Angels quietly leaning on Jorge Soler more than fans might realize
When Perry Minasian traded for Jorge Soler On October 31, 2024, it regarded like a stroke of genius from the Los Angeles Angels’ normal supervisor. The Angels’ DH spot had been a rotating cast of disappointments throughout the 2024 seasonwhereas Soler had established himself as a constant slugger, he was on an reasonably priced contract, and solely value Griffin Canning, whose days with the Halos had been numbered anyway.
Unfortunately, Soler proved to be a Halloween trick moderately than a deal with in 2025. After getting off to a chilly begin, Soler was pressured into the outfield every single day and that led to a few totally different accidents, a lot of missed time, and Soler posting a .215/.293/.387 line.
Now, Trout will be back in center fieldand that may bump Soler to DH, the place he’s most comfy. That might be an enormous enhance for the Angels’ lineup.
Jorge Soler’s return to DH may elevate the Angels’ lineup in 2026
Soler is not a star, however for many of his profession, he has been a stable, three-true-outcomes kind of slugger. He will not wow you along with his batting common, as his profession .241 mark signifies, however he sometimes attracts walks and hits dingers.
Getting on base through the stroll is one thing the feast-or-famine Los Angeles lineup was lacking final season. Angels’ hitters posted a collective .298 OBP, which was twenty eighth within the league. The membership’s 8.1% stroll fee ranked twenty first.
Last season marked Soler snapping a nine-year stretch of posting a stroll fee of 10% or higher. As he struggled, he whiffed more and noticed his walks lower to eight.9%. For his profession, he owns a ten.6% stroll fee, and he has been even higher drawing free passes later in his profession, posting three seasons with a mark over 11% within the four-year span between 2021 and 2024.
As for energy, whereas Soler has a 48-homer season on his résumé, that got here within the juiced-ball 2019 marketing campaign. The 34-year-old additionally clubbed 36 taters in 2023 and had been a constant menace to hit a minimum of 20-25 homers a yr.
The large query might be, can he stay healthy? Moving again to DH saves the Halos from his defensive ineptitude within the outfield, but additionally serves to get him off his toes and hopefully forestall his balky again from appearing up.
The soiled little secret is that the Angels desperately want Soler to revert to their classic type. Losing Taylor Ward hurts the lineup more than most want to admit, but when Soler is again posting roughly 120 wRC+ seasons by hitting for energy and drawing walks to maintain the baton shifting, the unit might be deeper and more threatening.
It’s all the time robust to inform as soon as non-star gamers attain their mid-30s if they will enter a free-fall, however with Soler’s unlucky accidents final season, there’s a greater than common probability that his 2025 scuffles are nothing a clear invoice of well being cannot treatment. At least, that is what the Angels will hope proves to be true in 2026.
