Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #17 (7/28-8/3)
August 8, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan & Brayden Zielke
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
Another week has passed, which means it’s time for Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Every week, Kian and Brayden take a handful of players who have been either doing well or poorly within the past week. They analyze the stats, metrics, and film to determine what’s been going on and how these players can keep doing well or turn things around.
Last week was odd for the Angels as a whole. They went 3-3 taking the series against the division rival Texas Rangers. However, they were almost swept by the White Sox, if not for a Taylor Ward walk-off homer on Sunday. Now, they sit at 54-58, eight games back from the division and slowly dropping out of the Wild Card race. This week, they have a three-game set against the Rays, then go over to Detroit for three more games.
There were some games where the pitching was lights-out but the lineup was nowhere to be found, and other games, it was the other way around. There were some bright spots last week, so we’ll take a look at them.
Hitters: Kian
The Angel’s lineup, as a whole, slashed .210 / .307 / .371, striking out 59 times in the span of six games. It’s the same story as always: A team that only relies on extra bases and lacks heavily on plate discipline. There were some bright spots, however.
Hot! Luis Rengifo
Luis Rengifo was an on-base machine last week, posting an on-base percentage of .435. Unlike the rest of the Angels lineup, he didn’t have a high strikeout rate, as he posted just four in 19 at bats. He hit the ball hard, posting a 47% hard-hit rate and had an average exit velocity of 91.5, posting a high of 105.7 MPH. He hit all types of pitches, including a 380-foot homer off a Jacob Webb changeup.
It was a solid week for Luis Rengifo, who’s been mediocre all season. Hopefully he can continue it through the rest of the season.
Not… Jo Adell
After tearing the cover off the ball in June, Jo Adell seems to have taken a step back. He hit just .212 in July and went just 3 for 22 (.136) last week. It was out of character for him in the barrel department, as Baseballsavant registered zero for him, as well as a hard-hit rate of 33%. He really struggled with pitches outside the zone, specifically away, as almost all of his seven strikeouts were chased. Jo Adell has always been consistently bad, and some can only wonder that with hitting tendencies, paired with his subpar fielding ability, if it may be time to finally move on.
It was another rough week for the Halos at the plate. There’s not much more to say about it.
Pitchers: Brayden
Overall, the Angels pitching staff was just ok. They allowed 4.5 runs per game, which went along with the 4.67 runs per game from the lineup, which ended up as a 3-3 record. Over the 6 games, the Angels gave up 19 walks, struck out 44 batters, and allowed 9 home runs. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible week, but better pitching overall would be great for this team.
Hot! Kenley Jansen
Although he only pitched in 3 games last week, nobody deserves the title of “Hot” more than Jansen. He is currently on a streak of 18 consecutive games without an earned run allowed. In those 18 games, he has 17.1 innings pitched, 9 hits allowed, 17 strikeouts, and only 3 walks. The last time Jansen allowed an earned run was June 15th in Baltimore. This hot streak has brought his ERA down to 2.85 to go along with 20 saves.
Not… The Angels Front Office/Ownership
With the trade deadline coming and going, there is no one less hot than the Angels front office. They claim to want to be competitive, yet add close to nothing at the deadline while our opponents got significantly better. While some new comments seem to reveal that GM Perry Minasian wanted to sell and had his hands tied by Owner Arte Moreno, it is still sad that Minasian allows himself to be Arte’s puppet. It was an all around awful week for the front office in one of the most pathetic trade deadline performances of the decade.
Another weird week for the Angels. The trade deadline has passed, so the team has to make do with what little returns they got from a downright regretful buying year. With September just around the corner, fans can only hope that the team can turn things around. See you next week on Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!
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