Los Angeles Angels: Will the Halos actually improve with Ohtani and Upton

The Los Angeles Angels have started the season off slow with a 9-15 record, in large part due to the team’s offensive struggles and injuries.

The Los Angeles Angels delivered the best news possible for Angel fans right before the season began and that was that the team had reached an agreement with Mike Trout to keep him in Anaheim for another 12 years.

Since that signing, it has not been great for the Angels. The team has stumbled out of the gate in 2019 with a 9-15 record through 24 games. They are tied for the second-worst record in the American League and the third-worst record overall.

At least the Angels have 12 years to figure it out with Trout. You have to get lucky at least one year and win with the best player in baseball, right?

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This year is not even close to being over though and the Lakers could very easily get hot and make a run for a Wild Card spot or even contend for the division. It is hard to rule the team completely out when Trout can catch fire at any time.

Plus, the Angels are pretty banged up to start the year and the silver lining to this entire slow start is that the team will improve one the health improves. While this is showing that the team has very little depth, it also is potentially showing the importance of both Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton.

Ohtani has not yet played this season due to Tommy John Surgery while Upton also has not played because of turf toe. Ohtani seems primed to make his return in the coming weeks while Upton has just been moved to the 60-day IL.

When the two are back in the lineup together there is a hope that this sputtering offense can get going. The Los Angeles Angels are 20th in runs, 19th in OPS and 20th in batting average. Having these numbers with a below-average pitching staff is a recipe for disaster.

The hope is that the 2018 Rookie of the Year and the all-star outfielder can make a difference but it is unclear if the two will even be able to make that big of a difference.

First and foremost, Ohtani is coming off of Tommy John. And while he is not going to be throwing at all, there likely is going to be discomfort there and it is going to have some sort of impact. Plus, there is film on Ohtani now. The mixture of the two might lead to a slight dip in production out of Ohtani this season.

As for Upton, he has already started a downward trend that could make his contract look terrible next year. He hit 16 points lower in 2018 with an OPS that was nearly 100 points lower and 24 fewer RBIs.

Heck, the last month of the season Upton hit just .197 with a .724 OPS. He won’t be that bad but the realistic production for Upton if he played 100 games might only be 17 or so home runs with 50-60 RBIs.

And adding the two are not taking away from some of the worst bats on the team. Zack Cozart still has to hit and has been absolutely awful in his two years as an Angel thus far, as does Tommy La Stella, Kole Calhoun, and one of Justin Bour or Albert Pujols, all of which have not been all that impressive.

Will the Los Angeles Angels be better with Upton and Ohtani in the lineup? Absolutely. A four-hitter stretch of Andrelton Simmons, Trout, Ohtani and Upton is not too bad.

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However, the rest of the lineup is still significantly lacking and those two might not be enough to completely change the tide.

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