The vibe around the Los Angeles Angels clubhouse has appeared different in 2025 from the outside looking in. Last season, the Angels had their young core of players, but they were surrounded by disjointed veterans hoping to prove they still belonged in the Majors. But the additions of bona fide vets like Kenley Jansen, Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud have helped shift the narrative.
The 2025 Angels, while still hovering around .500 in the early part of the season, appear to love playing together. And the off-field stories from Jansen and the young players seem to back that up.
Outfielder Jo Adell — fresh off of a series-winning walk-off against the San Francisco Giants — credited Jansen for the changed energy in the clubhouse, as well as a group chat that includes the entirety of the active roster, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“It’s awesome,” Jo Adell said. “Just being part of the group messages and the team dinners. Just that communication, that constant support and brotherhood. You want everybody to feel like they’re a part of it, and they are. We’re definitely going to more group dinners than we have in the past. When Kenley got over here, he brought that up as being important and he’s been a part of a championship team.”
Jansen gave his take on why he wanted to form a bond with his new Angels teammates right away and what that can do for a clubhouse over the course of a long season.
“You have to understand the importance of trust in each other,” Jansen said. “You have to set the tone off the field and bring it to the field. I’m a big believer in that. That’s how you win a majority of your games. It’s not about the individual.”
“It’s a very enjoyable group,” Jansen said. “It’s fun coming here, working with my teammates. Everybody’s willingness to work and learn together every day. And we try to have respect and we’re bonding. It’s the first tone we set in Spring Training to make sure we would bond together.”
The Angels went into the offseason with a plan to turn their franchise-worst 63-99 team into a postseason contender. The jury is still out on whether they did enough to be successful in that mission, but at the very least, their 2025 club is already in a better place than the last few seasons.
Angels open three-game set vs. Pirates
The Angels (11-10) continue their homestand with three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates (8-15). Pittsburgh is coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, but still have some intrigue being led by the powerful O’Neil Cruz and an elite 1-2 starting pitcher duo in Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller.
The dates, times and pitching matchups for the home series are listed below:
Game 1: Tuesday, April 22, 6:38 p.m. PT
Jose Soriano vs. Bailey Falter
Game 2: Wednesday, April 23, 6:38 p.m. PT
Jack Kochanowicz vs. Andrew Heaney
Game 3: Thursday, April 24, 6:29 p.m. PT
Tyler Anderson vs. Carmen Mlodzinski
