Their pitching staff is tied for first in shutouts (six), ranks third in batting average against (.211) and fourth in WHIP (1.09).Īdd it all up, and the Angels have the third-best run differential in baseball (+45). They're third in hits and stolen bases, fourth in on-base percentage, and they generally hit the ball really hard - they're second in MLB in barrels (86), behind only the Yankees (95).īut they're not just clubbing opponents into submission.

MORE: How your favorite MLB player's signature ended up in your childhood baseball gloveĪs of Friday, the Angels lead MLB in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. And though it's still relatively early, enough games have elapsed to where we can label the Angels a pleasant - and welcome - surprise. The Angels, who have spent most of the season atop the AL West - and now sit just a half-game out entering play Friday - have the third-best winning percentage in the American League. It's actually the opposite: This is a team that has a well-earned reputation not just for underachieving, but for apparently inking a long-term deal with fourth place and essentially wasting the primes of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, two of the most dynamic and talented players in baseball history.īut, at least so far, 2022 has been different. It's not that the Angels as a franchise have a reputation as America's lovable losers or the Little Baseball Engine That Could. That's right: The Angels are pretty good. We're only five weeks into the 2022 MLB season, but enough has happened to get our hopes up about something we've longed to see for the better part of a decade.

Angels score