The best Angels player to wear number 2

Only two players have worn number 0 and ten players have worn number 1 in Los Angeles Angels franchise history. Number 2 is getting more popular as 15 players including some very notable ones have worn it in Angels' history. Number 2 is currently worn by Luis Rengifo, a guy coming off of his best season in the big leagues.

This was the hardest number to come up with a decision thus far as there were three notable players to decide between.

Andrelton Simmons is one of the best defenders in franchise history. His glove at shortstop was like nobody I've ever seen at the position. Adam Kennedy was a key contributor to the 2002 team and was a staple in the Angels lineup for seven seasons. With that being said, I was finally able to come up with an answer

Erick Aybar is the best player to wear number 2 in Angels history

If you said Simmons or Kennedy is the best player in Angels history to wear the number 2 I wouldn't disagree too much. Kennedy in particular has a very strong case. However, I think Aybar was just a slightly better player.

When he was first called up in 2006, Aybar wore number 32. He wore that through the 2007 season and had just a .569 OPS with one home run in 113 games. Not great.

The 2008 campaign was Aybar's first wearing the number 2 and he saw an immediate 130-point OPS improvement as it shot up to .699 that season. The 2009 season was his true breakout as he played in 134 games and hit .312 with a .776 OPS. It was arguably his best offensive season.

I believe Aybar's 2011 season was his best all-around campaign as an Angel. He slashed .279/.322/.421 with a career-high 10 home runs and 59 RBI in 143 games. He stole 30 bases (career-high), had a 110 OPS+ (career-high), and a 4.4 bWAR (career-high). Aybar took home a Gold Glove that season and was a big reason the Angels got to the postseason.

In that postseason series against the Royals Aybar recorded five hits in 11 at-bats including a double and a stolen base in the three-game defeat.

Aybar ranks ninth in bWAR among position players in Angels history, eighth in games played, seventh in hits, and sixth in stolen bases. His time on the Angels didn't include the ring like Kennedy's did, but Aybar being as consistently solid as he was throughout his ten-year Angel puts him over the top as a player in my eyes.