Angels' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Preview | Mike Trout, Zach Neto, Taylor Ward, Logan O'Hoppe, Christian Moore and More

Let's get back into the fantasy baseball team preview series. We'll look at the Los Angeles Angels now, checking out hitters here and then pitchers in another story later.

We've covered the Padres (hitters and pitchers), Tigers (hitters and pitchers), Marlins (hitters and pitchers), Blue Jays (hitters and pitchers), Brewers (hitters and pitchers), Astros (hitters and pitchers), Cubs (hitters and pitchers), Royals (hitters and pitchers), Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Rangers (hitters and pitchers) , Nationals (hitters and pitchers), Orioles (hitters and pitchers), Reds (hitters and pitchers), Red Sox (hitters and pitchers), Mets (hitters and pitchers), Twins (hitters and pitchers), Giants (hitters and pitchers), Athletics (hitters and pitchers), Pirates (hitters and pitchers), Mariners (hitters and pitchers), Rockies (hitters and pitchers), Rays (hitters and pitchers), Braves (hitters and pitchers) and White Sox (hitters and pitchers) already.

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Top Fantasy Hitters

There's a few LA hitters on the ADP list right now.

Mike Trout is the first one listed, going at pick 112.69 on average. Zach Neto (169.18), Taylor Ward (169.25) and Logan O'Hoppe (176.42) are all latte-round standard league options.

Luis Rengifo, Jorge Soler and Nolan Schanuel also appear on the list, but are trending toward deeper league draft selections.

Trout is becoming one of the biggest “what if” players in all of sports. Injuries have slowed his career in a big way.

He hasn't played over 100 games in either of the past two seasons, and he only got in 29 games in 2024. Trout has 162-game averages of: .299 average, .410 on-base percentage, 40 homers, 102 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 120 runs scored.

That's obviously elite fantasy production, but if he's not on the field, he's of no help. That's why you can land Trout with a mid-round fantasy pick.

His fantasy floor is way lower than that, but it'd take an injury to have him hit that floor. Trout's fantasy ceiling is sky high, which is why I don't mind taking him around that ADP - just make sure you have a backup plan or two in place in case Trout misses extended time again.

Neto is battling a shoulder injury and is going to start the season on the injured list.

In 155 games last season, Neto had a .249 average, .318 OBP, 23 homers, 77 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and 70 runs scored.

I'm expecting even better numbers in 2025, but the injury is definitely putting a damper on things. It's hard to justify spending a late-round pick on Neto, especially because there isn't a definitive return date set. If you have an IR spot to utilize, I wouldn't mind stashing Neto, because I think he could be a daily fantasy starter by the end of the season; otherwise, I just see him as a deep-league option to open the season, then be someone to add when he's about to be activated.

Ward had his most productive season in 2024, but it was also just his second time over 130 games in his seven-year career.

In 156 games in 2024, Ward had a .246 average, .323 OBP, 25 homers, 75 RBIs, six stolen bases and 73 runs scored.

If he can get in another full season in 2025, Ward definitely has standard league rostering potential. Taking him as a backup outfield option this season is fine, but there's other outfielders around his ADP that I like more. The deeper the league, the more valuable Ward becomes.

O'Hoppe played 136 games in 2024.

He posted a .244 average and .303 OBP, along with 20 homers, 56 RBIs, two stolen bases and 64 runs scored. At a weak fantasy catcher position, those are pretty solid numbers.

I see O'Hoppe performing even better in his fourth MLB season. Taking him as a secondary catcher in a standard league is a fine idea if you ask me, but he is a better deep-league option right now. He needs to be monitored closely if he goes undrafted in your league.

Rengifo is the projected second baseman for the Angels, but should at least have third base eligibility too.

He only played 78 games last season, and hasn't topped 127 games in any of his six previous MLB seasons. Rengifo had a .300 average, .347 OBP, six homers, 30 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and 41 runs scored in 2024.

There's obviously some fantasy value in those numbers, especially if he can stay healthy for most of the 2025 season. His position versatility is a nice bonus as well. He's a better deep-league option to kick off the season, but if he's performing as well as last year early on, expect him to be heavily added in standard leagues.

Soler joins the Angels and will be the team's primary designated hitter. He has right field eligibility as well, so that's a bonus for him.

In 142 games between the Giants and Braves last season, Soler had a .241 average and .338 OBP, along with 21 homers, 64 RBIs, one stolen base and 84 runs scored.

At full health, this Angels' lineup could actually be pretty solid. Soler is probably a better deep-league fantasy option to start the season, but he too could be quickly added in standard leagues if he's mashing to start the season.

Schanuel did some solid things in a 147-game 2024 season.

He had a .250 average and .343 OBP, along with 13 homers 54 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 62 runs scored.

There's some decent fantasy value in those numbers, and they could improve if the guys around him stay healthy. Schanuel is another deep-league option to start the season, but one who could get standard league love in a hurry with a solid start to the regular season.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, we just have a couple projected starters who we haven't discussed yet. 

Yoan Moncada is the projected third baseman while Anthony Rendon is out with an injury. Jo Adell is the projected center fielder, while Kevin Newman should replace Neto at shortstop while he's out. 

Schanuel is projected to platoon with J.D. Davis. Travis d'Arnaud is the backup catcher, while Tim Anderson and Mickey Moniak are backup options as well.

Moncada has been up and down his whole career, but maybe a move away from the White Sox will help him reach his potential. He's a guy to keep tabs on, but he's just a deep-league option to kick off the season. If Rendon ever is healthy enough to play, he's just a deep-league option with all his injury woes. 

Adell hit just .207 last season, but he also had 20 homers, 62 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and 54 runs scored. He's got deep-league value because he plays everyday, and if he improves, he could maybe be used in some standard leagues.

Newman is a short-term fantasy option in deeper leagues, but his value will probably dry up once Neto returns. Newman could maybe replace Moncada at third if the former is playing well, so he's at least a hitter to keep tabs on.

I don't think Davis will be able to produce enough, even if he platoons, to be a fantasy asset outside of the deepest leagues. An injury or two could thrust him into a larger role.

d'Arnaud would need an injury to O'Hoppe to have serious fantasy value. Anderson would likely need a couple injuries to start everyday. Moniak likely needs an injury to Trout, Ward or Adell to get considerable playing time.

Top Prospects

Christian Moore is the No. 67 prospect in all of baseball and has a 2025 ETA.

Matthew Lugo and Niko Kavadas are top-30 prospects of the team with 2025 ETAs.

Moore was a first-round pick last summer, so he probably needs more minor league seasoning before getting a call. In 25 games last year, he posted a .347 average, .400 OBP, six homers, 20 RBIs, two stolen bases, 23 runs scored, nine walks and 29 strikeouts.

LA doesn't mind rushing prospects to the show, so keep a close eye on Moore.

Lugo has played in 425 minor league games since 2019. He has a .271 average, .337 OBP, 45 homers, 236 RBIs, 62 stolen bases, 244 runs scored, 139 walks and 399 strikeouts to his name.

Kavadas played in 30 MLB games with LA last season. He had a .183 average and .283 OBP, with four homers, eight RBIs, one stolen base, 11 runs scored, 11 walks and 41 punchouts. Kavadas has a .250 average, .409 OBP, 69 homers, 228 RBIs, three stolen bases, 204 runs scored, 277 walks and 467 strikeouts over 346 minor league games.

Juan Flores, Alberto Rios, Dario Laverde, David Mershon, Cole Fontenelle, Kyren Paris, Denzer Guzman, Bryce Teodosio and Nelson Rada are hitters age 25 or under who are in big league camp with LA this year.