Fanmail Friday #5: Rotation Questions, Breakout Picks, and 2026 Expectations
March 20, 2026 - Written by Cade Lalim
Mike Trout hits one 485 feet for his 400th career home run! pic.twitter.com/57GeggoE7c
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 21, 2025
Hey InsideHalos readers! My name is Cade and this is my first Fanmail Friday. I am excited to answer your questions, and share my thoughts on the Angels! I will try to answer each question with the most informative and realistic answers. There were a ton of questions submitted this week, so I apologize if I didn’t answer yours.
Q: Who is going to be the fifth starter? Should one of Kochanowicz, Aldegheri, and Klassen replace Manoah? Are there any darkhorses? (@colin.grumkoski, @coolbrad124, @andres_escalera3, @j.l.rod, @youngboikash)
A: I still think Alek Manoah is going to be the fifth starter to start the year, even with the poor spring he’s having. I do think though that if his first month of starts don't go well, they could move on from him and go with another guy. I’m not saying this will happen, but he could do better when games count for the regular season. If he doesn’t make the rotation, I think Kochanowicz is next in line. He’s got the most major league innings and has had a solid spring. Also note that his average velocity on his sinker this spring has been 96.6 mph, which is up from 95.5 mph last year. I’d say Ryan Johnson is the darkhorse to make the roster. He was really good last year with the high-A Tri-City Dust Devils and has also had a nice spring. He’s collected 18 strikeouts across 16.2 innings with a 3.78 ERA. The Angels also gave him an Opening Day bullpen role last year, with no minor league experience.
Q: How well do you think Logan O’Hoppe will do in 2026? (@curryupcafe)
A: I think Logan O’Hoppe is definitely gonna bounce back this season. Kurt Suzuki and Max Stassi joined the coaching staff which should really help. Plus Travis d’Arnaud is a great veteran partner to pair with O’Hoppe. His bat has looked really good this spring hitting for a .256 average and a .920 OPS with three home runs. His batted ball profile looks really good, and something that sticks out right now is his strikeouts. In the last two seasons, O’Hoppe has been striking out at a 30% clip. This spring it’s down to 19.6%. He’s also walking 10.9% of the time which is great to see. Hopefully with the help of Stassi and Suzuki, O’Hoppe’s defense improves which could really improve his overall game.
Q: Are the Angels improving? (@alejandrocmoficial)
A: In my opinion the Angels seem to be moving in the right direction. I think it was smart for them to have the offseason they had and not sign any big names or contracts. One big name wouldn't really have made a difference. Also letting Christian Moore develop more in triple-A is a really smart idea. The talent they have in the lower minor leagues is really good right now and is something to keep an eye on. They have a bunch of starting pitchers that are close to major league ready which could be really beneficial. I think a good comparison to the Angels is the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians had worse offensive numbers than the Angels in 2025, but had good pitching. That's why they had 16 more wins. If the Angels can just really improve pitching and put together a good staff, they could be pretty good. I personally think the Angels competitive window opens up between 2028 and 2030 or even the early 2030’s if everything goes right. They really do have a good farm system, even though they are constantly ranked in the bottom.
Q: Would you worry about Suter and Pomeranz’s rough spring training performance? (@coolbrad124)
A: I’m not really worrying about their performances considering they’ve both pitched less than 10 innings. As of games through Wednesday (3/18) Pomeranz has pitched 3.1 innings, while Suter has pitched 8.2 innings. Pomeranz will be a guy to watch since last season with the Cubs was his first year pitching since 2021 with the Padres due to injuries. His pitches have been average in spring according to TJStats. I think he’ll be fine though and give quality innings. Brent Suter’s ERA is an 8.31, but he’s doing a great job limiting hard contact. His stuff has been below average. I wouldn’t predict their seasons based on spring training.
Q: Mike Trout revenge tour? Will he stay healthy and how do you think he does? (@tonygonzo277, @cain_r_99)
A: I’m really hoping that Trout can return to MVP form. Injuries are hard to predict so I’m not really sure how many games he’ll play. Hopefully he’ll be able to play in at-least 130 games or somewhere close to that. In my opinion I think his strikeout rate will remain high at 25-30%, but I think he can definitely raise his batting average up from .220 and .232 the last two seasons. My prediction is that he plays in 135 games with 34 HR’s, 80 RBI’s, .245 AVG, and a .850 OPS. I’d love to see him do better than that, but I think with a full season he’ll put up similar stats to that.
Q: Who’s playing 2nd? (@oddball_collects)
A: I think we’ll end up seeing a lot of different guys play second base this year. Opening Day I think we’ll see either Adam Frazier or Oswald Peraza. Vaughn Grissom was looking to be the starting second baseman, and still can be, but he’s been dealing with a hand injury and hasn’t been playing in games. Jeimer Candelario is another option, but he’s never logged any major league innings at second. He has been getting reps at second this spring. I’m sure we’ll see Christian Moore, Kyren Paris and Denzer Guzman all log innings at second this year as well.
Q: How would you feel seeing Klassen in the rotation? (@berickson.2)
A: I think Klassen is gonna be a stud, but I don't think he’ll be in the Opening Day rotation. He’s been really good this spring, and his stuff has backed up his surface numbers. Even though he’s been one of the better starters the Angels have had this spring, he’s probably still sitting behind a few guys in the depth chart for development reasons. I wouldn’t rush him to the majors knowing the potential he has.
Q: Do you think Neto will continue producing? (@jacobbmeyerr)
A: Neto is only 25 years old and is entering his fourth major league season. I don’t even think we’ve seen the best from Neto. He is capable of hitting at least 30 home runs per season, and can be a huge threat on the bases. He stole at least 25 bases the last two years. The Angels have been more aggressive on the base paths this spring, so I’d expect that number to rise. If Neto can improve his plate discipline and draw more walks, while still maintaining his current hitting level, he’ll be a threat at the plate for a long time. There is a bright future in front of him. Also don’t forget how good he is on defense.
Q: Sam Bachman’s breakout will be legendary (@joshissobased77)
A: Sam Bachman has been lights out this spring. He’s definitely pitched like a high leverage arm so far. His percentile page looks really good, and all three of his pitches are above average according to TJStats. His pitch mix is really good with a 98 mph sinker, complimented by a 89 mph slider and 92 mph changeup. If he keeps this up, I think he could honestly close games at some point.
Q: Record prediction? Where do you think the Angels will finish this year? Over/under 75.5 wins? (@jacobbmeyerr, @ch4kos, @logan.barrett17)
A: This season could be a year of two outcomes. It really depends on health and guys playing to their full potential.
Outcome 1 (78-84 wins):
Soriano and Kikuchi all pitch well
Grayson Rodriguez stays healthy
O’Hoppe, Soler, and Lowe all bounce back offensively
Moncada plays well and stays healthy
Neto, Schanuel, and Adell keep doing what they do and get better
Mike Trout has a Mike Trout season or close to it
The bullpen has to be average to slightly below average, with one or two good and quality arms
Everyone else contributes as they can
Better approach at plate for batters (less strikeouts)
More aggressive on bases
More small ball
Outcome 2 (60-72 wins):
Grayson Rodriguez and Reid Detmers struggle or are below average in their return to rotation
The new bullpen arms don't work out leading to one of the worst pens in the majors
Mike Trout puts up another sub-par season
Moncada doesn’t stay healthy
Lots of strikeouts offensively
Injuries
Editor’s Note: The questions in this week’s Fanmail Friday were answered prior to today’s announcement that Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson have officially made the Opening Day roster. As of now, their roles have not yet been announced, leaving some added intrigue to how the pitching staff will be structured. Additionally, Alek Manoah is dealing with a fingernail issue, his fingernail is practically off and it is likely he starts the year on the IL, this issue has been ongoing for a couple months according to Manoah. Grayson Rodriguez is scheduled to throw a bullpen tomorrow, and if he comes out of it feeling good, he could quickly re-enter the mix and potentially push either Kochanowicz or Johnson into a bullpen role. As always this time of year, things remain fluid, and we will continue to monitor and update as more clarity comes in.
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