No. 24. California Angels

Can I start calling them the California Angels again and hope it catches on?

Well, I think it’s worth a shot.

How good can Mike Trout be going forward?
(Sub-question: Will Mike Trout become the greatest player to never play in a World Series?)

Here is my all-time team of players who have never played in the World Series. To do this right, I am not going back to guys who started before the World Series began, like Nap Lajoie or whatever.

Catcher: Joe Torre. How about this bit of irony? One of the greatest World Series managers ever did not play in the World Series in his excellent career.

First base: Rod Carew. He joined the Twins two years after they played in the 1965 World Series. He did play in the ALCS four different times—two for the Twins and two for the California Angels (it’s catching on!) but his team got swept the first two times and beaten easily the third time. The fourth time came in 1982, and the Angels had a 2-0 lead in that best-of-five against Milwaukee. The Brewers then took the next three, despite Carew going four-for-nine with four walks.

Second base: Ryne Sandberg. Ah, the Cubs have wasted so many desert flowers through the years. Sandberg’s Cubs were on the brink of the World Series in 1984; they blew a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five against the Padres. In 1989, they were knocked out by the Giants in five games.

Shortstop: Ernie Banks. The most famous of all the hard-luck players.

Third base: Ron Santo. I’m not exactly sure why Ron Santo’s hard-luck life has been mourned less than Ernie Banks’ hard-luck life, but so it goes.

Leftfield: Mike Trout. Gotta put him in left because…

Centerfield: Ken Griffey Jr. People seem to forget that Griffey was NOT on the Mariners’ incredible 116-win team in 2001. But do you know who was?

Rightfield: Ichiro Suzuki. I debated whether to include him here, since Ichiro did play in two Japan Series. But I think playing 19 major league seasons without going to a World Series rightly qualifies him for this team.

Pitcher: Phil Niekro. I’m going to pick just one pitcher—you can choose many… Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Roy Halladay, on and on—but I’ll stick with Knucksie, who just went on and on and on and on for dreadful teams.

Now, obviously, Trout’s career is not over—hopefully, it’s not nearly over. He’s just 32, and it would be awesome if his career went on for another 10 years, awesome if he played in a whole bunch of World Series going forward. All that I’m writing here is simply of the moment.

But in the moment, Trout’s career still feels separated from all the others. When Ernie Banks played, there were three powerful forces at play.

Powerful Force 1: Only the best team in each league went to the World Series.

Powerful Force 2: Because this was before free agency, there was only so much a team could do to get into a higher tier.

Powerful Force 3: Because this was before free agency, players were basically stuck on the same team unless they were traded.

Ernie’s Cubs played in a time dominated by the Dodgers, Giants, Braves and, later, the Cardinals. Those four teams represented the National League in the World Series 14 times during Banks’s career. It’s true that the Reds, Pirates and Miracle Mets made the World Series, too—the Cubs and Phillies being the only two original NL teams to not make the postseason during Ernie’s career—but the point is that it was hard to break through. The Cubs did gather some impressive talent—they developed or acquired five Hall of Famers over that time—but they could never get any higher than second place in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Ernie Banks was already well past his prime.

Things got somewhat easier in the years after Banks retired and free agency came in and the playoffs were expanded. Take a guy like Dave Winfield. He spent his first eight seasons on doomed Padres teams; they had one winning record in his time in San Diego and never finished higher than fourth in the division. But then he signed a free-agent deal with the Yankees, went to the World Series, stuck around until his 40s, signed a deal with the fast-rising Toronto Blue Jays, had a great year and won the World Series. Such a life would not have been possible for Ernie Banks.

Or, moving ahead a few years, consider Zack Greinke. Drafted by a terrible Kansas City Royals team. Team was terrible every year. Forced a trade to Milwaukee, where he pitched in the playoffs. Signs a monster deal with the Dodgers, and goes to the playoffs every year, but not the World Series. Signs an even bigger monster deal with the Diamondbacks and goes to the playoffs once, but not the World Series. By now, four teams in each league are making the playoffs. Then he gets traded to Houston, and he pitched in TWO World Series for the Astros.

As mentioned, all of this can yet happen for Trout. I mean, the Angels could figure some things out, sneak into the playoffs, and absolutely get to the World Series. These days, as we know, six teams in each league get to the postseason—40 percent of the teams make the postseason—and once they get there, well, the Diamondbacks, Rangers and Phillies have all made the World Series as wild cards the last two seasons. I don’t see this particular version of the Angels getting to the playoffs, but there are years ahead, and, anyway, who even knows? Catch a few breaks, get super-lucky in one-run and extra-inning games, steal 86 victories out of what should have been a 76-win season, hey, it’s happened before.

Or… Trout could finally tire of the Angels’ mess, push for a deal, end up on the Dodgers or Phillies or Yankees or something, and go to the World Series that way.

All of it is still out there in the realm of possibility.

BUT…