Alright, so the other night I was digging through some old MLB highlight videos on streaming – you know how it is, falling down that rabbit hole. Suddenly stumbled upon the 2002 World Series. Man, that Angels run! Got me thinking… who were the real standout guys on that roster week in, week out that season? I mean, they won it all, right? Gotta have some serious talent.
First thing I did, obviously, was just search online. Typed something like “Angels 2002 best players” into my browser. Tons of general stuff popped up about the World Series win itself, but I wanted specifics about the regular season stars. Kept scrolling, finding bits and pieces. Wasn’t satisfied, felt messy.
Decided I needed a proper source. Remembered Baseball Reference exists – their stats don’t lie. Headed straight over there and pulled up the full 2002 Anaheim Angels roster page. Holy cow, forgot how big the squad was back then! Needed a way to cut through the noise. My goal was simple: find the guys who played the most and produced consistently from April to October, the core that got them there.
Started scanning position players first. Eyeballing those games played numbers and batting stats. Garrett Anderson jumped out immediately. Played a whopping 158 games that year! And he wasn’t just showing up; dude was raking. Ended up hitting .306 and drove in a crazy amount of runs. Right there, anchor of the lineup.
Then, who else? Troy Glaus was impossible to ignore. Third base, power hitter. Looking at his stats… yeah, 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs. That’s the middle-of-the-order thump they needed. Consistent force all year.
Okay, outfield needed another look. Tim Salmon! The veteran. He was always good. Checked his line… yep, played 138 games. Solid .286 average, power with 22 homers, got on base a ton. Exactly what you want. And Darin Erstad? Didn’t hit for crazy average, but the guy played a bunch, including 42 games at first base later? Position player flexibility was key.
Pitching staff next. Crucial. Looked at starting pitchers who took the ball every fifth day. Jarrod Washburn was the horse. Led the starters in wins and innings pitched. Solid ERA too. Kevin Appier and Ramon Ortiz gave them loads of starts as well, eating innings. Relievers? Oh man, Troy Percival! That closer was lights out. Looked up his saves… 40 saves! And a ridiculous ERA under 2.00? Automatic ninth inning. Brendan Donnelly was also nasty out of the pen all season.
It wasn’t just names, though. I started realizing a pattern. It wasn’t about one MVP guy carrying the whole team like some years. That ’02 Angels roster felt stacked with reliable, everyday players who stayed healthy and produced:
- Garrett Anderson: Everyday LF, hit .300+, drove in everyone.
- Troy Glaus: Monster power at 3B, 30+ HRs.
- Tim Salmon: Consistent RF presence, power and getting on base.
- Darin Erstad: Played everywhere, leadoff hitter setting the table.
- Jarrod Washburn: Workhorse starting pitcher, reliable outings.
- Troy Percival: Dominant closer, slammed the door shut.
Honestly, going through their stats game by game on the site really hammered it home. Seeing how many games these core guys played, seeing their numbers pop up day after day… no fluke. It felt like looking at a blueprint: health, consistency from multiple guys at key spots, a great closer. Put it all together? That’s your 2002 season top stars. Simple as that. Makes total sense why they won.
