Los Angeles Angels YES, make playoffs (+140)
To win division (+390)
Unquestionably among the most shocking stats in all of sports is that Mike Trout has been to the playoffs a grand total of once in his 10 seasons in the Big Leagues.
And the Angels got swept that series. So the universal-consensus best player has zero postseason wins to his name. Yet I’m eyeing this as my favorite playoff future?
Yes I am. Obviously, Trout is going to get back to the postseason at some point. Why can’t it be now with a superior cast? The addition of an extra playoff berth to each league can really help matters, too.
Regardless, this club just has too much talent to not be a factor. You heard plenty about Shohei Ohtani all of last year and I’m sure we’ll hear plenty more upcoming about his marvels as hitter-and-pitcher extraordinaire. Something else that figures to get a lot of attention is the return of Anthony Rendon, who, remember, was a Silver Slugger Award winner only three years ago. Jo Adell, meanwhile, is a story waiting to be told.
Of course, hitting has never really been the issue in Anaheim. The annual disappointments of this organization throughout Trout’s decorated career have always been tied to poor pitching. However, that might not be the case now.
Noah Syndergaard comes to the Angels from New York and appears to be back to full health after missing all but two innings of the prior two years. If healthy, there’s no reason he can’t be the Thor of old — a clear All-Star-caliber pitcher. His workout buddy Michael Lorenzen was added in addition and should provide quality work. Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers can be useful arms for October plans as well.
All of this behind Ohtani dealings makes for, at least, a serviceable staff. Closing things out is still one of the steadiest in the business, Raisel Iglesias.
I say don’t stop there. The Halos have all the artillery to do more than just nab that wacky extra wild-card spot. When you project the incoming shift in power in the AL West — Oakland purposely sucks while Houston may be becoming a bit more vulnerable — there’s an opportunity here for Los Angeles to capture the division. At those nifty +390 odds, it’s worth a wager.
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