Angels: The best Opening Day lineups in Halos history

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SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 03: Albert Pujols #5 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on October 3, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

3) 2012 Opening Day

This is an example of a lineup that would have been even better if we included a particular superstar who happened to miss Opening Day that year. That is, Mr. Mike Trout. However, this lineup is still really good because it features the best season the Halos saw from some of their veteran contributors.

Albert Pujols has been on a steady decline since arriving in Anaheim, but in 2012, his first season with his new team, he still had a little juice left in his bat. The future Hall-of-Famer had his highest slugging percentage since changing teams that season. He hit 30 home runs, 50 doubles, and provided a legitimate presence in the middle of the lineup.

Another veteran, who was on the opposite end of his time with the Halos, Torii Hunter, put up one of his best seasons in Anaheim, too. The 36-year-old jumped his average from .262 the season before to .313 in 2012. While his home run total was down, his 129 OPS+ was a high mark for his career.

This lineup also had depth with Chris Iannetta at catcher (106 OPS+), and Mark Trumbo, who made the All-Star team that year, and hit 32 home runs. These two rounded out a lineup that started at the top with Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar. While neither were the most adept at getting on base via the walk, they hit a combined 308 hits, and kept pitchers off rhythm with their ability to swipe a base.

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