3 players to be thankful for

Thanksgiving is here, and it's time to express our thanks. There hasn't been much to be thankful for in the last eight years for the Los Angeles Angels as they have missed the postseason every year but there have been some bright spots along the way.

The Angels have had an eventful offseason already, signing Tyler Anderson and trading for Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe. The Angels have address three issues already: starting pitching, infield depth, and a corner outfielder. There's still more work to be done but I'm thankful to Perry Minasian for improving the roster dramatically even before the Winter Meetings.

LA Angels player to be thankful for: Mike Trout

Mike Trout is the player Angels fans should be most thankful for. He has been the face of this franchise since his breakout in 2012. He's a Rookie of the Year, a ten-time all-star, a three-time MVP winner, and a nine-time Silver Slugger winner.

I am thankful for Mike Trout's commitment to the Angels even though they haven't done much to reward that commitment. He's signed through 2030 and should retire an Angel. I'm thankful to be able to watch him dominate at the plate every night and put on a show for the Angels faithful.

Trout has dealt with injuries in recent years but showed people why he's still one of, if not the best player in the game. He slashed .283/.369/.630 with 40 home runs and 80 RBI. He played in only 119 games and didn't even have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title yet he still mashed 40 home runs and won a Silver Slugger.

I'm thankful for everything Mike Trout does on the field as well as off the field and in the community. He's the ultimate team player and I hope the Angels reward him with a playoff appearance in 2023.

LA Angels player to be thankful for: Shohei Ohtani

I don't even want to think about this being it with Shohei Ohtani as an Angel. As we all know, Ohtani is in the final year of his deal and has not committed long-term to the organization. The Angels have said they're not trading him yet, but if they get off to a bad start that might be coming.

Even with that in mind, I'm thankful for everything Shohei has done on the field in an Angels uniform and can't wait to watch him again in 2023.

I expected big things when the Angels signed him and somehow he's gone beyond my expectations. He'd be an all-star if he only hit or only pitched. Somehow, he's one of the best in the game at the plate and on the mound.

Ohtani slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 90 RBI. He wasn't quite as good offensively as he was in his MVP season, but he was still pretty great.

On the mound, he had the best season of his career, going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts. He finally had enough innings to qualify for the ERA title for the first time in his career as he tossed 166 innings. He was fourth in the league in ERA. He struck out 11.9 batters per nine which led the AL while walking just 2.4 batters per nine which showed major improvement on that front.

Shohei put on a show daily at the plate and every sixth day on the mound. As long as he is here, I'm going to continue to enjoy every second of Sho-time.