The 4 most important Angels who have to prove they belong in the big leagues

The Los Angeles Angels find themselves in a tough spot following Shohei Ohtani's departure. The team expects to be competitive based on everything Perry Minasian has said and how Arte Moreno has always acted, but taking the MVP off of a 73-win roster makes it extremely tough to build a real contender.

While team success might not be there, the MLB futures of these four players could be on the line. These four players should have ample opportunities to prove themselves. They have to show that they belong in the majors.

1) Chase Silseth

Chase Silseth's 2023 season was certainly an odd one. He lost out on the sixth spot in the rotation in Spring Training, but went down to the minors and pitched his way to a call-up. The only caveat that came with that promotion is that Silseth was going to be used as a reliever. Silseth showed some increased velocity and had some decent results, but the Angels wound up sending him back down in early June to get stretched out again.

The right-hander came back just after the all-star break and wound up earning a spot start against the Yankees in Anaheim. That start went so well to the point where Silseth had taken over the sixth starter spot. Silseth had several impressive outings against good teams like the Braves, Mariners, and Astros. He posted a 3.34 ERA in six starts before getting hit in the head by an errant throw, knocking him out of action for a month.

This was a big blow for Silseth who was auditioning for a rotation spot in 2024. He'd return for one final start in Oakland to finish out the year, but even with how well he pitched in his seven starts he hasn't quite proven himself.

Silseth pitching well would be crucial for this Angels team that lacks prospects they can rely upon to take the reigns in the future. Silseth being just 23 years old with tons of team control being locked into the rotation would be an awesome development for the Angels.

3) Ben Joyce

There is not a single reliever on this Angels team that is more fun to watch than Ben Joyce. Watching him dominate with his fastball that consistently reaches over triple digits is exhilerating. While the potential is certainly there for Joyce to be the lockdown closer the Angels expected he'd be one day when they drafted him, there's more work for him to do to prove he belongs.

This past season Joyce made 12 appearances for the Angels and allowed six runs in 10 innings pitched. Four of those runs did come in an outing against the A's in which he did not record an out so his 5.40 ERA is pretty skewed. Joyce was for the most part solid. With that said, he did appear to be quite raw.

In his 10 innings of work he issued nine walks. There were outings when his command was pristine and others in which that part of his game eluded him. That's going to have to improve. Additionally, his lack of a secondary pitch was glaring. He threw 79.7% fastballs. It's hard to blame him when he throws as hard as he does, but MLB hitters can still hit triple digits. Joyce is going to have to throw and locate his slider better than he did in his first stint with the Angels.

Joyce is going to play a big role for the Angels out of the 'pen and is an important building block for an Angels team that has consistently struggled to build bullpens. A big year from Joyce would go a long way.

4) Jo Adell

It's now or never for Jo Adell. There's really nothing else to say. Adell has yet to prove himself so far in his four MLB seasons, and that's a major problem for the former first round pick. The worst part about this situation is Adell is out of options and doesn't have a spot locked in on this team.

Even if the Angels don't make any additions, Adell looks like the team's fourth outfielder. He'd still play a good amount and could even be a platoon option with Mickey Moniak in right field, but his path to playing everyday is not an easy one to see. Moniak, Mike Trout, and Taylor Ward appear to be the outfield trio, and the DH spot would presumably go to Brandon Drury most of the time with Luis Rengifo playing a bulk of the second base.

It'll be hard for him to prove himself from the jump, but Adell will get some starts sprinkled in and when injuries come he could easily find himself in the lineup everyday. With how often Mike Trout has been getting hurt, Adell should be plenty prepared.

Adell proving himself would be great for the Angels as he'd give them another building block to pencil into their future plans. He hasn't shown it at the MLB level consistently, but we all know Adell has the tools necessary to be a really good player. If he fails to elevate his game, his time with this organization could end sooner than later.