Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

  Team with Potential:

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

                   By: Jonah Han

Word Count: 543

         Although the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim only have a record of 26-26, many people such as Bill Plunkett from the Orange County Register agree that they have a bright future. Loaded with young talented players such as Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout, they are projected to be one of the MLB's best teams in the future. Not only do they have great young talent, they have established stars such as Albert Pujols, Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson that have been in the Playoffs several times. It is not surprising their fan base is growing.

         Out of all the people asked in Media Lit 7 if they liked the Angels, 80% of the people said “yes”. When asked about the Angels, Sergio Menezes said, "I think they are one of the best teams in the MLB and they have a great starting pitching staff”. Tristen Walker agreed “I think that they are a great team with great power hitters such as Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo.” Michael Muller added “I think the Angels have the potential to become a dynasty in the years to come and Mike Trout will become a future star.” Likewise, Vladik Katin stated, “I think that the Angels are good and they have a nice stadium.”

The Angels also have the right leadership. They are owned by Arte Moreno. He bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company for $180 million dollars. He has invested a lot of money to get top free agents over the years that he has been the owner. He gave 1st basemen Albert Pujols a 10 year $254 million dollar contract in 2011 and center fielder Torii Hunter to a 5 year $90 million dollar contract in 2008. By attracting and keeping talented players, he has helped to turn the Angels from a losing team into a borderline playoff team.

Because of their recent success, the Angels attendance has increased rapidly. In 1997 their average attendance was 21,553 fans and in the past 15 years, it has increased 13,935 to 35,488 in 2012. During the 2012 season vs the Texas Rangers on June 2, 2012, the Angels broke their all time attendance record with 44,227 fans at the game. This is not surprising since they have become one of the most thrilling teams for fans to watch.

When asked if they would attend an Angels game Sergio Menezes said “I would because they are an exciting team to watch.” Michael Muller agreed “I would want to watch them because it seems like they are always in a close game and close games are very exciting.” Tristen Walker added “I would love to watch the Angels because they have some of my favorite players on their team such as Albert Pujols and Jered Weaver.” Even Ryan Kister stated, “Although the Angels are not one of my favorite teams, I would love to watch one of their games.”

The Angels have made their mark as one of the brightest and most exciting teams in the MLB. They have all the tools to possibly become the best team in the MLB and attract fans with their flashy play. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to their potential. Personally, I am a believer.