A glance at the current Major League Baseball standings reveals several surprises. And right at the top of the AL West? The Los Angeles Angels.
This isn’t exactly breaking news – the Angels have now spent 14 days leading their division – but it’s definitely worth talking about.
After all, this is a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. And they haven’t won a playoff game since 2009.
Yes, that’s the same team that’s had Mike Trout’s legendary peak years and two MVP seasons from Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels are sitting at 9-6 with a slim half-game lead over the Texas Rangers. Their run differential is minus-3, but honestly, every team in the AL West currently has a negative run differential, so they’re in good company.
Their solid start has been powered by, well, power. The Angels rank third in the majors with 30 home runs, trailing only the Yankees (32) and Dodgers (31). They’re also second in MLB with a .454 slugging percentage.
All that power has been necessary because they’re not getting on base much – they rank just 21st in MLB with a .302 on-base percentage.
The biggest story has been 23-year-old second baseman Kyren Paris. He’s been absolutely crushing it with a .368/.467/.842 slash line, five homers, and five stolen bases in just 14 games.
He’s tied for the MLB lead in Wins Above Replacement at 1.5.
Will he keep hitting like this? Probably not – especially while hitting the ball on the ground half the time. But the quality of his contact suggests he’s not just getting lucky.
What makes Paris’s breakout more believable is that he’s made major changes to his swing and stance. When a player suddenly improves after making technical adjustments, it’s often a sign of real growth rather than just a hot streak.
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe is playing like an early MVP candidate himself. In 13 games, he’s hitting .333/.347/.667 with five homers.
To put that in perspective, the average MLB catcher this season is hitting just .232/.310/.393. O’Hoppe, still only 25, has always been a good-hitting catcher, but this could be his leap to stardom.
And we can’t forget about Mike Trout’s power resurgence. The future Hall of Famer isn’t getting many hits to fall (he’s batting just .196), but that’s mostly bad luck that will correct itself.
What matters is that he’s crushing the ball when he connects. His six homers are tied for the MLB lead, and his slugging percentage sits at a healthy .536.
Jorge Soler, acquired in the offseason, is also providing some serious pop as the team’s DH. That’s exactly what they brought him in to do.
With all this talk about offense and that negative run differential we mentioned earlier, you’ve probably figured out that pitching is an issue.
You’d be right. The Angels rank 26th in MLB with a 4.87 ERA and dead last in FIP at 5.21. Outside of ace José Soriano and new closer Kenley Jansen, the pitching staff has been… problematic.
Their strikeout-to-walk ratio is particularly concerning – they rank 28th in MLB when you subtract walk percentage from strikeout percentage. That’s not a good sign for future performance.
Despite their strong start, the Angels remain heavy underdogs in a division with the Rangers, Astros, and Mariners. SportsLine projects them for just 75 wins and gives them only a 12.8% chance of making the playoffs.
Caesars has them at +1000 to win the AL West, behind all three of those teams.
For now, Angels fans should enjoy being above .500 and, at least temporarily, in first place. The American League isn’t exactly a powerhouse these days, so staying relevant isn’t impossible if the bats keep producing.
If nothing else, the 2025 Angels have given their fans something to dream about for the time being.
