Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto and right-hander José Soriano have been predicted to be the team's MVP and Cy Young for the 2026 season.
The Los Angeles Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, the longest active streak in Major League Baseball, and haven’t won a postseason game since 2009.
It’s been a long stretch of pain and suffering for Angels fans despite having two of the greatest players the sport has ever seen at the same time. It still blows my mind that a team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on its roster couldn’t even make it into the playoffs.
Ohtani has found great success with the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers over the past few years while Trout has been battling injuries and just trying to stay on the field. Fortunately, Trout played 130 games last season and appears to be healthy in spring training, even running with a sprint speed of nearly 30 feet per second this month.
Trout could be back to elite status if he stays healthy and the Angels absolutely need that from its franchise star to even have a slim chance of sneaking into the postseason. The Halos also need another great season from shortstop Zach Neto, who has amassed back-to-back 5.1 WAR seasons.
Neto, 25, had 56 extra-base hits a season ago including 26 home runs (career-high) and 29 doubles to go with 62 RBI (15 less than his 2024 total) and 26 stolen bases while slashing .257/.319/.474 (.793 OPS) in 128 games.
Neto commented on wanting to shift everyone’s narrative regarding the Angels ahead of Opening Day.
“I think we're right there,” Neto said. “We all know what it takes now to get to that next level, to get to playing in October. It's just a matter of trusting each other, staying and just going out there and competing. Knowing that everybody thinks we're going to lose every single game and proving people wrong.”
Knowing that people think playing your team is an automatic win certainly will light a fire under players, and it seems like the locker room is taking exception to that. Hearing the team’s Most Valuable Player over the past two seasons speak up about that is nice to hear, and he is predicted to be the team’s MVP yet again, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.
“But Neto looks primed for an even bigger year with better health as a strong defender with power and speed,” Bollinger wrote Tuesday. “He’s a strong candidate to join the 30-30 club and is aiming to be an All-Star for the first time. The Angels would love to see Trout have a vintage year but Neto is likely the safer bet.”
Bollinger also predicted the team’s Cy Young winner this season and gave the nod to Opening Day starter José Soriano.
He notes that the right-hander has the stuff to be the guy but is inconsistent. Soriano was 10-11 with a 4.26 ERA over 31 starts last season.
“If he can cut down on his walk rate and avoid clunkers, he could be an All-Star for the first time. He gave up three earned runs or fewer in 23 of his 32 starts last year, but he also allowed eight runs twice, seven runs twice and five runs four times.”
Soriano doesn’t give up homers but is prone to allowing walks. Still, he figures to be a solid arm for the Halos and the organization will be relying on him at the top of the rotation.