Angels' Reportedly Miniscule Scouting Department Struggles to Produce MLB Talent

Could this be a reason for the Halos' issues?

It wouldn't be far fetched to say that the Los Angeles Angels are one of the most disappointing franchises in MLB over the last decade plus. 

They've had 11 seasons of superstar center fielder Mike Trout and six seasons of iconic two-way player Shohei Ohtani in their ranks. 

One would think that that would lead to sustained playoff success, but the Angels have just one playoff appearance to show for Trout's career -- and the team hasn't been a serious postseason contender since Ohtani arrived in 2018.

That leads to the burning question of "why?" Why has a team with arguably one of the best duos in the history of baseball come up consistently short when it comes to results?

Some of the blame should be placed at the feet of Halos owner Arte Moreno and how he runs his franchise. 

According to a report from Sam Blum of The Athletic, the Angels have an alarmingly small scouting department. 

Per his report, the Angels' international scouting department consists of just 20 employees, compared to 42 for the New York Yankees and 35 for the San Francisco Giants. 

Having a staff that thin puts the Angels at a staggering disadvantage in comparison to their counterparts, as a former team employee explained to Blum. 

"The teams that do it well have a ton of scouts,” said the former Angels employee. “(Those teams) do a hell of a job. They just go sit on guys. They go every day, get 4-to-8 at-bats on a kid, and log it. And over time, you’ve got 200 at-bats on a prospect. And another team only has 20 at-bats. So you can make a much better decision.”

per

The Athletic's Sam Blum

That shortage has led to tangible results on the field. 

Just four of the team's international signings have logged more than one game on the active roster over the last three years, the quartet being Ohtani, Jaime Barria, Jose Suarez, and Oliver Ortega. 

The Angels play in the heart of one of the biggest media markets in the country, but the team is clearly not allocating resources like a franchise in a big market does. 

And their inability -- or unwillingness -- to do that, has had long term and potentially even longer lasting consequences.