In this century alone, the title “Hope Is Not a Plan” has been used for at least three different publications, including one on coping with middle age, one on business management, and one on the Iraq Wаr. Wait a few months and you’ll see if there isn’t space for a baseball one, too. The 2023 Los Angeles Angels still have some time left in their movie

. The historically problematic club’s season continued this past weekend with more of the same. Another risky decision taken by the Angels in pursuit of a victory was the promotion of first-round pick Nolan Schanuel. Yes, Nolan Schanuel, this year’s first-round choice who, as of July, has made fewer than 100 plate appearances in the minors. (He appeared in 16 games in Double-A and a grand total of five games at the lower levels.) In a time when player development schedules are meticulously planned, that’s a bold, revolutionary move. It’s so optimistic that it verges on the fantastical. If your franchise is ambitious, optimistic, or just plain stupiԀ, you might consider this a step in the right direction. Make up your own mind as to which definition fits the Angels the best.

On Friday, Schanuel first took the stage. The following weekend was a great way to get to know the team: they dropped two of three to the Rays, including a disastrоus meltdown in extra innings and a demoralizing boat race, and their playoff odds went from a figure rounding up to 1% to a figure rounding down to 0%, according to FanGraphs. Perhaps the difference between one and zero doesn’t seem like much. But under the correct conditions, with a sufficiently expansive view of mathematics, it can be endless. What about in this light? Even if this isn’t Һell, it sure seems like purgatory, and the Angels have had a terrible time of it thus far. No reasonable grounds exist for optimism. But for weeks, hope has been their only fuel.

Any consideration of this past weekend needs to take into account a number of qualifications. One of the strongest teams in the American League, the Rays are a tough opponent. It’s not particularly damaging to lose a series to them. (Even if one of those defeats is a blowout by 14 runs.) It’s not common to promote a player only a few weeks after he was drafted, but Schanuel, at age 21, was already rather far along in his development when he was sent down to the minors. He is as good a candidate as any for this procedure.

To rephrase, things may be less dreadful and more reasonable here than they first appear. It’s possible! The situation isn’t as Ԁire as it seems, but the crew has a terrible tendency of getting themselves into ridiculously difficult predicaments. What better way to summarize the Angels’ general course? Check out their deadline policy first. They made a big splash by signing one of the best available rental pitchers, Lucas Giolito, but they are currently on the very outside of the playoff picture. The action was risky, ambitious, and perhaps even naive, but it wasn’t necessarily terrible. There were many warning flags that suggested this would not end in a playoff berth. There was little reason to doubt that Giolito would not improve the team, if not significantly so. Even so! While with the White Sox, Giolito posted a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts this season, his ERA with the Angels was 8.14 in four appearances. (Contrast this with what happened to another White Sox pitcher dealt at the deadline, Lance Lynn, who was acquired by the crosstown Dodgers and has since engineered a remarkable turnaround with the support of his new teammates on the Dodgers’ staff.) The Angels took a blatant step to improve their team. It backfired spectacularly, seemingly against all odds. Which, more or less, sums up the franchise’s recent past. Bad choices have been made left and right, from questionable purchases to hurried prospects to an inability to cultivate a pitching staff. The Angels have never had a reputation for brilliance.

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