Dubbed "K-Rod," Francisco Rodriguez established himself as a top reliever when he was a rookie and barely one at that.  

Rodriguez was called up in September of 2002, and due to injuries, he was given a vital role in the Angels' postseason, where he had 11 appearances, won five Games, and had a sub 1.000 WHIP in all three of Anaheim’s series.  The Angels won the World Series, and it is hard to imagine this happening without Rodriguez.

Proving his performance was no fluke, Rodriguez was a set-up man in 2003 before moving to the closer's role in 2004.  K-Rod was an All-Star in 2004 and would lead the American League in Saves in both 2005 & 2006.   Rodriguez went back to the All-Star Game in 2007 and 2008, with the Venezuelan recording a then-record 62 Saves.  He won the 2006 and 2008 Rolaids Reliever of the Year, and he finished in the top four in Cy Young voting three times.  Rodriguez left the Halos after the 2008 Season for the New York Mets as a Free Agent.

As an Angel, Rodriguez compiled 208 Saves with a 2.35 ERA.  

Howie Kendrick was one of the most highly touted prospects in the early 2000s, and while it can be argued that he did not live up to the hype, it can’t be disputed that his long career is the envy of most who ever made it to the Majors.

The Angels nabbed Kendrick with their 2002 First Round Pick, and he made the roster in 2006, predominantly playing at Second.  Kendrick was not a defensive star, but he was versatile and often played at First or in Leftfield when needed. Offensively, Kendrick got into a groove, never batting lower than .279 in a season and showing moderate power with at least ten Home Runs three times.  Kendrick would also make the All-Star Game in 2011.

Kendrick was traded to the cross-town Dodgers in 2015 and would later win the World Series as a member of the Washington Nationals in 2019.  As an Angel, Kendrick collected 1,204 Hits with a Batting Average of .292.

Troy Glaus was the power man of the Angels in the early 2000s, and his role in their 2002 World Series win should be forever celebrated in Southern California.

After he was chosen Third Overall in the 1998 Amateur Draft, Glaus made the Angels and was the regular Third Baseman as a sophomore, where he belted 29 Home Runs.  Over the next few years, Glaus was the top power-hitting Third Baseman in the American League, winning the Home Run Title in 2000 (47) and posting an even 1.000 OPS.  In 2000 and 2001, Glaus was both an All-Star and Silver Slugger, and although he was neither in 2002, it had to be the highlight year for Glaus in baseball.

2002 saw Glaus have 30 Home Runs (his third straight achieving that mark), but his post-season was pure electricity.  Glaus hammered seven Home Runs in the playoffs, batting .300 in every series on route to the Angels' first World Series win.  He won the World Series MVP and the Babe Ruth Award that year.

Over the next two years, Glaus missed a plethora of games but was still executing good power when he was playing.  He left the Angels to sign with Arizona after the 2004 season, and he provided them with 182 Home Runs and the vital piece to their first title.

John Lackey’s Major League debut was in June of 2002 where he became a member of the Angels’ starting rotation.  The timing could not have been better for Lackey, who was about to become part of a World Series Championship team.  Lackey won a game in both the ALCS and World Series, and he entered 2003 as a permanent starter.  

The hurler was up and down but always showed flashes of greatness and could eat a lot of innings.   Lackey had his best season in baseball in 2007, where he went 19-9, led the American League in ERA (3.01) and ERA+ (150), and was third in Cy Young voting.  He had two more decent years with the Angels before he signed with Boston as a Free Agent.

Lackey won two more World Series Rings, 2013 with Boston and 2016 with the Cubs.  As an Angel, Lackey had 102 Wins against 71 Losses with 1,201 Strikeouts.