LA Angels Player Comparisons to NBA Free Agents

The LA Angels have had an up-and-down season thus far, and I’m sure a number of fans would enjoy being able to sign some free agents right about now.

However, the LA Angels are in the thick of the 2019 season, and once again hovering around .500. However, NBA free agency has kicked off and Sunday was one of the most exciting days in the history of NBA offseasons.

So, I’ve decided to have a little fun with this and compare current Angels to the latest crop of free agents. Besides, I think we could all use a fun article to distract from a three game losing streak right before we go play the Rangers and Astros in the road this week.

The Aging Veterans

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Albert Pujols is… Pau Gasol

For Albert Pujols, he is a surefire Hall of Fame player who has been apart of multiple championship runs where he was the best player on his team. However, for the better half of this decade he has been a fraction of his former self. He has been decimated but constant nagging injuries and flailing athleticism that have left him as one of the slowest players in the MLB.

For Pau Gasol, you could say pretty much the exact same thing, give or take a few words. He was a key cog and arguably the second best player on two championship teams, was a six-time All Star, and will almost assuredly end up in the Hall of Fame. He has also become one of the less athletic big men in the NBA, and is merely a bench player at this point.

Jonathan Lucroy is… Rajon Rondo

This is one of my favorite comparisons for this article. Both of these players are so similar in so many ways. For starters, both of them spent their primes as beloved plays for their respective cities, Lucroy in Milwaukee and Rondo in Boston. Since then, they’ve been constantly moving throughout their leagues as their careers fade to black.

The largest similarity between these two is how they bring value to their teams. Obviously, neither are elite forces on offense (and spent the large parts of their careers like that). However, Rondo brings a veteran presence to teams and understands how to run an offense better than perhaps anyone in the league.

Lucroy, while his defensive statistics are underwhelming, he also has an exceptional understanding of how to call games. He was integral to the Oakland A’s rotation in 2018, and has frequently been spoken of highly by teammates and coaches.