Jo Adell's defensive heroics and Soriano's dominant pitching fuel the Los Angeles Angels' surprising start, pushing them up the latest MLB power rankings.
The Los Angeles Angels have gotten off to a surprising 5-5 start going into the series against the Atlanta Braves.
The Angels just took two out of three games in California against the Seattle Mariners, and one of them included a sensational, once-in-a-lifetime three-home run robbery outing from outfielder Jo Adell in the 1-0 win on Saturday.
The Angels are slowly moving up the power rankings, and Matt Snyder of CBS Sports had them at No. 19 after being at No. 20 a week ago.
Snyder said to go watch Adell's highlights, and we covered that here.
"If you haven't seen the footage from Jo Adell's game on Saturday night ... first of all, I'm talking about defense and not home runs! Secondly, go find it. Incredible stuff," Snyder wrote.
The Angels are just two spots behind the Texas Rangers in these power rankings, and it's been a pleasant surprise early on in Anaheim.
Positives: Jose Soriano
The biggest positive so far is starting pitcher Jose Soriano. He went 10-11 with a 4.26 ERA in 2025, but he has a 2-0 record with 12 shutout innings through two starts this season prior to the game on Monday night against the Atlanta Braves.
Negatives: Mike Trout Injury Scare
Angels star Mike Trout was hit on the hand by a pitch against the Mariners, and he ended up leaving the game early.
Trout was also hit by a pitch earlier in this series, so there was a sense of frustration by the Angels.
The good news is that the x-rays on Trout's hand were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day for now.
However, Trout was frustrated by the events, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
“We know where they're trying to get me out, fastballs up and in … if you can't control it up there, you shouldn't do it.
What's Next For The Angels
Looking ahead, the Angels face the Braves in Anaheim in a three-game series beginning on Monday.
After that, they have a day off on Thursday before starting a seven-game road trip. It begins with a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday and then a four-game series in the Bronx against the New York Yankees, so the Angels have a tough stretch ahead of them.
If the Angels can at least finish the week .500 again, they could move up more in the next batch of power rankings.