The Angels Opening Day Lineup is Now Obvious

Three of the four are returning names from the 2025 season. Neto is the clear leader of this group and arguably of the franchise. It would be wise for the Angels to lock up their 25 year old burgeoning star on a contract extension while the price is still likely reasonable.

Adam Frazier played himself onto the team after signing a minor league deal as camp opened. In 16 Cactus League games the left handed hitter slashed .300/.432/.400. Strikeouts were a huge problem for the 2025 Angels but Frazier is a guy who rarely K's.

Yoan Moncada was brought back on a one year contract and looked really good for Team Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. Nolan Schaneul is another young player the Angels are hoping takes a setp forward this season.

Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud are the catching tandem.

Apparently it takes an apostrophe in your last name to catch for the Angels. O'Hoppe is an intriguing talent who absolutely mashed in the Cactus League cracking three home runs and slugging well north of .500.

The Angels are really hoping O'Hoppe takes another step forward and can consistently display the talent he's shown in flashes. Travis is renowned for working with a pitching staff and is the steadying veteran.

Jeimer Candelario and Oswald Peraza truly earned bench jobs in camp.

Both of these guys lit up trackman with big exit velocities. Not only did they hit the ball hard, they hit the ball consistently.

Peraza turned heads midway through the Cactus League and did not stop. In 16 games Peraza notched 6 doubles and 2 home runs as he put up a .333/.373/.583 slash line. The former top prospect is 22 years old and the Angels are hoping he can live up to billing.

Signed to a minor league deal, Candelario was a bit of an afterthought when camp opened. However, he went out there and put up a .340 on base percentage and slugged .630 in 18 games. 9 of his 11 hits went for extra bases including 4 home runs.

Candelario had a successful run offensively with the Reds before suffering some injuries. He's fully healthy and hitting like it. He can cover the infield corners and might form a platoon with Schanuel at first base.

Jorge Soler is the DH.

After battling through a back injury and posting bad numbers is 2025, Soler is healthy and again hitting the ball with authority. His slash line of .333/.476/.576 in Cactus League play makes Soler a bounce back candidate nobody is talking about.

Who snags the last spot?

The Angels will carry 13 position players and only 12 are mentioned above. One more player will make the team.

Vaughn Grissom has under performed in camp and is hurt. He is out of options so if the Angels want to send him to the minors they will need to first place him on waivers. His blend of youth and upside might get him claimed but his recent MLB performances probably won't. Grissom will likely start the season on the IL then placed on waivers the Angels hope he clears.

Given the fact the outfield defense is less than stellar, expect Bryce Teodosio to snag the last bench spot. His glove is dynamic and he's a burner on the base paths. He's the perfect guy to come in and help protect a lead or pinch run when the club is down late. He's not there for his bat but his Cactus League on base percentage did start with a 3 so he's showing some signs of improvement.

Overall lineup impression.

There's a ton of power in this lineup. Trout, Adell, Moncada, Soler, and Neto are each realistically capable of smacking 25+ home runs. Logan O'Hoppe shows power in flashes. I really like the addition of Adam Frazier as a high contact guy the lineup really needs.

Defensively this team will not be great and they need to cut down on the strikeouts so they put up crooked numbers with the ball leaves the yard, but this should be a fun lineup to watch most nights.