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Mar 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Mike Trout (27) prepares to play the San Diego Padres at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Angels Opening Day Lineup Prediction - Balance and Power

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Jeff Joiner | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 10:07 PM ET

Right hander Hunter Brown will be on the hill for the Houston Astros tomorrow. This gives the Angels an opportunity to present a very balanced lineup the team hopes to use many times throughout the year.

Angels GM Perry Minasian never openly stated that getting more balance to the lineup was a goal, but he certainly accomplished that this off season by adding lefty bats to both the outfield and second base. Combine those two with re-signing switch hitter Yoan Moncada to man third base, and the Angels have a more balanced lineup than they had last season.

Angels predicted Opening Day lineup

Zach Neto - SS. Neto offers a blend of speed and power that helps set the tone at the top of the lineup. His career OBP of .316 is light for a leadoff hitter but he is the best option the team has.

Nolan Schanuel - 1B. A rare left without much of a platoon split, Schanuel has a career .354 OPB against righties and is one of the most difficult Angels to strike out. If Neto reaches first base, that will open a nice hole for Nolan to pull a ball to right.

Mike Trout - CF. The future Hall of Famer is back to doing things he did years ago. Yes, Angels fans are right to worry about injuries when he's back in center field, but he is the team's best option.

Jorge Soler - DH. Soler has a history of crushing the ball in contract years and he's in a contact year. Slimmed down and mashing the ball in the preseason, he's a good bet for a bounce back year and the Angels could really use one from him.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Yoan Moncada - 3B. Last year the switch hitting Cuban ripped all 12 of his home runs off right handed pitchers while producing a .344 OBP and .471 slugging percentage.

Jo Adell - RF. This seems low for a guy who cracked 38 home runs in 2025 but there is doubt as to whether the underlying numbers are repeatable. Sixth is a good spot for a guy with big power who fails to get on base much.

Brandon Lowe - LF. The left handed Lowe carries a very respectable career slash line of .266/.322/.450 against right handed pitchers. If he can contribute that level of production from the 7 hole that would really help lengthen the lineup.

Logan O'Hoppe - C. At times, O'Hoppe looks like an emerging All Star but he is also prone to long slumps. Hopefully this is the season O'Hoppe takes off. Until then, he is comfortable in the 8 spot.

Adam Frazier - 2B. The second new lefty to the lineup, Frazier is tough to strike out and brings a .332 career OBP against righties to the bottom of the order. Putting Frazier in the 9 hole is essentially adding a second leadoff hitter to the lineup.

Overall, this is a nice lineup that should score runs. And it is balanced enough to make bullpen decisions difficult for opposing managers. Righty, lefty, righty, righty, switch, righty, lefty, righty, lefty is a great mix.

With 25+ home run potential in Neto, Trout, Soler, and Adell this team packs a lot of power.

If this lineup can stay healthy, it should easily eclipse last year's in terms of OBP. Strikeouts were the biggest culprit to the Angels offense last year and that could still be an issue, but with Frazier and Lowe striking out less than the guys they replaced that is a good move. Getting on base at a better clip will turn more of those solo blasts from last year into crooked numbers.

We will see, but overall, this lineup is capable of winning plenty of games if it plays up to potential.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Angels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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