Building around Mike Trout shouldn't be this hard, and yet the Angels have banged their head into a wall for years, managing just one playoff appearance since Trout's debut. Baseball fans deserve to see Trout on the biggest stage, and you have to like his chances after the offseason the Angels put together.

Coming off an 80-win season with a makeshift pitching staff, the Angels added two-way Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani to a rotation that will hope to get full seasons from Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, and Matt Shoemaker. They also bolstered the lineup with the return of Justin Upton and the additions of Zack Cozart and Ian Kinsler, turning a fringe playoff team into one that could battle for the AL West. 

It's also one of the more interesting teams in the league for Fantasy purposes. Trout is obviously – or not-so-obviously – the top player in Fantasy, but he isn't even the headline here. That is, of course, Ohtani, the wunderkind who could change the game -- he's already changed ours. Ohtani is the first dual-eligible hitter and pitcher in CBS Fantasy, and that has the potential to make him hugely valuable in Fantasy. If he reaches his potential as a hitter and a pitcher, Ohtani could return elite value, especially for those of you in daily lineup lock leagues. 

Ohtani is the most intriguing name here, but the Angels have plenty of questions to answer up and down the lineup, as well as in the rotation. This could be one of the best teams in baseball this season, and for once, it won't be solely because of the singular brilliance of Trout. 

Ranking the Angels' Fantasy Assets
PlayersRoto RankH2H RankRoto POSH2H POS
player headshot
Mike Trout LAA CF
3 2 1 1
player headshot
Justin Upton LAA LF
59 70 18 17
player headshot
Shohei Ohtani LAA SP
152 115 35 37
player headshot
Ian Kinsler LAA 2B
138 146 16 14
player headshot
Zack Cozart LAA 3B
223 195 15 15
player headshot
Blake Parker LAA RP
223 250 27 30
player headshot
Garrett Richards LAA SP
240 208 64 64
player headshot
Andrelton Simmons LAA SS
257 198 20 14
player headshot
Kole Calhoun LAA RF
254 219 70 50

Players in Scott's Top 100 Prospects

Angels Prospects
1 Shohei Ohtani
The dual eligibility for this uniquely talented player is kind of gimmicky since, outside of daily leagues, you'll almost always use him as a pitcher. Still, as a pitcher, he's about the one "rookie" who you can outright expect to slot in your lineup every week. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: pencil him in
41 Jo Adell
The Angels selected Adell 10th overall in the 2017 draft after he hit .562 with 25 homers and 22 steals as a high school senior, and he proceeded to make a mockery of Rookie ball, demonstrating the sort of all-around ability this organization hasn't seen since Mike Trout. There's only one Trout, but anyone who invites those comparisons is dynasty league gold. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: don't count on it
79 Jahmai Jones
Vaunted for his athleticism, Jones had a skills breakthrough in 2017, going from hitting .195 with 32 strikeouts in his first 32 games to hitting .310 with 74 in his final 95. No longer a sitting duck to breaking balls, he's poised to take off in the next year or two, though his may be more of a 20-20 than a 30-30 profile. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: don't count on it
81 Kevin Maitan
The most notable of the dozen or so prospects the Braves had to surrender in this offseason's Coppolella purge, Maitan has actually lost some of his sizzle since signing as a 16-year-old, looking overmatched and overweight in his professional debut. He has garnered Miguel Cabrera comparisons in the past, though, and obviously has plenty of time to find his footing. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

Things to Know

  • My colleagues aren't quite as high on these Angels as I am, seemingly, because those are a composite of their rankings. What's interesting is that they disagree, often quite a bit, on nearly every player on the roster. This is a high-variance roster, and outside of Trout, there isn't anyone whose defining characteristic is consistency. Let them fall to you, and it'll be a lot easier to ride the highs and lows. 
  • Garrett Richards has legitimate ace upside. Over the past four seasons, he has a 3.06 ERA with 8.2 K/9, and had a K/9 of 8.8 in three of four seasons. Unfortunately, he has thrown just 62 1/3 innings over the past two seasons due to elbow issues. He was able to get back on the mound in September, striking out 23 batters in 23 innings, with seven earned runs allowed, a sign that he may just be past his issues. He's a typically high-risk, high-reward player on this roster, however he slipped to 185th overall in a recent mock draft we did, and there just isn't much risk at that price. 
  • Was the leap Zack Cozart made last season for real? Cozart hit .297/.385/.548 last season, career highs in each triple-slash category, seeing a jump in his walk rate and power levels. He left one of the best parks in baseball for power hitters, and his batted ball data didn't show much of a change from previous years, so skepticism is warranted. On the other hand, skepticism can go too far; Cozart went just 175th in a recent mock draft we did, another spot where there just isn't much risk.
  • That really is the story with this team. With the exception of Ohtani and possibly Justin Upton, you don't really have to pay for the upside on this roster. Cole Kalhoun is one year removed from 91 runs, 18 homers, and a .271 average, and went undrafted in that mock; Albert Pujols and his 23 homers and 101 RBI in 2018 didn't go off the board until round 21. These players have their flaws, but at some point, the industry is just overlooking values. 

Lineup & Rotation

Batting order    
                
1 Ian Kinsler 2B
2 Mike Trout CF
3 Justin Upton LF
4 Albert Pujols DH
5 Kole Calhoun RF
6 Zack Cozart 3B
7 Andrelton Simmons SS
8 Luis Valbuena 1B
9 Martin Maldonado C
Pitchers                             
SP Garrett Richards
SP Shohei Ohtani
SP Matt Shoemaker
SP Andrew Heaney
SP Tyler Skaggs
CL Blake Parker
RP Cam Bedrosian
RP Jim Johnson