Even though I never really had a prototypical beach body, you couldn’t stop me and my dad from spending hours in the sand of Atlantic City with his trusty metal detector – and nothing I would say no this satisfaction of finding treasure while hunting. But this is not a story that goes back to the past. Instead, let’s focus on the future. And then remember the present.
It will all make sense. Just know this – it’s a story about how, in hindsight, Shohei Ohtani’s departure from the Angels was actually a good thing for them (and for fantasy baseball players) in a crazy “add by” way. subtraction” that no one else notices.
The year is 2054. In an effort to share my most treasured childhood memories with my legacy, I’m taking the grandchildren and my 40-year-old wife (and the metal detector) to AC. Five minutes into our excursion, the detector begins to beep. Little Johnny goes away like a shot! Before I can offer him a shovel, the boy sinks up to his shoulders in sand and shouts, “I found something!” It’s… a very beautiful ring! You wouldn’t believe it if I told you – but right there in his hand was a Los Angeles Angels championship ring… from 2024.
So what happened?
This momentous 2024 season began like so many others before it for Halo fans, with a sense of widespread deflation more valid than ever. All the gray clouds over the coast seemed to gather immediately with the departure of the greatest baseball player in history, Shohei Ohtani (and *no one* – outside of maybe 2001 Mariners fans – n (could have guessed that its subtraction would indeed become an addition of the highest level). Opening Day ended without much fanfare, in most expected fashion, in an 11-3 loss to the defending AL East champion Orioles – and if you listened closely enough in the parking lot before that first game, you could hear people arguing over which brand of paste Arte Moreno prefers to eat the most.
Well, baseball seasons are marathons, not sprints. And really, for the 2024 Angels, it was more of a long line of dominoes – positive dominoes! – fall after Ohtani’s departure.
THE OFFENSE
It never hurts to build a roster around a generational talent and one of the best pound-for-pound hitters in history. Mike Trout homered on Opening Day against Corbin Burnes, the first of a monumental run during one of the greatest seasons of all time. With Ohtani finally out of the way and no longer burdening the DH’s daily tasks, Trout could finally manage his health properly. At age 32, Mike Trout went nuclear as the ninth player to hit 60-plus bombs, but only the second since Babe Ruth to hit +.340 while doing so. With the ultimate version of Trout anchoring the offense, the rest fell into place without having to squint much to see it. Zach Neto got off to a crazy start in spring training (.310 BA, 3 3B, 3 HR, 4 SB), so maybe we should have seen it coming – after all, the young man had less than 200 professional appearances in total before his promotion.
While this particular offseason has seemed devoid of player acquisitions for the Angels, I’m not sure anything could be further from the truth. Compared to the previous year’s schedule in mid-August, Brandon Drury was the only Angel still active as 2024 rolled around. Avoiding injuries is a funny thing in baseball, and it was finally the Halos’ turn to laugh. Taylor Neighborhood he missed time in 23 after being dunked in the dome and came roaring back. Anthony Rendon seemingly found inner peace and posted more PA (625) in 2024 than he had in his entire previous career in Los Angeles. And then of course, 2024 rejected the legend of the shot flyball king Logan O’Hoppe, the eighth safety net in history to connect to more than 40 bombs. Wow, looking back, that was a really exciting team.
THE ROTATION
Most teams aim to put their best foot forward and deploy their ace starting pitcher on Opening Day – but not the 2024 Angels. Patrick Sandoval left the hump with a +16 ERA, adding to the pessimism of a potential hundred-loss season. Maybe more Angels fans should have followed my work back then.
I remember it like it was just a few days ago: I was writing a bold prediction article for Athleticism, unable to choose which of my two favorite young starters would leave that year. It turns out there was no wrong answer between the winged lion Griffin Canned Foods and winner of the Fantasy League 2024, Hunting is on the case Silseth. As it turns out, Ohtani’s departure not only benefited Trout and the offense, but also had a positive impact on the personnel.
Return to a more conventional five-man rotation helped Canning turn his command and four-seamer/slider combo into 15 wins and a remarkable +33% CSW, only to be eclipsed by his teammate Cy Young in getting votes. Despite all the losses I had suffered publicly as an analyst and handicapper over the decades, we succeeded in Silseth’s call in 2024; and I have family vacation photos to prove it. Not only did Mr. Silseth maintain two distinct +33% odor offerings, but he also improved their effectiveness by introducing the sweeper to RHH and the split finger to LHH. As the data from the April game came in, I remember thinking that the spin numbers must be wrong – the same pitcher with a Top 30 SP four-seam scheme (2402) also had a spin rate less than 10 of 1132 rpm among split fingers? It must be among, otherwise THE, the largest disparity in MLB. It’s no wonder he was able to overcome the lack of reach and average diagnosis to achieve such extraordinary results. At least it helped us know what to look for in the future…
THE REST
Health and talent bred victories early enough to transform the normal downtrodden tenor around Angel-town into unknown positive vibes, resonating all the way to the homestead.
After saving a quadrillion dollars without retaining Ohtani, Moreno finally blew the dust out of his wallet and embarked on a midseason shopping spree. The Angels solidified three phases of their game at the All-Star break, acquiring every top available expiring contract with Pete Alonso, Shane Bieber and Kenley Jansen. And that was around the same time that Robert Stephenson returned to absolute dominance out of the bullpen, catalyzing an equally successful second half. Managing to win close games over time earned a playoff bid in an expanded format, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Hopefully even non-Angels fans had fun thinking about the variance and range of outcomes as we spiraled down my halo-themed rabbit hole. For anyone who has been rolling their eyes waiting for some fantastic relevant advice, I can assure you that we will be bringing it by boat every Friday right here. Let’s at least recap all the potential Week 1 additions worth keeping an eye on…
Main goals of the weekend by position
- Travis D’Arnaud, C, ATL
- Cavan Biggio, 1B/2B, TOR
- Brendan Donovan, 2B/OF, STL
- Jordan Westburg, 3B/2B, BAL
- Zach Neto, SS, LAA
- Victor Scott II, OF, STL
- Garrett Hook, SP, ASC
- Abner Uribe, RP, MIL
(Photo by Zach Neto: Steph Chambers/Getty Images; top photo: Katharine Lotze/Getty Images, Steph Chambers/Getty Images)