The Los Angeles Angels franchise started playing professional baseball in California in 1961 but they’ve done it under numerous monikers over the years. In 1965, the team officially changed its name to the “ California” Angels and played that way through the 1996 season. The team advanced to a number of American League Championship Series but couldn’t find a way to make it all the way to the World Series during that time. Starting in 1997, the team used the name “ Anaheim” Angels since that was where their home field was located. In 2002, the Angels made the postseason for the first time since the name change and eliminated the New York Yankees in the ALDS before disposing of the Minnesota Twins in the Championship Series. The Angels had gotten over the hump and made it to their first ever World Series but they had to go up against the Barry Bonds and their in-state rivals, the San Francisco Giants. The Giants opened up with a 4-3 victory in game one before the Angels fought back to win games two and three. The Giants returned the favor by winning games four and five and looked in control of game six. They had a 5-0 lead at one point and led 5-3 going to the bottom of the eighth before the Angels fought back and took a 6-5 lead. They held on to close out the game and send it to a dramatic game seven in front of a home crowd. The Giants took an early 1-0 lead but the Angels battled back to take a 4-1 lead in the third. The Angels managed to use their outstanding bullpen to their advantage and keep the Giants from mounting any serious comeback threat as they won their first ever World Series title.
This season, the Angels are the likely favorites to win the American League West again after doing the same last season. Vladimir Guerrero is one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball and even though he is arguably the worst free swinger in the league, he still manages to hit for a good average with a ton of power and avoids the strikeouts most power hitters are susceptible to. The loss of third baseman Troy Glaus to Arizona will likely hurt but it could also open up an everyday spot for Chone Figgins. Figgins was used primarily as a utility type player last season but certainly has the ability to play day in and day out. The team also made a free agent pickup by acquiring shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the World Champion Boston Red Sox. On the mound, the Angels will feature one of the top starting pitchers in the league when they send Bartolo Colon to the mound every fifth day. The team will also look to include pitchers John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, Paul Byrd, and Kelvim Escobar in their starting rotation. The bullpen depth will take a hit after closer Troy Percival left to sign with the Detroit Tigers but Francisco Rodriguez has shown he can be a dominant closer in the league as well.
