Angels: Experts Think Two Halos Could Lead the MLB in Home Runs This Year

There are going to be a lot of long balls in Anaheim this season.

Opposing pitchers are not going to have a lot of fun pitching against the Angels this season. Between Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Taylor Ward, a healthy Anthony Rendon and the new acquisitions such as Hunter Renfroe and Brandon Drury, there is going to be a ton of slug in the Halos' lineup.

Almost any of those guys will have a chance to have a big year with the long ball, however, there are two Halos who experts think will lead the league in home runs — I'll give you a guess who they are.

Yes, it was in fact the team's two best players in Trout and Ohtani. In MLB.com's article about five potential home run leaders in the league, both Halos made the cut. Here's what Sarah Langs had to say about Trout:

"Last year, Trout hit 40 home runs in just 119 games, becoming just the fourth player to hit 40 while playing fewer than 120 games. He has three 40-homer seasons since 2015, tied for most in MLB during that span. He hits the ball hard and hits it in the air -- the two key components to hitting a home run. In the eight years of Statcast tracking, Trout's sweet-spot rate has been above MLB average in each season -- meaning he is consistently making line-drive and fly-ball contact. Check. His hard-hit rate has been above MLB average, too. Check again. In 2022, he had a 19.7% barrel rate, the highest he’s had under Statcast tracking. Barrels are batted balls with the ideal combination of launch angle and exit velocity, typically resulting in extra-base hits. To that point, 38 of Trout’s 40 homers were barreled.

"Above all, though, he’s Mike Trout. We know he can do it."

As for Ohtani, here's a piece of what Paul Casella had to say.

"Over the past two seasons, he’s hit eight home runs with an exit velocity of at least 115 mph, trailing only Giancarlo Stanton (13). Even Judge, who has 21 more homers overall, has only six such homers during that stretch. Ohtani’s home runs have also traveled an average of 412 feet, the third-longest distance among all players with at least 50 home runs in that span. Only C.J. Cron (423 feet), who played his home games at Coors Field, and Kyle Schwarber (413 feet) have averaged longer homers."

Trout and Ohtani are both among the projected favorites to lead the league in home runs, so it's no surprise they're on this last, as well. The most important thing for both of them will be staying healthy.