Top 50 Los Angeles Angels
In 1951, Los Angeles had no Major League Baseball teams.
In 1961, they had two.
The Los Angeles Angels came into existence in 1961 as an expansion team, and while they were (and are) still secondary to the Dodgers, the constant name changes didn't help. They went from the Los Angeles Angels (1961-65) to the California Angels (1965-96), Anaheim Angels (1997-2004), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005-15), and back to the Los Angeles Angels.
The team did not go to their first postseason until 1979, and in 2002, they won their first Pennant, which is, to date, the only one they have captured. They made the most of their lone World Series appearance, winning it all.
This list is up to the end of the 2023 season.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and postseason accolades.
Signed as an Amateur Free Agent from the Dominican Republic in 2000, Ervin Santana had an inconsistent career with the Angels, always seeming to flirt with greatness or appear close to it. Santana made the Angels’ regular rotation in 2005, throwing for a 12-8 record and an ERA of 4.65. His sophomore campaign was better, increasing his Wins to 16 with a reduced ERA of 4.28, but 2007 was a mess where his ERA flirted with six, and he was demoted at one point to AAA. The righthander came back in 2008, winning 16 Games with his first ERA season under 3.50…
Don Baylor might be more recognized as a Coach and Manager, but this was one hell of a baseball player who had a lot of pop in his bat. Baylor began his career with Baltimore in 1970, and after being traded to Oakland in 1975, he signed his first Free Agent deal a year later with the California Angels. After tying his previous high 25 Home Runs in his first year in California, he broke it with 34 in 1978 and 36 in 1979. That campaign was Baylor's best, seeing him lead the American League in Runs Scored (120), RBIs (139), and…
A 2010 Draft Pick, Kole Calhoun first made the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, becoming a starter at baseball’s highest level in 2014 at Rightfield. In his first full season, Calhoun batted .272 with 17 Home Runs, and he followed that with back-to-back 161 Hit Years, which again had at least double-digit power numbers. Winning a Gold Glove in 2015, Calhoun kept his power numbers respectable, though he never matched his .272 Batting Average in 2014. In 2019, which would be his last year as an Angel (he signed with Arizona after), he smashed 33 Home Runs. With the…
Fred Lynn was one of the most popular players in the 1970s and was in rarified air as a player who won the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. After seven years in Massachusetts, Lynn was traded to the California Angels, who thought he might be a player to help them reach the top. Lynn had a poor start in California, as though he was voted into the All-Star Game, his numbers in the strike-shortened 1981 Season (5 HR, 31 RBI .219/.322/.316) were not good. Lynn was voted to the following two All-Star Games, but he was a…
One of the few Canadian Pitchers who had a long career in Major League Baseball, Kirk McCaskill, played the first seven of his 12 years with California. McCaskill was a starter for the duration of his Angels run, where he twice posted seasons where he won at least 15 Games. McCaskill made the top ten in ERA in three different years, peaking with a fifth-place finish in 1989 with 2.93. He left the Angels for the White Sox in 1992 and would have a 78-74 record in California.
Bobby Knoop was your prototypical weak-hitting but defensively skilled infielder from the 1960s. Playing at Second Base, Knoop first made the Angels roster in 1964, and along with Shortstop, Jim Fregosi, would become one of the top double-play combinations in the American League. Knoop won three straight Gold Gloves (1966-68) and led the AL Second Basemen in Total Zone Runs four times. Knoop was not a heavy hitter, but he was an All-Star in 1966 when he led the AL in Triples (11) and had a career-high 17 Home Runs. He left California early in 1969 when he was traded to the…
Chili Davis signed with California after seven years in San Francisco, and his first foray into the American League showed similar power numbers to what he had shown before. Beginning his Angels career in 1988, Davis had at least 20 Home Runs and 90 RBIs in his first two seasons, progressively moving from the Outfield to Designated Hitter as his skills with the glove eroded. He joined the Twins as a Free Agent in 1991, winning a World Series there, and he returned the Angels in 1993, this time primarily as a DH. Davis was an All-Star in 1994, and in all…
Clyde Wright made his Major League debut with the California Angels in 1966, and his first four seasons saw him bounce back and forth from starting to relieving. It was not until 1970 where Wright had a breakout year, specifically as a Starter. Wright’s 1970 Season saw him put forth a phenomenal record of 22-13 with a 2.83 ERA. He was an All-Star that year with a sixth-place finish in Cy Young voting. Wright was unable to secure any more Cy Young votes, but the southpaw had two more years where he had a sub 3.00 ERA and at least 16 Wins. After a…
It felt to Blue Jays fans that waited years for Kelvim Escobar to become the high-caliber Starting Pitcher that they expected. It eventually happened, but it was an Angel. Escobar joined the Angels as a Free Agent after the 2003 Season, and although his first year with the Halos saw him post a record of 11-12, his 3.93 ERA was good enough for tenth in the AL, and he was third in SO/9 with a career-high of 8.251. Escobar was injured for most of the 2005 Season, but he had another productive year (11-14 and 3.60 ERA) and had his best season…
Scot Shields played his entire Major League career with the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, a job that spanned 491 Games, an incredible number for a Pitcher drafted in the 38th Round. Shields made his first appearance in 2001, and he would find a role with the Majors in middle relief. A member of the 2002 World Series Championship Team, Shields had five straight seasons where he made at least 60 Games (2004-08), with the three middle exceeding 70. Over his career, Shields accumulated 21 Saves and had 114 Games Finished.
The first six years of Gary Pettis' MLB career were with the California Angels, where he showed exactly what he was; a speedy and defensively skilled Outfielder who had zero pop in his bat. Pettis debuted for the Angels in 1982, and two years later, he was their starter at Centerfield. From 1984 to 1986, Pettis was perennially second in Stolen Bases, swiping 145 bases in that period. He used that speed expertly with his glove, and he won two Gold Gloves, was the American League leader in Total Zone Runs in 1986 (22), and rarely made any errors. Pettis was traded…
David Eckstein was a throwaway pick in the 1997 Draft, taken in the 19th Round by the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox placed him on waivers in 2000, and the Angels took a chance on the Shortstop, and it would be one of the organization's best decisions ever made. At age 26, Eckstein made the Angels out of Spring Training, and he had a solid rookie year, batting .285 with 166 Hits with a fourth place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. The Angels fans loved him, and how could you not like a 5’ 6” dynamo who did whatever he…