Los Angeles Angels: mlb FUTURES & BETTING ODDS

LOS ANGELES ANGELS 2021 OUTLOOK

For a team that spends and has star players, the Angels have struggled since a consistent run of success in the decade of the 2000s. They have been to the playoffs just once since 2009, and that was a brief three-game sweep by Boston in a 2013 division series. Longtime manager Mike Scioscia left in 2018 and was replaced by Brad Ausmus only for one season. LA then went out and got Joe Maddon, who turned things around dramatically in Tampa Bay to help change the culture and turn the Rays into a winning franchise, and he then went on to Chicago to lead the Cubs to their first World Series title in over 100 years back in 2016. 

The Angels also feature one of the consistently best players in baseball in Mike Trout. The pitching staff that was a patchwork job of various veterans seems to have been replaced by some young players who may buy into Maddon's system, as the Angels hope they have the right mix of young and old to make some noise in a winnable division in 2021.

2021 Featured Players

We mentioned Trout, and what's not to like? Expect him to hit his usual 40 home runs and drive in well over 100 runs. He's finished in the top five in MVP voting every year since his rookie season. Albert Pujols is in the final year of his contract that has to be considered a disappointment given that the Angels do not have a playoff win since signing Pujols, and it's likely that this will be the final season of his 20-year, Hall-of-Fame career. Veterans Justin Upton and Anthony Rendon are also expected to be mainstays in the lineup, as is Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter.

As we transition to the rotation, we'll talk about Ohtani first. He's back in his two-way role after having Tommy John surgery, so he'll be expected to contribute every five days. Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning are expected to improve upon flashes of success they had last season, and Dylan Bundy has improved since coming over from the Orioles, as he's controlling his pitches much better. 

The bullpen issues were also addressed, as the Angels traded for closer Rafael Iglesias, who led the Cincinnati in saves over the past four years and could rack up between 30 and 40 this season. Mike Mayers and Felix Pena will setup Iglesias in the late innings. 

Bet on the Los Angeles Angels! Los Angeles Angels Odds for 2021

The Angels can be considered a sleeper team, as the West is up for grabs with Houston appearing to be down a bit this year, and you never know what you'll get from Oakland. The Los Angeles Angels odds to win the World Series sit at 40/1, which is what Washington was at prior to the 2019 season when they won it all. A bet on the Los Angeles Angels to win the American League pennant will payout 18/1 in preseason odds, and if you'd like to ride the Los Angeles Angels odds of winning the AL West this season, that bet will get you 15/4 (+375) odds.

Los Angeles Angels Logo, Uniform & Stadium History

The Angels came out of nowhere to snap a 16-year playoff drought in 2002 and rode that momentum all the way to a World Series title with Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Chuck Finley, and Darin Erstad. The team acquired some big names after that, including Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Jered Weaver and more, but they were never able to reach the Fall Classic again despite making the playoffs five times from 2004-09. The team has since tailed off in later half of the last decade. 

While there wasn't much success on the field in the 1980s and 90s, they did have some great players come through Anaheim, including Nolan Ryan, Mike Witt, Wally Joyner, Jim Fregosi, and Jim Edmonds.

 The club was known as the California Angels for much of their existence, then the Anaheim Angels, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and now the Los Angeles Angels, even though Anaheim is well south and in a different county than LA. 

The Angels' colors are primarily white and red with gold accents. The cap is red with an A featuring a gold halo over it. All three uniforms say "ANGELS" across the front in red. There are home white, road gray, and alternate red versions. 

2020 Record: 26-34, Third Place in American League West