2025 Los Angeles Angels

2025 Los Angeles Angels / Franchise: Los Angeles Angels / BR Team Page

Record: 72-90, Finished 5th in AL West Division (2025 AL)

Managed by Ron Washington (40-40) and Ray Montgomery (32-50)

Coaches: Barry Enright, Ryan Goins, Steve Karsay, Tim Laker, Ray Montgomery, Jerry Narron, Jayson Nix, Bo Porter, Johnny Washington and Eric Young

Ballpark: Angel Stadium

Season Highlights

The 2025 Los Angeles Angels were coming off a season in which they had set a franchise record for losses with 99 in 2024, and it's fair to say no one expected much of them. The question was whether they would be able to stay out of last place in the AL West, with their principal rivals being the wandering Athletics, playing their first season in their temporary home of West Sacramento, CA.

The team's main addition over the off-season was P Yusei Kikuchi, signed as a free agent following a good season split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. He was given the ball as the Opening Day starter on March 27th and was promptly charged with an 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, coming off their own worst season in franchise history. Other additions to the team were all 30+ players whose best years were behind them: SP Kyle Hendricks (35); SS Tim Anderson (32); C Travis d'Arnaud (36); and RP Kenley Jansen (37). At 30, IF Yoan Moncada, who had never lived up to expectations in his years with the White Sox, looked like a spring chicken (for the record, Kikuchi was 34). There was some youth among the regulars, though, with C Logan O'Hoppe, 1B Nolan Schanuel and SS Zach Neto all under 25. The Angels did manage to win two of three in their opening series against Chicago, but scored only 5 runs in the process, as they couldn't figure out the White Sox's unheralded starting pitchers. But they continued to win after that, and unexpectedly found themselves with a 7-3 record and tied for first place after ten games. That did not last, as they were 12-17 at the end of April and in a familiar last place spot in their division.

The Angels hit a low point on May 9th, when their record bottomed out at 15-22 and they were already 7 games out of first place. Kikuchi was 0-4 at that point and RF Mike Trout, who was theoretically their best player, was back in his familiar spot on the injured list after hitting 9 homers in just 29 games - but batting just .179. Things looked bleak to say the least, but the Angels surprisingly began to play better, winning 2 of their next 5 games before starting an eight-game winning streak. When Kikuchi earned his first win of the year with a strong performance against the Miami Marlins on May 23rd, the Angels were suddenly at .500, with a 25-25 record after 50 games. In that game, LF Taylor Ward recorded an extra-base hit in his 9th straight game, matching a franchise record set by Darin Erstad in 1998; his 15 homers and 36 RBIs led the team, but Neto, O'Hoppe, Schanuel and Moncada all also sported an OPS+ above 120.

On June 2nd, they accomplished which had surprisingly never been done in the 113-year history of Fenway Park, as they became the first visiting team there to homer three times in the 1st inning. Neto led off the game with a homer off Richard Fitts, then after scoring a second run, Trout, who was red hot after coming off the injured list a few days earlier, unfurled a 450-foot three-run homer, before Jo Adell completed the inning with a solo blast for a 6-0 lead. They needed all of those runs, and a second solo homer by Adell, as they hung on for a 7-6 win over the Boston Red Sox. The Angels had not homered three times in the 1st inning of a game since 2016. On June 27th, GM Perry Minasian told reporters that manager Ron Washington would have to step away from his duties for the remainder of the season, due to an unspecified medical condition; he had already been away from the dugout for the previous four days, but was still with the team. The Angels were 40-40 and in third place at the time, and bench coach Ray Montgomery took over as interim manager, with coach Ryan Goins taking over as bench coach.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Yusei Kikuchi

Further Reading

• Rhett Bollinger: "Halos win 8th straight, set records -- but their eyes are on more", mlb.com, May 24, 2025. [1]
• Rhett Bollinger: "A Fenway first?! Neto, Trout, Adell make history with 1st-inning HRs", mlb.com, June 2, 2025. [2]
• Rhett Bollinger: "Ron Washington to remain on medical leave through end of season: Wash 'in good spirits,' Ray Montgomery named interim manager", mlb.com, June 27, 2025. [3]

2025 MLB season by team