The LA Angels are getting help from unlikely sources.

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The LA Angels are 26-27 which is hardly a stellar record, but the fact that they have endured so many injuries that it is amazing that they are still winning enough games to stay afloat in the AL West and the wild-card race.

Give credit to LA Angels general manager Billy Eppler for this, for putting together a very deep roster with plenty of players who are ready to step in for extended time. Some of the players that have caught my eye and are the keys to the Angels being at .500 rather than 10 to 15 games under .500 are a collection of veterans that other teams have thrown away and young players who for the most part have not proven themselves in the big leagues yet.

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Will the Angels be able to sustain this pace or improve themselves is anyone’s guess, but that’s the fun part about baseball. If you watch the game long enough you will see many things that will surprise and amaze you as well as many things that disappoint and frustrate you.

So without any further delay here is our best of the best unsung heroes for the Angels so far this season. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to comment.

Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin Maldonado (12) talks with Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Bud Norris (20) Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Bud Norris – 1-2 2.92 ERA 9 saves 1.01 WHIP

Bud Norris has had some good years in the majors and also some very bad years. The last couple of seasons, Norris has been awful as he went 9-21 with a 6.10 ERA while pitching for four different teams. This winter no one wanted to give Norris an opportunity despite the fact that his fastball can reach the mid-90’s.

That was until Billy Eppler came to the rescue in January inviting Norris to Spring Training as a non-roster player (which means he is not guaranteed a contract). Norris started off shaking in his first Spring outing pitching 1.2 innings allowing three walks and two hits, but surprisingly no runs.

Norris did get better as the Spring went on and was even be considered for the 5th starter spot which was eventually won by another journeyman Jesse Chavez. Norris ended up 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in the Spring pitching in eight games. In 13.1 innings of work Norris allowed only four runs and struck out a whopping 18 batters while holding opponents to a .163 batting average.

Surprisingly he did not when the 5th starter spot despite his strong numbers. However, he did make the Opening Day Roster which Norris was grateful for. He started the year in the Angels bullpen as their long man pitching about every two to three days. However as Ange fans know your opportunity on the pitching staff is one tweaked muscle away.

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About 10 games into the season set-up man Andrew Bailey was placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation which bumped Norris up to the set-up role in the Angels bullpen. In four outings in this role Norris pitched very well in three of them before getting touched for two runs against Toronto on April 21st.

Then it happened again as closer Cam Bedrosian tweaked a groin muscle which had sidelined him for the first 2.5 weeks of the Spring and he landed n the DL as well. So now the Angels were really scrambling as all three of their pitchers with closer experience were now on the DL.

Enter Bud Norris 5.0. Manager Mike Scioscia gave Norris the ball the very next day against Toronto and the eight-year veteran delivered his third save of his career with a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the Angels victory. Since then he has delivered eight more times for a total of nine saves in eleven opportunities.

In 24.2 innings this season Norris 32 strikeouts and only 10 walks allowing opposing batters to hit a paltry .172 against him. Not bad for a major league cast off that nobody wanted. More importantly with Norris has solidified the closer role which was a major issue for the Angels due to injuries and ineffectiveness in 2016.

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Blake Parker (53) in the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners . Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Blake Parker – 0-2, 2.82 ERA 35 strikeouts in 22.1 innings 1.12 WHIP

In a classic Billy Eppler move the Angels claimed a young pitcher named Blake Parker off waivers from Eppler’s old team the Yankees in early October. A month later he was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for someone else and was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers.

However as you might imagine this story has a twist which occurred on December 23rd as the Brewers then released Parker and the Angels reclaimed the 31-year old giving Parker an early Christmas present. Parker was eventually designated for assignment again in January this time with no one claiming him, so the Angels assigned him to their Triple-A Salt Lake team and invited him as a non-roster player to Spring Training.

Hardly anybody knew about this kid going into Spring Training and those who did would have said Parker had no shot to earn a spot in the Angels crowded bullpen, but then Parker did by pitching lights out baseball.

Juan Graterol – .250 avg 0 homers and 2 RBI’s 1.000 Fielding Percentage

Juan Graterol is another interesting player on the Angels roster this year. He did not make the club out of Spring Training but was called up after about three weeks of the season to replace Carlos Perez who was in an awful slump.

Graterol was a career minor leaguer until the Angels called him up in September of 2016 where he played in nine games and collected four hits in 14 at-bats. However he was released early in the off-season and ended up in Toronto until the Blue Jays traded him back to the Angels on April 18th of this season.

Graterol was immediately added to the roster as Perez was sent down to the minors. While Graterol’s numbers are not anything special he is a typical Mike Scioscia defensive catcher. Graterol has not made an error in 74 chances this season and calls a very good game according to many in the organization.

What stands out even more is the fact that he has thrown out six of 11 would-be base stealers backing up a guy in Martin Maldonado that has a cannon for an arm. Graterol has provided some stability behind the plate along with Maldonado that the Angels did not have much of last season.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jesse Chavez (40) throws a pitch in the second inning of the game against the Chicago White So. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Jesse Chavez – 4-6 5.09 ERA 1.32 WHIP

Jesse Chavez may seem like an odd name to have on this list considering his numbers, but he is a pitcher who has been pretty steady this season. In Chavez’s 10 starts he has made it through at least 5.2 innings all but two times and if you take those two starts away his ERA drops to 3.56.

However the biggest thing is when he starts the Angels can usually expect six innings or more from him and three runs or less allowed. Chavez has five quality starts in 10 starts and been much more solid than Jered Weaver was most of last season.

Chavez was signed in the off-season as a free agent to compete for the fifth starter job or be a long man in the bullpen and so far he has just done the first of those two jobs. Chavez is a local boy who was born less than 30 minutes from Angel Stadium and also pitched at Riverside Community College.

Chavez has pitched much better at home with his ERA being almost one run lower than his road numbers and three of Chavez’s four wins have come at the Big “A”. Hopefully he will be able to continue to pitch well overall and lower his ERA back down to around 4.00.

For now he will continue to try to improve each start and get his ERA down to Around 4.00. This local boy has found a home.

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher J.C. Ramirez (66) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during a MLB baseball game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

J.C. Ramirez – 5-3 3.38 ERA 1.16 WHIP

J.C. Ramirez is another Eppler gem that the savvy GM claimed off the waiver wire from the Cincinnati Reds in the middle season and the right-hander has paid tremendous dividends for the Angels. In 2016 Ramirez went from being a mop-up man to being the team closer then back to a set-up role all in the period of two and a half months.

With the Angels Ramirez went 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA and one save. So entering the winter the Angels decided to stretch Ramirez out with the idea of him being a starter in the back-end of the rotation. In the Spring Ramirez auditioned for a starting spot but ended up in the Angels bullpen to start the season.

Then as has been so common over the past two years a starter went down (Garrett Richards), and Ramirez was pressed into service as a starter and he has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Since becoming a starter Ramirez has a 2.20 ERA and a 3-2 record. He has six quality starts and has gone six innings in six of those nine starts. Ramirez has arguably been the best Angels starter this season. If he continues this pace he will definitely earn some respect in the eyes of the rest of the league.

Next: Mike Trout injured?

So in closing the Angels have a lot to be thankful for and still a lot of potential. We will see how well the Angels how the Angels do the rest of the season.

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