2003 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels won three West Division titles from 1979 through 1986 with lineups that starred Don Baylor, Rod Carew, Bobby Grich, Reggie Jackson, and Nolan Ryan. Jackson, who ranks in the top ten on the all-time home run list, hit 123 of his 563 career home runs during his five years with the Angels. Ryan, baseball's all-time strikeout leader, threw four no-hitters while with the team.

The Los Angeles Angels were founded by former actor Gene Autry in 1961 and played their first five seasons in Los Angeles. After the 1965 season the club moved to Anaheim and became the California Angels. In 1972 the Angels acquired right-handed pitcher Ryan from the New York Mets. In his eight seasons with the team, Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times and in shutouts twice; he also threw four of his all-time-record seven no-hitters.

California won its first division title in 1979 under manager Jim Fregosi, a former Angels shortstop. Baylor, who led the league in runs batted in (RBIs) and runs scored that year, became the first designated hitter to be named the AL most valuable player (MVP).

Superstar outfielder and designated hitter Reggie Jackson joined the Angels in 1982 and led the league in home runs to power California to its second division championship. Manager Gene Mauch guided the team to a 93-69 win-loss record before the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Angels in the AL Championship Series.

Mauch retired in 1983 but returned as manager two years later. In 1986 he directed the Angels to their third division crown with a team that featured veterans Jackson, third baseman Doug DeCinces, pitcher Don Sutton, and rookie first baseman Wally Joyner. The Angels again lost the AL Championship Series, this time to the Boston Red Sox.

The Angels came close to a division title in 1995, ending the season in a first-place tie with the Seattle Mariners, but they lost in a one-game playoff. The franchise was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in May of 1996 and renamed the Anaheim Angels before the 1997 season began. They won the World Series in 2002.

One of the most important factors for the Angels in 2002 was health -- seven of the eight everyday players got in 140 games or more, and five of those guys got in over 150 games. And when an Angel did jump (or hobble) onto the disabled list, there were players in the rotation who were able to step right in and produce: Lackey, Donnelly, Shields, Rodriguez and Figgins all made important contributions after being called up from the minors. When Tim Salmon went on the DL last August, Orlando Palmiero stepped in and hit nearly .400 (18-50) in his stead. Because there was no one player that the Angels counted on, they needed across-the-board contributions.

The real fluke season wasn't 2002, it was 2001 -- the year before that, the Angels finished a respectable 7th in the league in runs scored. Mo Vaughn was hurt all of 2001, leaving behind the gapping hole at DH, while Salmon and Erstad fell off cliffs offensively. Last season, Kennedy aside, every single player hit around his career averages - Glaus and Erstad a little lower, Anderson a bit higher - but the offensive production was certainly within the bounds of most projections.