What Positions Stand As Unknown For The Future? Evaluating Angels Team Roles
August 21, 2025 - Written by Zac Holladay
Photo Credit: @Angels - X
The month is August. The Angels are 6 games back of a Wild Card spot and 9 games out of the division. After making almost unnecessary moves at the deadline, the Angels haven’t grown nor fallen. They maintain their 2025 season long expectations of performing at a very average level. They continue to hit homers and blow games late. And while the season isn’t completely over for the Halos, their chances of exceeding expectations is 100 percent possible.
This team has proven that, with 1-2 big splashes in the Free Agent or trade market, this team can contend for a playoff spot with real intent to play meaningful games in August and September. But as of right now, a complete team is far from what is reality.
Analysing the state of each position is something that the Angels will start to do within the next 4 months and should be done with serious intent to build the best team possible. Each player has a role on the 2025 Angels and some of those guys aren’t on the team to stay with the team.
The first position that has raised eyebrows this season is the catching position. Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud have been a great catching duo this season with the definition that whoever has been in the lineup has been solid. Both guys have a good bat and are expected to help the team more on the offensive side than the defensive side. But it has been a confusing ride throughout the span of the season as O’Hoppe hasn’t been nearly the talent that he has been hyped up to be.
His offensive numbers were off the charts the first 10 weeks of the season. Not long after, he completely lost the ability to hit the ball. In his last 65 games played, O’Hoppe has a .214 Batting Average with 77 strikeouts and a .257 On-Base Percentage. Travis d’Arnaud has played 57 games, which is about 48% of the games played by the Angels to this point. The decisions throughout the season to put Travis in the lineup over Logan more often gave fans a bone to pick, but his veteran performance has reigned supreme as d’Arnaud has been a better catcher at times in spite of Logan’s struggles.
So what needs to change at the catcher position? While O’Hoppe hasn’t lived up to his role as one of the big sluggers in this Angels lineup, he is still a young player with tons of potential. It has proven that it takes a while for some Angels’ top prospects to breakout (ex. Jo Adell and Taylor Ward). But putting in a backup catcher over your struggling star isn’t going to give him a chance to succeed. They need to let O’Hoppe play more games in order for him to raise his overall stats and to perform to his highest potential.
The outfield problem was a blessing and a curse for the Halos at the beginning of the season. They had 5 guys to choose from in Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler, and Mickey Moniak. Well, after Angels released Mickey Moniak before the season started, and Soler and Trout’s injuries have prevented them from playing in the outfield from time to time, the outfield hasn’t been as loaded as they had hoped. So far, they have brought up a few prospects to fill up some time in the outfield, them being Gustavo Campero, Matthew Lugo, Bryce Teodosio and Kyren Paris. None of these guys have replaced anyone on the A-team and haven't shown any consistent signs.
Everyone knows not all plans from Spring Training forward stay true the whole season. But it has truly put a thought in the heads of the Angels operations as they go into the next season, and so on. The future of all outfielders is in question as Trout will always be a liability for his health and Jo Adell and Taylor Ward being brought up in trade scenarios. Although the team still has control of Jorge Soler for another year, he could always be traded or solidified as their starting Designated Hitter.
While none of the guys that they have brought up this season from the minors maintained their position, guys like Matthew Lugo and Kyren Paris proved that they have what it takes to play in the Major Leagues. In any scenario where one or two of our main outfielders are traded over the offseason, Lugo or Paris wouldn’t be a terrible replacement as they have displayed their talents in an intriguing fashion. But the most ideal situation for the team would be to trade Taylor Ward for some promising prospects and to lock-up Jo Adell to a long-term contract. While both are just beginning their prime years, Ward’s interest is much more intriguing due to his longer past of consistency and his ability to drive in runs at an impressive rate. And the haul that would come in return to Anaheim is extremely important as the Angels look to improve their farm system while they attempt to prolong their desire to contend.
The role that each outfielder has played in the 2025 season has been a bright spot in the sense that the direction of the outfield should be clear. It is clear where everyone stands at the season and whether they are encouraged to improve their talents within the organization or they are preferred to train elsewhere.
And that is what this year has been for the Angels. A year to see what guys are prepared to play in big games without much time. They need the hot hand to be played every night or else they will fall. This team isn’t constructed to play in the World Series. Unlike this team, the best teams do not need the hottest guys to play every night as everyone contributes whether they are hot or not. A playoff team is built up of guys who can turn to the next guy and rely on them to have their backs and produce. The Angels have only experienced bits of this reliance. With the evaluation of who can contribute immediately, this team will weed out the ones who aren’t of those characteristics and build off of those who are ready to roll. And up until now, this is a team that is very close to being a contending team. It just depends on who steps up and who gets the job done. Whoever plays to their role to the best of their potential will be rewarded with the team and it will show when it matters most.
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