Los Angeles Angels 2018 Season Preview

The Los Angeles Angels endured a multitude of injuries in 2017, and somehow managed to remain in contention for a playoff berth heading into September. They may be able to take another step forward this year.

On the surface, the Los Angeles Angels 80-82 record in 2017 would appear to be a disappointment. The Angels had the 11th highest payroll heading into Opening Day last year, and had the expectations that they would contend once again for the postseason. While the Angels were on the periphery of the second Wild Card into September, the 2017 campaign was not what they had hoped for.

In this case, injuries hampered what could have been a promising year. Over the course of the season, 11 different pitchers had at least one start for the Angels. One of those starters, Bud Norris, even became their closer for a time after injuries decimated the bullpen. All told, 31 different pitchers made an appearance for Los Angeles last year.

Even worse, Mike Trout, the best player in the game, was injured last year. He missed six weeks, derailing another MVP caliber campaign due to his thumb injury, which required surgery. While Eric Young did his best impression of Trout, missing the best player in baseball certainly put a damper on the Angels chances.

Heading into 2018, the Angels have improved. The infield has been completely overhauled, and the Angels even managed to revamp their farm system. The best player in baseball now has the best international player, Shohei Ohtani, with him. There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Los Angeles Angels this year. But what should we expect from them in 2018?