Angels: Five pitchers who have owned them since 2010

James Paxton – Seattle Mariners / New York Yankees

James Paxton spent the first six seasons of his MLB career as a member of the division-rival Seattle Mariners. While team success in Seattle was never a part of the big picture, often because the Mariners so closely mirrored the situation in Los Angeles, Paxton had his own share of success against the Halos.

In those six years, Paxton owns a career mark of 4-3 against the Halos, but every outing has seemingly been a struggle for Angels hitters. Against 274 Angels hitters over the years, Paxton has held them to .178/.237/.308, easily the lowest batting line against the team over the last decade. That’s helped him compile an outstanding list of statistics, with Paxton placing 3rd in ERA ( 2.43 ERA), 14th in FIP (3.63), 1st in wOBA (.235), and 8th with a minuscule 27.5% hard-hit rate.

Compared to his overall statistics, where Paxton has pitched to a 56-32 record with a 3.50 ERA and a 3.28 FIP, it is clear that he saved his best material for the Halos. That’s not to discount his overall work though, especially over the last three seasons. However, only one other team in baseball, the Kansas City Royals, has a lower combined OPS (.515) against Paxton during that time frame.

While the Angels missed the lefty last season due to either injuries or scheduling, they weren’t necessarily upset to see him traded to the New York Yankees and residing on the opposite coast either.