What the Angels' Opening Day lineup would look like if the season began today

Anybody else getting amped up for Opening Day?

The Angels are going to look very different next season personnel-wise, and fans are clamoring for the team's yearly makeover to actually lead to a winning season this time around. The rampant activity early in the offseason, Mike Trout's return to the batting order, a new slugger in the lineup, and a new Opening Day starter are surely massive reasons to get excited for some Halos baseball.

With the Winter Meetings around the corner and around four months to go until Opening Day, the Angels' roster will surely be different than it is currently constructed. Perry Minasian is trying to upgrade everything, including the lineup. The team is rumored to be active when it comes to available left-handed power bats.

The Angels find themselves in a pickle with Zach Neto's absence, which could easily cause him to miss Opening Day. He is missing time after he underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm. Neto's presence at the top of the lineup settles the rest of the batting order nicely. Without him, and especially if he returns as a diminished version of himself post-injury, the lineup is not nearly as formidable.

With that being said, let's cook with the ingredients we have. It's Opening Day tonight and the Angels are facing a right-handed starter. Who is Ron Washington penning into the lineup card?

The Angels have a wide range of lineup possibilities

Jorge Soler—9
Mike Trout—8
Nolan Schanuel—3
Taylor Ward—7
Luis Rengifo—4
Logan O’Hoppe—2
Anthony Rendon—5
Niko Kavadas—DH
Kevin Newman—6

Where will Trout land in the batting order?

Let's start with the big fish in the small pond, Mike Trout. Washington started the 2024 season with Trout in the 3-hole for the first two weeks, moved him to 2nd for eight games, then hit him leadoff for six games until he went down for the season. In 2023, Trout was used in the 2-hole for 59 games and the 3-hole for 22, with relatively similar slash lines from the two batting order positions (higher OBP and OPS from 3-hole, higher SLG from 2-hole). In 2022, Trout hit 2nd in 100 of his 119 games played, and posted 30 home runs and a 1.031 OPS from that position. For his career, he's hit 2nd in 832 games and 3rd in 474. It makes sense to give Trout as many ABs as possible over the course of the season, so the 2-hole seems like the optimal place for him.

Who will lead off?

Next: leadoff spot. The logical leadoff hitters are Taylor Ward, Nolan Schanuel, Luis Rengifo...and Jorge Soler. Huh?

Soler led off 41 games last season, his most frequent batting order position, and posted a higher OBP, SLG, and OPS there than anywhere else. In 2023, Soler led off 17 games, second most frequent position, and posted a .281/.390/.547/.937 slash line. Soler is not a runner whatsoever, but Minasian is clearly prioritizing power hitting over speed and base running. He wants balls in seats, not more bunting and manufactured runs. The statistics show that over the past two seasons Soler has hit better leading off than anywhere else in the batting order. Much like with Yusei Kikuchi, the Angels should just sit back and not mess with a winning formula concerning their big-ticket item.

...Niko Kavadas?!?!

OK, hear us out. The Angels will likely upgrade their left-handed power hitting this offseason, which would boot Kavadas from the lineup. Until then, Kavadas has more left-handed pop than anybody else in the organization and is coming off an incredible run in the Arizona Fall League. Against right-handed pitchers, he is a better run production option over Jo Adell or Mickey Moniak.

Again, Minasian is prioritizing power hitting over everything else. That includes defense. With that in mind, Kavadas would fit the team's ethos better than throwing in Moniak for defensive purposes. Sure, Moniak plays a solid center field and that would move Trout over to a corner. As the team is currently constructed, Moniak will definitely see some playing time in center field against right-handed pitchers to slot Trout into the corner. The Opening Day lineup is built to win that day, and Kavadas' skill-set fits better than Moniak's.

...ANTHONY RENDON?!?!?!?

OK, settle down. Unfortunately, the Neto injury opens up a possibility that Rendon starts Opening Day. If Rendon shows signs of life during Spring Training, and that's a BIG if, then they will likely opt for the player making $38.5 million over Scott Kingery or Christian Moore.