Angels Outlook 2021

Hope springs eternal and as the calendar turns to April, every baseball fan from San Diego to Cleveland to Tampa Bay tunes in and roots-roots-roots for the home team. Payrolls are thrown out the window, age is just a number, and every game from 1 to 162 matters. It’s been seven years since the Halos have made the playoffs.

Mike Trout was a young kid, Albert Pujols was an aging veteran, and the squad had just won 98 games.  They were one of the teams to beat but first had to face off against the gritty, hard playing, team of destiny Kansas City Royals.  Three games later, Mike Trout had only one hit (a homerun) and the Royals would take out the brooms and sweep the Angels out of the playoffs.  The Royals would go on to play in the World Series and the Angels haven’t sniffed a postseason since.  Mike Trout now has THREE MVPs, Albert Pujols is in his last year of his contract, Shohei Ohtani is a bonafide two-way star, but once again they are an afterthought.  Predicted by many to finish a distant third in the AL West behind Houston and Oakland, even die-hard fans see the writing on the wall which inevitably says: Lack of pitching will be this team’s undoing once again.  Of course, there is hope just like any fan in any city in April (except Baltimore).  Hope that Mike Trout wins a 4th MVP.  Hope that Shohei turns into a #1 starter while also hitting 35+ homeruns.  Hope that Albert Pujols turns back the clock to his days in St. Louis.  Hope that Anthony Rendon hits over .300, plays gold glove 3rd base, and instills his World Series winning attitude on every Angel in the dugout.  But even with all that…the prayer of every Angel fan is that guys like Andrew Heaney, Dylan Bundy, Alex Cobb, Jose Quintana, and Griffin Canning pitch like the World Series winning staff of 2002.  19 years ago, the Halos found lightning in a bottle as the AL Wild Card winner, the thunder sticks were out in full force, and the rally monkey was born as they came from behind 3 games to 2 to beat the Barry Bonds led San Francisco Giants in seven games.  Every Angel fan since has been patiently waiting, standing outside--holding their bottles in the air on rainy days, and hoping against hope that lightning will strike once again.  Will it be déjà vu 2002 in the post Covid year of 2021?  Or will Angel fans once again be disappointed when the calendar turns to October and there is no red in sight?  The good news is: We have 162 games to find out.  Baseball is back and as of now, that’s all that matters.

Article contributed by Jon Hendrickson