gold star for USAHOF

Erick Aybar is another name on the list of infielders from the Dominican Republic who had a long career in the Majors.  

Signed in 2002, Aybar made it to the Los Angeles Angels four years later.  Aybar was not a regular player until 2009, but his defensive versatility was on full display well before that.  While Aybar only batted over .300 once (.312 in 2009), he overall batted a respectable .271 with 1,223 Hits as an Angel.  Aybar was an All-Star in 2014, and he had seven consecutive years with at least double-digits in Stolen Bases.  

Has his OBP been better than .315 or had a little more power, Aybar likely would have been five spots higher.

The Colorado Rockies drafted Chone Figgins, but before he made it to the Majors, he was traded to the Angels, which worked to his benefit.

Figgins made it to the bigs in 2002, playing a small role in the Angels' World Series Championship. Playing mainly at Third, Figgins was a regular starter in 2004, and through the rest of the decade, he was one of the top base-stealers in Baseball.  Figgins swiped at least 30 bases annually from 2004 to 2009 for the Angels, including a league-leading 62 in 2005.  He did not bring much power but did spray the ball often, collecting 1,045 Hits for the Halos, and was the league leader in Walks in 2009.  Figgins was an All-Star that year, the only time he would be, which was his final season in Los Angeles, as he left for Seattle as a Free Agent at season's end.

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.

One of the most tenured players in Angels history, Garret Anderson suited up for the franchise in 2,013 Games, which at present is a franchise record.

Anderson first appeared with the Halos in 1994, four years after he was drafted.  Following that brief call-up, Anderson settled in at Leftfield, where he was one of the better and consistent offensive players at his position for the next ten years.   His peak coincided with the Angels march to the World Series, which they won in 2002, with Anderson going to his first of three All-Star Games that year.  He was also a Silver Slugger in 2002 and was fourth in MVP voting with 29 Home Runs, 123 RBIs, and a league-leading 56 Doubles.

From 2000 to 2003, Anderson had at least 28 Home Runs and 116 RBIs, with the last three years of that streak seeing a Batting Average over .300.  Anderson played with Los Angeles until he signed with Atlanta as a Free Agent, and he accumulated 1,024 Runs, 1,292 RBIs, and 2,368 Hits, all of which are first all-time for the team.  Anderson also hammered 272 Home Runs for the squad.

Had Anderson been more patient at the plate (.327 OBP) and not had some poor defensive years, he would have been ranked a few spots higher.  Anderson might not have been a superstar, but they never had to think about the Leftfield spot for over a decade, which is a luxury for any Major League club.  

The Angels inducted Anderson into their Hall of Fame in 2016.

In 1995, the California Angels made the number one pick Darin Erstad, a former Golden Spikes Finalist from Nebraska.  Erstad debuted for the Angels the following season, and he was arguably the first building block that would see the team win it all in 2002.

Erstad would twice to go the All-Star Game (1998 & 2000), and in his latter All-Star year, the Outfielder had career highs in Batting Average (.355), Home Runs (25), RBIs (100), and led the American League in Hits (240).  Erstad was a crucial part of Anaheim's 2002 World Series Championship, a three-time Gold Glove winner, collecting 25 Hits in that post-season.

Erstad remained with the Angels until 2007, and he had 1,505 Hits for the team with 114 Home Runs and 170 Stolen Bases.

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.  

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.

If you were a fan of the Montreal Expos in the 90s and early 00s, you knew that if you had a star, they would eventually leave for greener pastures because your team could not afford to keep them.  Such was the case for Vladimir Guerrero, who, after four All-Star appearances and 234 Home Runs as an Expo, joined the Halos in 2004.  

You could say (and we are) that Guerrero saved his best performance for his debut campaign with the Angels.  Guerrero captured the MVP on the strength of 39 Home Runs, 126 RBI, .337/.391/.598 performance and it ushered in a new four-year streak of All-Star Games.  During that run, "Vlad the Impaler" never had led that 27 Home Runs, 108 RBIs, and a .317 Batting Average, and he was without a doubt one of the top offensive players in baseball.

Guerrero played with the Angels until 2009, signing with Texas and departing SoCal with 173 Home Runs and a Slash Line of .319/.381/.546.  The Angels inducted Guerrero into their Hall of Fame in 2017.

Winning both the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy at Long Beach State in 2004, Jered Weaver was the 12th Overall Pick in that year's Amateur Draft, debuting two years for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the team that took him.  High expectations were on Weaver, and he did well, warning his spot in the rotation and finishing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.  

Weaver’s best seasons were between 2010 and 2012, where he went to three straight All-Star Games.  Leading the AL in Strikeouts (233) in 2010, Weaver had fewer Ks in 2011, but his ERA dropped to 2.41, and his WHIP was stellar at 1.010.  Weaver, who was fifth in Cy Young voting in 2010, was second in 2011 and would be third in 2012 where he was first in the league in Wins (20), WHIP (1.018), and H/9 (7.0).  

Weaver was still a good Pitcher, leading the AL in Wins in 2014 (18), but he slumped in 2015, with a bloated ERA of 4.64, which got worse in 2016 (5.05).  He joined San Diego as a Free Agent in 2017 but only pitched nine Games before retiring.

The overall Angels record of Weaver is a good one; 150-93 with 1,596 Strikeouts.  

80. Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon was a rotund individual, but pound for pound he was one of the most charismatic players in baseball, and doesn’t that say something?