now? Estevez has been nothing short of brilliant for the Angels and is a huge reason the team is where they are.

Through the first 51 games of this Angels season, Estevez has a 1.23 ERA in 22 appearances. He's allowed just three earned runs in 22 innings of work. He's been used a ton, and taking an outing or two out of the equation, has been dominant.

Estevez is tied for second in the AL with 12 saves in 12 opportunities. The 12 saves set a career high already for this new closer, and he looks primed to compete for his first all-star appearance.

LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout has fallen short of expectations

Look, I love Mike Trout. He's the greatest player in franchise history. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer whenever he decides to retire. He's deserved so much more from this franchise than he's actually gotten.

With that being said, to say Mike Trout has even met expectations wouldn't be telling the complete truth. Having a good year, but not a Mike Trout year.

Trout's played in 47 of the first 51 Angels games this season which is definitely a step in the right direction health-wise, but we've seen his production fall off a bit.

Trout is slashing .275/.364/.527 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI. A great season for almost everyone, but his .891 OPS would be the lowest mark he's had in a single season since 2011. That 2011 season was Trout's first taste in the majors and he appeared in just 40 games.

Trout's 142 OPS+ again, well below his career mark of 175 and well below any season he's played in outside of the 2011 campaign.

Trout is in the midst of one of, if not the worst month of his MLB career, slashing .227/.318/.400 with five home runs and nine RBI. He's hit four home runs in the last week of games, so hopefully he's turning it around a bit.

Again, these expectations are for Mike Trout and Mike Trout only. It might be unfair, but he has not met them.

LA Angels pitcher Reid Detmers has fallen short of expectations

Every Reid Detmers start feels like Groundhog Day. They start and finish the exact same way.

Detmers gets off to fantastic starts. He locates his pitches and gets a ton of swings and misses. Then, as the start goes on, he starts to lose command of the strike zone and he has trouble lasting in games.

Let's look at his last start against the Twins. Through the first five innings of that start he had racked up ten strikeouts. He walked two but allowed no hits against the first place Twins. The potential is there, it always has been.

In the sixth Detmers even struck out the first two batters to start the inning to give him 12 on the day. Unfortunately, a walk and two singles later saw the end of his night. Jimmy Herget allowed his first batter to hit a two-run double, and before you know it, what once was a 3-0 Angels lead was 3-3 in an eyeblink.

In innings 1-3 Detmers has a 2.25 ERA. In innings 4-6, he has an 8.82 ERA. The same thing happens virtually every start, and it's frustrating.

Many predicted an all-star jump for Detmers. We've seen flashes of that brilliance, but he has not put it together. A 4.87 ERA while only completing six innings once in eight starts is falling short of expectations.

LA Angels shortstop Zach Neto has exceeded expectations

Tim Anderson who? Zach Neto is here, and is here to stay for a very long time.

After beginning his career with just one hit in his first 16 at-bats, Neto has been crushing the ball. He's slashed .296/.364/.463 with three home runs and 17 RBI. Since that slow start, Neto has put up a 130 WRC+. That'd put him fifth among shortstops with at least 130 plate appearances, ahead of stars like Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts, and Francisco Lindor.

Neto's 1.4 bWAR has him tied for third with Carlos Estevez on the entire team. He's behind only Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. He's been beyond impressive for a rookie shortstop with such little minor league experience.

Neto's approach at the plate reminds me of a ten-year vet, and his ability to hit for power to all fields has me so excited about his future. As awesome as his bat has been, Neto's glove has been what's blown me away.

Neto ranks in the 88th percentile according to baseball savant in outs above average. He makes every routine play, and has even made some spectacular ones as well. It's no secret as to how the Angels defense has improved since he joined the fold.

Neto has been everything the Angels could've possibly hoped for and more. The Angels seem set at shortstop for the next decade, and it's so exciting.

LA Angels outfielder Taylor Ward has fallen short of expectations

I'm not sure I can think of another player in all of baseball who has declined as much as Taylor Ward has. The worst part is, this really came out of nowhere.

Ward had an excellent season in 2022. He had an .833 OPS, and was an elite player for half of the season. Some fans thought this was a fluke, but then Ward showed up to Spring Training and continued to hit. He then carried that hot streak into the regular season.

Ward began the season with ten hits in his first 23 at-bats with two home runs, six RBI, and a double. Unfortunately, those five games are a distant memory right now.

Ward has slashed .195/.278/.260 with two home runs and 11 RBI in his 43 games and 176 plate appearances since the quick start. His patience at the plate has completely vanished, and it just feels like Ward is lost right now.

Ward has lost his everyday spot to Mickey Moniak and will likely only see playing time against left-handers. Most Angels fans have completely lost patience with Ward, and I can't blame them. He's been the most disappointing Angel by far this season.