Los Angeles Angels Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Breakouts, and Comeback Players
If the Angels' offense can stay healthy in 2025, there will be some exciting days for it. Mike Trout's health is a must, while their sleeper and breakout players deliver on expectations.
Deep Sleeper: Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
Based on Detmers' struggles with the Angels (6.70 ERA, 1.557 WHIP, and 109 strikeouts over 87.1 innings) and at AAA (5.77 ERA, 1.397 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts over 78.0 innings), the fantasy market should cross him off their cheat sheets. His 210 strikeouts over 165.1 innings showcase his elite potential, but 36 home runs allowed was a significant obstacle to overcome.
Over his first four appearances this spring, Detmers allowed three runs and 12 baserunners over 11.2 innings while striking out eight batters. His arm wasn't far off from helping fantasy teams in the majors in 2022 and 2023 (11-16 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, and 290 strikeouts over 277.2 innings). He is the right kind of starting pitching gamble as his price point is free, and his ceiling is impactful with better command.
Deep Sleeper: Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels
Schanuel made the jump to the majors from college with only 74 at-bats of minor league experience. His approach should continue to improve, and Los Angeles will hit him high in their batting order. With a push to a .280 batting average with 80 runs, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases, he would have the foundation to be a top 60 fantasy hitter with no sexy stats.
I prefer to start him at DH than at the corner infield position. Schanuel should outperform his ADP by a wide margin, but he does need to get stronger to add more pop to his swing.
Sleeper: Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles should give Adell plenty of at-bats this year, and he did show growth as a player last year. His ability to hit home runs and steal bases helps his floor. Before last season (.301 CTBA), Adell had a much higher contact batting average (.343) with the Angels, suggesting a push closer to a .250 batting average if he can shave off a few more strikeouts.
Adell turns 26 in early April, putting him on a path for a 75/25/70/15 season with 500+ at-bats. He falls into the dirty power category.
Comeback Player: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Over the past four seasons, Trout missed 389 games with multiple injuries. He hit .276 with 179 runs, 76 home runs, 156 RBIs, and 11 steals over his last 972 at-bats, translating to 101 runs, 43 home runs, and 88 RBIs with 550 at-bats.
It’s been five seasons since Trout had 600 plate appearances and winning stats. He checks the home run box in a big way while falling into the risk/reward category. At this point, a full-time DH role could revive his career, at least in the health department. A fantasy drafter can’t predict when an injury will happen, so tee him up and hope for at least four healthy months before missing time.
Breakout: Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
A year removed from shoulder surgery and another season of experience bodes well for O’Hoppe in 2025. The Angels ranked 25th in runs (623) last season. His RBI chances should improve dramatically if he can hit behind Mike Trout. When adding his underlying speed, O’Hoppe looks poised to outperform his ADP (124.9) by a wide margin this year.
Giddy up, as his name should have a circle around it on draft day. He has 30 home run potential, and double-digit steals are well within reach. I’m ranking him fourth at catcher in 2025, and O’Hoppe has the tools to finish at the top of his position if he gets his strikeouts under control for an entire season.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.