ALL DECADE ANGELS

The franchise with Mike Trout.... has had a disappointing turn in the last decade after dominating the AL West through most of the 2000s. However, as far as the all-decade team goes, the early part of the decade's strong starting pitching is going to keep this team hanging around!! With 2019 Trout leading the way, arguably the best player we've made from the decade, they've got a shot at a Wild Card berth! 

He just missed the All Decade Cut, but I love this 2008 Mark Teixeira card... 

if ever I do an all 00s league, the Angels are going to be a top contender

Lineup: No Angels all decade team could be complete without Chone Figgins, one of Bob's earliest creations for the blog! He's leading off with great speed and an OB 10, on at 3 card that sets up nicely for the MVP -- 2019 Mike Trout! What can I say about this amazing card -- OB 11, HR at 17 with good speed and very few outs on his chart -- this guy is unstoppable! Unfortunately, his support isn't great. Bobby Abreu is shockingly similar to his original Showdown cards and hits 3rd without a lot of pop, but has OB and speed. Maybe he should hit second and let Trout have two OB 10 dudes with speed in front of him. Cleanup is a solid Justin Upton, bringing great OB 9, HR at 17 power. Pujols and Ohtani bring a pair of powerful OB 8 bats. Hard to believe, but Albert had over 50 doubles and 30 Homers in his first season with the Halos! Ohtani's first year was similarly awesome, with tons of power. Ianetta is a solid catcher, a good OB 9 who can knock in the extra base hitters in front of him with solid singles. Kendrick is a good #8 hitter, giving them another good OB 8 hitter. Rounding it out is Simmons, who may only be an OB 7, but people will love that +6 defense! Overall, an average lineup with the potential to do real damage thanks to their MVP candidate.

Rotation: Easily the strength of this team, and what a powerful strength it is. All Tier 2, mostly Control 6... plus three guys with IP 7, liable to go the distance every time out (and save the weak bullpen). Honestly, people forget how good Jared Weaver was, and CJ Wilson got a great card from Colby. The 2014 Angels, overall, were a great team and 3/4 of these starters are from that team (they won 98 games for a reason). The rotation's success will make or break the Angels' chances in the All Decade league.

Bullpen: Obviously there are other holes in the lineup that'll have people doubting the Angels, but this extremely "meh" bullpen in a sea of Tier 1/Tier 2 heavy 'pens is what pushes the Angels to the back of most prognosticators' pre-season standings. Joe Smith is undoubtedly an elite arm, with no doubles on his Tier 2 card. De La Rosa is similarly great, with another control 6 card... but then we've got a Tier 2 with low control in Huston Street, which is guaranteed to be risky against these high OB lineups in crucial situations. Following that up is a PAIR of Tier 3 relievers, including a Control 2! On the bright side, all these cards look gorgeous thanks to Matthew P. However, I believe it's arguable that with their epic rotation, the Angels don't *need* a great bullpen to contend!

The Angels come in at a "mere" 6870 Points! Honestly, I think this is mainly due to the bullpen, which comes in at a soft 770 points with a highest point value of 180. If they had a typical bullpen's points (around 900), they'd be right at the 7000 point mark. Therefore, I don't think Angels can be counted out -- even against teams like the Astros and Rangers! So now, 29/30 teams revealed, here are the point totals!

1.   Dodgers              8010 points
2.   Yankees              7920 points
3.   Red Sox              7770 points
4.   Nationals            7670 points
5.   Astros                 7420 points
6.   Mets                    7230 points
7.   Reds                    7220 points
8.   Dbacks                7210 points
9.   Phillies                7200 points
10.   Blue Jays            7140 points
11.   Rockies               7090 points
12.   Rangers              7070 points
13.   Rays                    7060 points
14.   Cubs                    7000 points
15.   Twins                  6910 points
16.   Indians               6880 points
17.   (T16) Mariners  6880 points
18.   Angels                 6870 points
19.   Orioles                6830 points
20.   Giants                 6800 points
21.   Braves                 6790 points
22.   Marlins               6750 points
23.   White Sox           6740 points
24.   Tigers                  6710 points
25.   (T24) Cardinals 6710 points
26.   Athletics             6670 points
27.   (T26) Pirates      6670 points
28.   Royals                 6570 points
29.   Padres                 6510 points