Last October didn\u2019t end with heartbreak for the Angels. It ended with a shrug \u2014 the kind that settles over a franchise when you have the longest playoff drought of any team in Major League Baseball at 11 years. A 72\u201390 record, another last-place finish in the AL West, and a fanbase currently stuck between loyalty and fatigue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former Angels\u2019 catcher Kurt Suzuki was hired as the Angels sixth manager<\/a> in the last nine years this winter, but the offseason brought controversy when Angels owner Arte Moreno recently claimed that \u201cwinning is not in their [fans\u2019] top five\u201d priorities. The comments brought backlash, and rightfully so. The foundation is cracked and the franchise could come tumbling down if a change of ownership doesn\u2019t happen soon.<\/p>\n Former LA Angels\u2019 catcher Kurt Suzuki was hired as the Angels sixth manager in the last nine years. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Most important hitter<\/p>\n Zach Neto isn\u2019t just the Angels\u2019 best young player<\/a> \u2014 he\u2019s their litmus test for the future. The bat is real. The confidence is louder than the Big A on fireworks night. Neto has a chance to be an All-Star this season for the first time. If he does, the Angels rebuild accelerates. If he takes a step back, then the lineup sinks into mediocrity again. In order for the Angels to end the 11-year playoff drought, Neto has to be the guy opposing pitchers fear and game-plan for.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want him to be a leader and lead by example,\u201d said Suzuki. \u201cAnybody can be a cheerleader, but it\u2019s how you handle yourself in good times and in bad times. I feel like that\u2019s the next step for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Zach Neto isn\u2019t just the Angels\u2019 best young player \u2014 he\u2019s their litmus test for the future. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Most important pitcher<\/p>\n Grayson Rodriguez walks into Anaheim<\/a> like a question wrapped inside a 98 mph fastball. You know what to expect from Yusei Kikuchi, Jos\u00e9 Soriano and Reid Detmers. They\u2019re solid middle-of-the-rotation pitchers. But Rodriguez, acquired from the Orioles for Taylor Ward, is a reclamation project with ace-caliber stuff. If he puts it all together in 2026, everything changes for the Angels. If he doesn\u2019t, it\u2019s another down year for the Halos. The former 11th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft has been injured the past two seasons and now has an opportunity to resurrect his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be great [if Grayson could return to form]. That\u2019s everybody\u2019s goal,\u201d said Suzuki. \u201cWe would love for him to be like he was when he was pitching in Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n Who will have a bigger year than expected<\/p>\n Jo Adell has lived on the edge of expectation for years, like a spark that never quite caught fire. This might finally be the season it burns. The tools have always screamed. The patience hasn\u2019t always listened. But something feels different about this season. With everyday at-bats and less pressure to be \u201cthe guy,\u201d Adell could erupt into a 25-homer, game-changing force. Not a superstar. Not yet. But a problem for pitchers. And for once, a solution for the Angels.<\/p>\n After injuries plagued his career each of the last five years, the Angels moved Mike Trout to right field in 2025. Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Who is most likely to disappoint<\/p>\n Mike Trout is still Mike Trout<\/a>, but he\u2019s no longer the transcendent player he once was. At 34 years old, the body has betrayed him in whispers. After injuries plagued his career each of the last five years, the Angels moved Trout to right field in 2025, and he played 130 games \u2014 the most he\u2019s been available for since 2019. But now, Trout wants to move back to center field, and the Angels seem ready to do it. One misstep and he could miss over half the season again. Trout can still hit. He can still produce. But the days of carrying a franchise like Atlas are likely gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen enough of him the last 15 years playing against him in centerfield. I know he can do it,\u201d Suzuki said of Trout playing centerfield again this season. \u201cHe\u2019s in a good place mentally when he\u2019s out there \u2014 and when you put confidence in a guy like Mike, he becomes dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n Key call up<\/p>\n Christian Moore isn\u2019t knocking on the door \u2014 he\u2019s rattling it. The No. 8 overall pick in 2024 has forced the Angels into uncomfortable conversations this spring. Do you hand second base to a veteran like Adam Frazier, or bet on upside? Moore\u2019s versatility, even getting reps at third, screams modern baseball. If he doesn\u2019t make the Opening Day roster<\/a>, then it won\u2019t be for long. It\u2019s not if Moore arrives this season, it\u2019s when. The Angels need an impact player. Moore could be that guy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe hasn\u2019t had much time to develop,\u201d Suzuki said of Moore. \u201cHe needs to get consistent reps at second base and a lower pressure environment will benefit him.\u201d<\/p>\n Suzuki\u2019s first real test will come in a lineup card. AP<\/p>\n Biggest managerial decision<\/p>\n Suzuki\u2019s first real test won\u2019t come in a press conference. It\u2019ll come in a lineup card. Does he prioritize development or chase respectability? Does he play Frazier over Moore? Letting kids ride through struggles is an important part of being a manager, it\u2019s just as important as instilling confidence in them. The Angels roster is at a philosophical fork in the road. It features young players that are ready to explode onto the scene and a bevy of veterans on short contracts. Suzuki can\u2019t straddle both sides forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be surprised if\u2026<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be surprised if this team is actually watchable this season. Not great. Not dangerous. Not a playoff team. But alive in a way recent Angels teams haven\u2019t been. There\u2019s youth here. Energy. Players with something to prove instead of contracts to play through. Nights where Neto flashes brilliance. Where Adell electrifies. Where the bullpen, patched together as it is, actually holds leads. They won\u2019t dominate the division. But they might finally feel like a team building toward something \u2014 instead of drifting away from everything.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to control the controllables,\u201d said Suzuki of his goals for this season. \u201cGood preparation. Attention to detail. The other teams are good, too. If we control the stuff we can, we will put ourselves in the best position to be successful on a nightly basis.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sure to make fans grumble<\/p>\n Arte Moreno\u2019s shadow still looms over every pitch, every roster decision, every empty October. Fans haven\u2019t forgotten the 11-year playoff drought<\/a>, and they won\u2019t be soothed by talk of \u201caffordability\u201d over winning. This fanbase isn\u2019t asking for luxury. They\u2019re asking for direction. When lineup holes remain, when bullpen arms cycle like rental cars, when the fifth starter spot feels like a weekly audition \u2014 the grumbling will return. Not because fans expect perfection, but because they\u2019re tired of permanent uncertainty and the buck stops at the top.<\/p>\n How their season will end<\/p>\n The Angels will flirt with progress the way the desert flirts with rain \u2014 close enough to feel it, never enough to matter. Just like they always do, they\u2019ll win more games in the first half of the season than they will in the second half. Somewhere between 75 and 80 games when all is said and done. But unfortunately for fans in Anaheim, the 11-year playoff drought will continue into a 12th year. October will remain distant, like a memory from another lifetime. By season\u2019s end, the Angels will finally know who belongs in their future. The problem? That future still won\u2019t be here yet.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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