The best Angels player to wear number 54

Only eight players have worn number 54 in Los Angeles Angels history. The most recent one is Jose Suarez, who is wearing the number currently. Suarez is the fifth starter for the Angels and is looking to build off of a fantastic second half of the 2022 season. They need him to get off to a good start.

The Angels would greatly benefit from another leap from the southpaw. In the first half he was not good. A 5.60 ERA is nothing to be excited about. In the second half he was much better, but pitched mainly against some weak competition and had a lot of trouble pitching against hitters for a third time. He's going to have to be better against the good teams and give the Angels more length.

Fortunately, Suarez is not relied upon like an ace or even a top three starter in a rotation. He's replaceable if he gets off to a rough start. He's not the best Angels player to wear the number, but since there're only eight players to ever wear it, he's probably not too far off.

Ervin Santana is the best player to wear number 54 in Angels history

Ervin Santana began his lengthy Angels career in 2005 and made 23 starts. He had a 4.65 ERA in those starts. Not great, but that's what Ervin was a lot of the time. Just an innings eater who you could rely on to take the ball when asked and hopefully keep you in games. He was never a legitimate ace.

While Santana was never an ace, he did have a couple of really nice seasons. His best season came in 2008. He went 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 starts and 219 innings pitched. He struck out 214 batters that season (8.8 K/9) while walking just 44 (1.9 BB/9). He made his only all-star appearance as an Angel that season and finished sixth in the AL Cy Young balloting.

Santana's best moment as an Angel came in a 2011 game against the Cleveland Indians. He threw the ninth no-hitter in Angels history in a victory over Cleveland. Santana did allow a run but the baserunner reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch. He walked just one batter while striking out 10. Was dominant from the start.

Santana pitched for eight seasons as an Angel and ranks seventh in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. He ranks in the top-15 for most statistical categories. He wasn't the best pitcher they've had, but Santana was here for a long time and was a valuable member of a couple of playoff teams.