It's Pathetic That The Angels Have Had 4 Of The Last 8 MVP's And Have One Playoff Appearance To Show For It
With Shohei Ohtani taking home the AL MVP in unanimous fashion last night it now brings the Angels MVP total over the last 8 seasons to 4. Mike Trout in 2014, 2016, 2019 and Ohtani in 2021 with Trout being unanimous in 2014 as well. Damn good run for the Angels. Surely in those years the team with the by far the best player in baseball would have been to the playoffs a bunch, probably some ALCS appearances, a World Series or 2, right? Wrong. In the last 8 seasons the Angels have a winning record two (2) times, back in 2014 and 2015. And in those 8 seasons all they have to show for it is one playoff appearance back in 2014 where they got swept by the Royals in the ALDS. And digging into a smaller sample size, they've had 3 of the last 6 MVPs and don't have a winning record in any of those 6 seasons. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. There have been conversations for years about the Angels wasting Mike Trout's career and pretty soon we will have to start having those convos about Ohtani if he sticks around.
It doesn't matter what big name they sign, Albert Pujols, CJ Wilson, Josh Hamilton, Anthony Rendon, it never works. Massive contacts down the drain and the Angels are in the basement of the AL West. They never have any pitching, ever. That is why they drafted 20 pitchers this past summer, all 20 picks used on pitchers. That is why they signed Noah Syndergaard to a 1-year, $21 million deal. But do we think those will work? Probably not. We will probably be having this exact same talk next year when Ohtani hits 50 bombs and has a 2.24 ERA and wins another MVP and the Halos finish with 75 wins. How can a team have 2 generational talents at the same time and not come close to winning a ring.
Baseball is the ultimate team game but you'd think having 2 guys like Trout and Ohtani would give them some spark. Some boost to the team and get some guys to play above their level and make a run. The Angels never come close. And don't get me wrong, they aren't playing in a great division either. The Mariners haven't made the playoffs in 20 years, the Athletics are the kings of late season collapses and first round exits, the Astros obviously are the cream of the crop, and the Rangers are the doormat to everyone in baseball, they have the talent to compete for a division or a wild card spot, but they never do.
Is it even fun to brag about having guys like Trout and Ohtani without having any rings to show for it? Hell, even a trip to the playoffs. Maybe a wild card game for shits and giggles. Instead Mike Trout is sitting behind the end zone for an Eagles game every first weekend of October. It just blows my mind how a team could have the two most talented players we've seen in sometime and they can't seem to do anything to get better. Doesn't matter who they sign, draft, trade for, it never works. So until then we will just watch Trout and Ohtani collect all the MVPs like they're trading cards and the Angels will continue to never amount to anything and just hang around 4th place. Figure it out LA, please. We want to see Ohtani and Trout in the playoffs. It would be absolutely unreal to see those 2 in October.