Rivalry Review: Ranking the AL West Lineups Heading Into the 2023 Season

Division Series - Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners - Game Three
Division Series - Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners - Game Three / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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Mike Trout
Los Angeles Angels v Oakland Athletics / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

3) Los Angeles Angels

Projected lineup:

1) LF Taylor Ward
2) CF Mike Trout
3) DH Shohei Ohtani
4) 3B Anthony Rendon
5) RF Hunter Renfroe
6) 2B Brandon Drury
7) 1B Jared Waksh
8) Logan O'Hoppe
9) Luis Rengifo

Once again, the Angels enter a season with two of the best players in baseball. Mike Trout and Shoehi Ohtani are a 1-2 punch most teams would dream to have in the heart of the order. But once again, the Angels success this season will ride mostly on health.

How many games does Mike Trout play? Does Rendon stay healthy and regain form from 2019? Is Hunter Renfroe able to play a full season? What about Brandon Drury?

On paper, its a solid lineup that should have plenty of pop. If they don't miss a lot of games collectively, they could even climb to second on the list. But if they do miss time as they have been prone to do, they could even fall to fourth.

It's a team bolstered by Trout and Ohtani that also posseses multiple above average bats in the form of Renfroe and Ward. They should score a lot of runs. But they just don't have the depth of the two lineups ahead of them.