To say the first half was rough for the Los Angeles Angels would be a bit of an understatement. At the All-Star break, the team finds itself in last place in AL West and thirteen games back of a Wild Card spot. Here is a look at how the team got to this point.
Angels 2016 Midseason Report
Biggest Surprise
Indicative of their season, the Angels biggest, most pleasant surprise is going to miss the next two months. Prior to that, C.J. Cron was beginning to deliver on the promise that made him the Angels first round draft pick from 2011.
Cron had been a bit up and down after being called up to the majors in 2014, but a strong close to the 2015 season left many optimistic that the slugger had finally put the pieces together. He did not disappoint in the first half of the season, as Cron put together a strong .278/.333/.475 slash line to go along with eleven home runs, fifty RBI and a 118 OPS+.
Another nice surprise for Cron has been his ability to put the ball in play. Players typically slotted in as a DH tend to have holes in their swings, but Cron has seen his strikeout rate drop since his debut two years ago.
Although he serves as the team’s primary designated hitter, Cron provided some much needed thump to the Angels lackluster lineup. The injury is a bummer for a young player who was finally establishing himself in the majors, but also a new hole in the lineup that manager Mike Scioscia must address.
Biggest Disappointment
It’s important to preface this by noting that injuries to Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney are partly to blame, but make no mistake, the Angels rotation has been the team’s biggest disappointment.
The team’s top three pitchers have ERAs of 4.45, 4.58, and 5.27, respectively; when signing Tim Lincecum is your ace in the hole, you know things are bad. Collectively, the entire pitching staff has an ERA of 4.52.
It’s pretty hard to watch.
Everyone knew that the Angels lineup was going to be the team’s biggest weakness, so the staff would have to be lights out for the team to compete. Yes, injuries have been an issue, but the starters aren’t even keeping the Angels in most games at this point.
Midseason Team MVP
When you have Mike Trout on your team, it’s pretty easy to figure out who your MVP is. Trout is once again putting up his usual excellent numbers, to the tune of .322/.425/.567 and a 169 OPS+. Oh yeah, he also leads all of baseball in WAR once again.
Not a lot has gone right for the Angels this season, but having one of the three best players in the majors certainly helps. Los Angeles will most likely continue to struggle in second half, but with Trout in the lineup, at least the team has a prayer to win some games.
What to Watch for in the Second Half
There is no doubt the Angels are in a tough position this year. The team isn’t very good and they have one of the worst farm systems in baseball, so don’t count on much help coming from the minors.
Luckily, they do have one of the best players in the game in Trout, which will make the second half of the season a little easier to watch. Unfortunately, the 2016 season appears to be a lost cause for the Halos.
Count on the team trying to strengthen its farm system however it can, namely by trading Yunel Escobar to try to bolster the farm system. The good news is youngsters like Nick Tropeano will get some experience and, more importantly, Josh Hamilton and Jared Weaver finally come off the books at the end of the season.
The second half of the season will be rough for Angels fans, but just know that with Mike Trout in tow, there will be better days ahead.
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