Projecting LA Angels Opening Day starting rotation during MLB lockout

No. 1 starting pitcher in projected LA Angels Opening Day starting rotation: Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani is going to have a monster year in general next year for the LA Angels, and that absolutely applies to the type of player he's going to be on the mound. Ohtani really learned how to pitch at an Ace level last year--starting the All-Star Game as not only the AL's DH but also as the AL's starting pitcher.

He was robbed of Cy Young contention due to him only having 23 starts, but he still led the team in starts and innings. And some of his missed starts came from fluke injuries, like when he got hit with a foul ball in the dugout. He could still hit, but couldn't go on the mound for a little.

He also missed a start or two due to fatigue, which won't be as big of a problem next year because he now has a much better feel for how to approach a two-way season and how to pace himself in his workload.

Again, I don't like how this rotation starts off with Lorenzen being in the fold, but few rotations are going to have the top three that we have, and Sandoval as well as Suarez are coming into 2022 with a lot of momentum. If the Halos really can get a deal done with Montas, this rotation has the chance to shine much brighter than many were expecting this upcoming season.