I think that much of the hate Dipoto gets from Angels fans now is partially attributed to the way he left the organization in the middle of the season. Compounded by the many poor decisions he made during his tenure; Baldoquin, Clevinger, Hamilton, Wilson etc...He was also a very charismatic guy, so when he showed his true colors it made it that much worse.
Under Eppler, the long term health of the team is looking astronomically better than it was under Dipoto. Granted the current state hasn't been what we all have hopped for. However, I think when grading Eppler's current performance, the numerous pitching injuries sustained in the last 3 years need to be considered. The team most likely would have still missed the playoffs 2 of the 3 years that Eppler has been here, but we had a pretty decent chance of making the WC in 2017 had it not been for all the SP injuries and Trout's thumb injury. It has also been said that Eppler "made Ohtani happen" and that he "crushed the presentation". It is quite possible that Ohtani would have landed somewhere else had Dipoto presented for us. The fact only, that he was instrumental in acquiring Ohtani is a huge vote of confidence that we have the right guy in charge.
So while I think there is a bit of homerism in the love for Eppler, it seems clear that he has done a remarkable job and I think the true fruits of his efforts will be realized in the years to come.