Stay the course with Ron W

There’s a lot to be said for consistency. And then, there’s the Los Angeles Angels.

If you define “success” as winning more games than losing them, the Angels have not been successful since 2015.  Or to put it another way, the Halos have been consistent losers.

If you’re a “consistent” follower of the team, you know that the Angels usually burst out of the gate fine, rolling along above .500 – and contend for a playoff spot – right through April, May and June and then hit the proverbial wall.

What’s new about 2024 is that they started off slow and then picked up speed in June. It may seem like a long time ago, but the Angels won six games in a row June 24-29 and crept to within  half-game of third place in the American League West.

Now, third place may not be a lofty ambition, but for them, that would have been like winning the Tour de France.

The newcomers such as Logan O’Hoppe and Kevin Pillar and Tyler Anderson were playing well, and four -time American League MVP Mike Trout was just about to climb off the injured reserve list when … they lost seven of eight games and settled into their comfortable annual mid-summer collapse.

In a few weeks – if not sooner – pundits and impatient fans will start calling for the most obvious – but least rational – “solution” and demand field manager Ron Washington’s head.

Such voices disregard that if the Halos’ last season couldn’t win with two of the top players in baseball – Trout and Shohei Ohtani – on the field, how much better could they expect to do without them?

The Angels have some young talent that is still ripening. And they have some “old” talent in Washington, a tough taskmaster who can eventually put more Ws in the scorebook than  Ls.  

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be “Anaheim.” Save the hook for another time. This story has at least one more season to run.

If we’re willing to be a little more “consistent” about who’s at the helm.