In the early going, the offense of the once-dominant Angels was riding high on the shoulders of a few young bats. The attacking performance has deteriorated as those young players have cooled, and it has been increasingly apparent that several important veterans have not contributed.
The Halos are still sixth in the majors with 44 home runs through 32 games, demonstrating how hot they were early on despite a nearly three-week cool spell. You can understand why, in spite of the early-season power explosion, the club is 25th in runs scored with 116, good for just 3.63 runs per game, when you compare it to the league’s second-highest strikeout rate of 26.8% and walking at a league-worst 5.9%.
It’s been feast or famine in the early going for a myriad of reasons. The Angels’ approach at the plate has much to be desired. They have been harmed by injuries, first by Yoan Moncada going on the injured list in early April, which forced Tim Anderson to start, then, more importantly, by Mike Trout’s current absence.
As the squad attempts to improve on last season’s terrible 63-99 performance, the productivity of three important senior bats has fallen well short of expectations and set them back significantly.
Taylor Ward has been the Angels’ most-reliable player in recent years, yet he’s been MIA all season
Taylor Ward has been a mainstay in the Angels’ lineup since he started playing regularly in 2022. Except for losing a significant amount of time in 2023 after being struck in the head by a pitch, Ward has been healthy and productive every season with the exception of a few minor knocks and bruises.
He recorded wRC+ numbers of 136, 107, and 111 in 2022 and 2024, respectively, demonstrating his ability to hit for average and power. He recorded his career-high batting average of.281 in 2022 and his high-water mark for homers of 25 in 2024. He also recorded better-than-average walk and strikeout rates during this time, demonstrating his versatility as a hitter.
But 2025 has been very different from his previous dependability. He has participated in 31 of the 32 games the Angels have played so far this season, but his slash line is only.172/.215/.352. For a 53 wRC+, that performance has been respectable, but it is 47% behind the league average.
Given his position in the batting order, his difficulties have been much more harmful to the squad. Ward batted first in 22 games to begin the season as the leadoff man. Ward has been hitting cleanup most of the time lately, with eight starts at number four as Ron Washington has adjusted the order in search of a spark. Additionally, he hit third in one game.
But there is some good news. Ward is a streaky hitter who has both prolonged cold periods and intense heat spikes. His power has also been evident during this poor run, as he has hit six home runs this year and has a.180 ISO, which is just over his career average of.176.
Ward needs to get out of his slump quickly if the Angels are to play winning baseball. Despite being one of the team’s greatest all-around hitters, his early season troubles have been a major factor holding the offense back. Things will be better if he gets over it quickly.
Luis Rengifo has gone from a jack-of-all-trades to a pure negative in the Angels’ batting order
Luis Rengifo’s name has been often mentioned in trade speculations for the last year, and for good cause. The prospect of getting a player who is incredibly flexible in every way to go along with whatever core they have established has clubs salivating.
Whether it’s switch-hitting, an offensive strategy that can generate power and reasonable contact, or positional versatility—Rengifo has mostly played second and third but can also play some shortstop or outfield in a pinch—the 28-year-old has proven his worth in a variety of ways.
Similar to Ward, Rengifo began seeing consistent playing time in 2022, hitting 17 home runs in 127 games. The next year, he produced almost the same amount of power with 16 home runs in 126 games. He improved his contact game in 2024, hitting.300 with just six home runs in 78 games before suffering a wrist injury that ended his season.
For Rengifo, 2025 has been a different tale. Over the years, his importance has mostly been attributed to his bat, as he has never been regarded as a terrific defender at any of his positions. That’s gone now.
Rengifo’s hitting average of.227/.252/.300 is comparable to Ward’s wRC+ of 53. It seems that those worries have now caught up with him after years of ignoring the caliber of his contact, raising doubts about whether the preceding three seasons were an illusion.
Rengifo has to get back on track negatively for the Angels. He was one of the team’s greatest trade assets in addition to playing a significant role in a shaky infield that has so far this season featured a lot of Tim Anderson—and not in a good manner.
Rengifo too urgently needs to go back to his previous level of play. He will enter free agency this summer in his final season of team control, and the longer he suffers, the more money he will be losing.
The Angels need a rejuvenated Mike Trout to quickly return from the IL
For the time being, it looks like the Angels have avoided losing franchise great Mike Trout for an extended period of time. No one will be letting out a sigh of relief until Trout is cleared and able to return to the baseball field.
Without a doubt, Trout is the most significant player for the Angels. Without him in good health and performing at his best, the team cannot compete. The true question is whether his aging and injury-ravaged body still has MVP-caliber juice.
Trout has embodied the offensive performance of the Angels this season in a number of ways. Along with his struggles with strikeouts, a relative decline in walks, and his inability to consistently make contact, he has displayed remarkable power.
The three-time MVP is hitting just.179/.264/.462 with nine home homers this season. His strikeout percentage is at its lowest point in his career, at 29.8%. He has only once recorded a walk rate lower than the 9.9% he presently maintains, and that was back in 2011, when he was 19 years old and played 40 games, walking just 6.7% of the time.
If these problems weren’t ones that have persisted from prior years, it may be written off as a minor sample size anomaly that would eventually regress back to Trout’s career norms.
Trout, a hitter with a career average of.297, slumped to.220 last season after dropping from.283 in 2022 to.263 in 2023. In the same period, his strikeouts have increased, but his walk rate has continuously lagged 2-4% below his career average of 14.7%.
Trout continues to smash the ball hard, but fly balls that either leave the yard or fall in the gloves of outfielders have replaced the line drives he sprayed all over the field. The root cause is difficult to identify. Is he swinging for the fences more to make up for the half second of response time he lost after years of his body being abused? Or is there another factor at work?
The future of the Angels will significantly improve if Trout can return to a level that is comparable to that of the player he was at his best. An improvement of even 80% of peak trout would be much appreciated. But if Trout is the type of player who creates all-or-nothing outcomes, and this is the new normal for him, the Halos will be in serious danger.
There is no doubt that the squad is in dire need of his return. Yes, he is returned from his injury, but he is also back to his previous swing.
