Angels are looking forward to being a better team in the second half

Mike Scioscia has managed the Angels for an unthinkably lengthy period: 17 seasons. The New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick two months after the Angels hired Scioscia. Only one active American professional sports coach, the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich, has been in charge longer.

In all that time, Scioscia has managed a 100-win team, and he has managed a 75-win team, but he has never managed a team that has fallen this far out of the race by this early in the season — the All-Star break. As play resumes Friday, the 37-52 Angels sit 16 1/2 games behind the American League West lead, 13 games back of the second AL wild-card slot. They are on pace to lose 95 times, or eight more times than any of the 16 previous iterations of Scioscia-managed ballclubs.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Scioscia said. “But we all feel that we’re going to be improving and be a better team, and that’s what we’re going to look forward to.”

Scioscia addressed reporters Thursday at Angel Stadium, before 10 of his players participated in an optional workout. He spent most of the break’s first two days sitting by the water, staring at the horizon, accumulating a tan. And then he returned to baseball, his approach unchanged, his gaze the same.

Asked Thursday at what point in the forthcoming second half his focus would turn to the 2017 season, Scioscia pushed back.

“I don’t think at any day,” he said. “We’ll worry about 2017 when we’re finished with 2016. We’re out here to win games. When do I think about 2017? Never.”

To win 90 games, a general marker for a playoff-caliber team, the Angels would have to immediately begin the best 73-game stretch in their franchise’s history. It is effectively impossible. Instead, it would appear rational to soon extend the spotlight squarely onto the future.

But, Scioscia said, that is solely the responsibility of General Manager Billy Eppler, who, with his moves before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, will dictate which players the manager can choose among down the stretch. If Eppler makes trades, as he is expected to, some of Scioscia’s options will be younger players currently in the minor leagues. That’s an uninspiring idea to many, as the Angels’ farm system is the consensus worst in the sport.

“I think the prevailing train of thought is that our system is barren of anybody who can play in the big leagues, and that’s absolutely not true,” Scioscia said Thursday. “I think we have some guys down there that are really interesting and progressing. As far as what happens with the configuration of this roster, that’s what Billy has to sort through.”

Who are the interesting, progressing prospects?

“I’m not going to name names,” Scioscia said.

The names other talent evaluators across baseball are interested in are easier to discern: starting pitchers Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker, relievers Joe Smith and Huston Street, third baseman Yunel Escobar, and catcher Geovany Soto.

Shoemaker is the most valuable of that group. He’s also the one the Angels would most like to keep.

On Thursday, Scioscia set his starting rotation for the second half’s start, beginning with this weekend’s series against the Chicago White Sox. Santiago will start Friday, Shoemaker on Saturday, and Jered Weaver on Sunday. Nick Tropeano starts Monday against Texas and Tim Lincecum on Tuesday before the rotation resets.

Left-hander Tyler Skaggs started for triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday and could join the group before month’s end, with Scioscia saying he has “made great strides” in his return from Tommy John surgery. Lincecum seems the most likely of the five to be replaced. Scioscia has said he does not have a guaranteed spot for the rest of the season.

If the Angels are to even approach .500 for the season, they will need to pitch far better. The offense has performed greater than the major league average, and better than many expected. Mike Trout remains the sport’s best player, Kole Calhoun remains a worthy complement, and Albert Pujols has hit for power, if nothing else. But the pitching has been, by some measures, the worst in baseball.

“As a pitching staff, I think we’ll have a better second half,” Street said. “We should. It’s pretty hard to be worse.”

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura