STARTING ROTATION

The Angels are putting their faith in a six-man rotation with more upside than they’ve had in years, but with plenty of uncertainty. Right-hander Shohei Ohtani posted a 3.18 ERA in 23 starts and 130-1/3 innings last season. The Angels would be thrilled if he can repeat that, perhaps with a few more innings. Otherwise, none of the other five starters threw 100 innings last season. Right-hander Noah Syndergaard hasn’t done it since 2019 (before Tommy John surgery) and right-hander Michael Lorenzen hasn’t done it since 2015 (before moving to the bullpen). Lefties Patrick Sandoval, José Suarez and Reid Detmers have never reached the 100-inning threshold in the majors. The Angels are hoping that all of them, or at least some of them, can pitch to the level their careers suggested. Syndergaard was a top of the rotation starter before he was injured, and Sandoval (a 3.62 ERA last season) and Suarez (3.75) both enjoyed their first extended major-league success last season. Detmers, who was just drafted in 2020, struggled in five starts last season, but struck out 16 and walked none in the spring.

BULLPEN

The Angels hadn’t signed a pitcher to a multi-year deal since 2014, and then this winter they did it three times, all for relievers. They invested $58 million over four years to bring back closer Raisel Iglesias, who is one of the best in baseball in the ninth inning. The Angels also added left-hander Aaron Loup (two years, $17 million) and right-handers Ryan Tepera (two years, $14 million)  and Archie Bradley. All three have career ERAs under 4.00 covering at least seven seasons. That moves right-hander Mike Mayers all the way down to the No. 5 spot in the bullpen pecking order, and he’s posted a 3.60 ERA in two seasons with the Angels. Righty Austin Warren and lefty José Quijada were impressive in small samples down the stretch last season. Righty Jaime Barria lost out on the Angels’ No. 6 rotation spot and will serve as the long man out of the bullpen.

INFIELD

Jared Walsh returns as the Angels’ first baseman after a breakout season that saw him make the All-Star team. Walsh hit 29 homers with an .850 OPS. He struggled against lefties, though, so the Angels might look to platoon him a little more this season if he doesn’t improve. Third baseman Anthony Rendon endured a lost season in 2021, with a hip injury sapping his performance and leading to other injuries. He had surgery last August and believes he’s back to 100 percent now. Rendon was an MVP-caliber player before he was hurt. The middle infield for the Angels has some questions, though. David Fletcher is moving from second base to shortstop, although he could bounce around depending on where they want to put their best defensive middle infielder. Tyler Wade, Matt Duffy and Jack Mayfield will all get some time sharing the middle infield with Fletcher, and Duffy and Mayfield could even play some first against lefties. The Angels might not get much offense out of any of their middle infielders, but they’ll be content if they can put the ball in play, run and play good defense.

DESIGNATED HITTER

The Angels will get a significant boost from the Ohtani Rule, which was approved last week. It allows a player to start at pitcher and DH and be treated as two different players. It means Ohtani can be the DH when he pitches, and remain in the game as a hitter when he’s done pitching. It should help Ohtani get another 25 to 40 at-bats, which would be a nice boost for the Angels if he comes anywhere close to the .965 OPS and 46 home runs he produced last year.

OUTFIELD

The Angels shook up their outfield with the surprising decision to unload Justin Upton last weekend. Angels general manager Perry Minasian said the move was made because they felt that young outfielders Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh and Taylor Ward were all ready to get significant playing time. Each of them is certainly better defensively and faster than Upton, at this point in his career. Marsh probably won’t start against many lefties, but otherwise, it remains to be seen how the Angels will divide the playing time in the two corner spots. They also might give the young players a few opportunities in center field to rest Mike Trout. The three-time MVP played just 36 games last season because of a strained calf. The Angels desperately want to keep him healthy for the entire season, because he is still the heart of the team.

CATCHER

Max Stassi has come a long way since he went 3 for 42 in the first two months after the Angels acquired him in July 2019. Over the past two seasons, he’s produced a .784 OPS, which is well above average for a catcher. He’s also been one of the better defensive catchers in the game, and the pitchers love working with him. That’s why the Angels inked him to a three-year, $17.5 million deal during spring training.

BENCH

On any given night, the Angels will have some useful pieces on the bench. Wade, Duffy, Mayfield, Adell, Marsh and Ward could each find themselves on the bench with backup catcher Kurt Suzuki. All of them figure to start enough that they should be fresh when called. Suzuki started 63 games behind the plate, which was probably too many, so the Angels will need to be more conservative with the 38-year-old to optimize his performance.

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MANAGER

Most of the criticism of Joe Maddon in his first two seasons centered around his bullpen use, and the corps of relievers he has this year should certainly make him look “smarter” when he goes to the mound. Maddon will also again be tested by Ohtani. The Angels pushed him much harder in 2021 than they had before, so it might be tempting to ask for a little more. An injury to Ohtani would be crushing, though. Maddon will also need to find the right balance to juggle a four-man outfield and a four-man middle-infield. The Angels have an option on Maddon’s contract for 2023, so he’ll need to have a good season if he wants to stick around.