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A bold, no-holds-barred Angels 2026 season preview
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- A bold, no-holds-barred Angels 2026 season preview
Last October didn't end with heartbreak for the Angels . It ended with a shrug — 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 72–90 record, another last-place finish in the AL West, and a fanbase currently stuck between loyalty and fatigue.
Former Angels' catcher Kurt Suzuki was hired as the Angels sixth manager in the last nine years this winter, but the offseason brought controversy when Angels owner Arte Moreno recently claimed that "winning is not in their [fans'] top five" 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't happen soon.
Former LA Angels' catcher Kurt Suzuki was hired as the Angels sixth manager in the last nine years. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Most important hitter
Zach Neto isn't just the Angels' best young player — he's 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.
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"I want him to be a leader and lead by example," said Suzuki. "Anybody can be a cheerleader, but it's how you handle yourself in good times and in bad times. I feel like that's the next step for him."
Zach Neto isn't just the Angels' best young player — he's their litmus test for the future. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Most important pitcher
Grayson Rodriguez walks into Anaheim like a question wrapped inside a 98 mph fastball. You know what to expect from Yusei Kikuchi , José Soriano and Reid Detmers . They're 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't, it's 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.
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"I think it would be great [if Grayson could return to form]. That's everybody's goal," said Suzuki. "We would love for him to be like he was when he was pitching in Baltimore ."
Who will have a bigger year than expected
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't always listened. But something feels different about this season. With everyday at-bats and less pressure to be "the guy," 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.
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
Who is most likely to disappoint
Mike Trout is still Mike Trout , but he's 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 — the most he's 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.
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"I've seen enough of him the last 15 years playing against him in centerfield. I know he can do it," Suzuki said of Trout playing centerfield again this season. "He's in a good place mentally when he's out there — and when you put confidence in a guy like Mike, he becomes dangerous."
Key call up
Christian Moore isn't knocking on the door — he's 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's versatility, even getting reps at third, screams modern baseball. If he doesn't make the Opening Day roster , then it won't be for long. It's not if Moore arrives this season, it's when. The Angels need an impact player. Moore could be that guy.
"He hasn't had much time to develop," Suzuki said of Moore. "He needs to get consistent reps at second base and a lower pressure environment will benefit him."
Suzuki's first real test will come in a lineup card. AP
Biggest managerial decision
Suzuki's first real test won't come in a press conference. It'll 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's 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't straddle both sides forever.
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Don't be surprised if…
Don't 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't been. There's 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't dominate the division. But they might finally feel like a team building toward something — instead of drifting away from everything.
"We have to control the controllables," said Suzuki of his goals for this season. "Good 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."
Sure to make fans grumble
Arte Moreno's shadow still looms over every pitch, every roster decision, every empty October. Fans haven't forgotten the 11-year playoff drought , and they won't be soothed by talk of "affordability" over winning. This fanbase isn't asking for luxury. They're asking for direction. When lineup holes remain, when bullpen arms cycle like rental cars, when the fifth starter spot feels like a weekly audition — the grumbling will return. Not because fans expect perfection, but because they're tired of permanent uncertainty and the buck stops at the top.
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How their season will end
The Angels will flirt with progress the way the desert flirts with rain — close enough to feel it, never enough to matter. Just like they always do, they'll 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's end, the Angels will finally know who belongs in their future. The problem? That future still won't be here yet.
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