32-year old righty swinging 1B Albert Pujols finished in 17th place in the 2012 A.L. MVP vote. Pujols played in 154 games for the Angels last year and he was 173 of 607 (.285 avg, .859 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 30 homers, 105 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Pujols has now played in 1,859 games in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 2,246 of 6,919 (.325 avg, 1.022 OPS) with 1,376 runs scored, 475 homers, 1,434 RBIs and 92 stolen bases. Most players would take Pujols’ numbers from 2012 and consider it a success, but the Angels were expecting more out of him.

30-year old righty starting pitcher Jered Weaver finished in 3rd place in the A.L. Cy Young Award voting. He also tied with Felix Hernandez for #22 in the MVP voting in the A.L. Weaver pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Angels last year and he was 20-5 with a 2.81 ERA and a major league leading 1.02 WHIP. He gave up only 147 hits and walked 45 batters while whiffing 142 batters in 188 2/3 innings, which is pretty darn impressive. Weaver has now pitched in 207 games (all starts) in his first seven years with the Angels and he is 102-52 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Weaver just seems to be getting better and that bodes well for the Angels’ future.

21-year old righty swinging outfielder Mike Trout has been named the 2012 A.L. Rookie of the Year. He also finished 2nd in the MVP Voting, won a Silver Slugger and he made the All-Star team. Trout played in 139 games for the Angels last year and he was 182 of 559 (.326 avg, .963 OPS) with 129 runs scored, 30 homers, 83 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. He has now played in 179 games in his first two years with the Angels and he is 209 of 682 (.306 avg, .911 OPS) with 149 runs scored, 35 homers, 99 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. It’s no shame in finishing in 2nd place to Miguel Cabrera in the MVP Voting. If Trout can stay healthy, he will win one an MVP Award in the near future.

52-year old Mike Scioscia finished in sixth place in the A.L. Manager of the Year voting. He led the Angels to a 86-76 record (53.1%) last year despite the utter lack of hitting on the team. Scioscia now has a 1,266-878 (54.8%) record in his first 12 years in charge of the Angels in the dugout. He is a 2-time winner of the Manager of the Year Award, and there is no reason to think he won’t win this award a couple more times before he hangs it up.

29-year old righty starting pitcher Jered Weaver finished 2nd in the voting for the 2011 Cy Young Award voting in the A.L. Weaver pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Angels last year and he was 18-8 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. If the Angels had a better hitting team, Weaver might have beat Verlander out for the Cy Young Award. Weaver has now pitched in 177 games (177 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 82-47 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Weaver just keeps getting better and that has to be scary, especially for the teams in the A.L. West.

31-year old righty starting pitcher Dan Haren finished 7th in the voting for the A.L. Cy Young Award. Haren pitched in 35 games (34 starts) for the Angels last year and he was 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Haren has now played in 266 games (256 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 107-84 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Haren is a true workhorse and he gives the Angels one of the best 1-2 punches in all of baseball with Jered Weaver and they expect that to continue for a few more years.

23-year old righty closer Jordan Walden finished tied for 7th in the voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award with outfielder Desmond Jennings of the Tampa Bay Rays. Walden pitched in 62 games (0 starts) for the Angels last year and he was 5-5 with 32 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Walden has now pitched in 78 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Angels and he is 5-6 with 33 saves, a 2.85 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. I think Walden deserved more respect in the voting, as no one had a more pressure packed job than he did in 2011. He reminds me of a young Troy Percival.

25-year old righty swinging 1B Mark Trumbo finished 2nd in the voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award to Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. Trumbo played in 149 games last year for the Angels and he was 137 for 539 (.254 avg, .768 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 29 homers, 87 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He has now played in 157 games in his first two years with the Angels and he is 138 for 554 (.249 avg, .753 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 29 homers, 89 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Trumbo filled in for Kendry Morales, who missed the 2011 season due to a bad ankle. If he returns in 2012, the Angels will probably try to get Trumbo to play 3B in an effort to keep his power bat in the lineup.

28-year old righty starting pitcher Jered Weaver finished 5th in the A.L. Cy Young Award voting. Weaver started 34 games for the Angels last season and he was 13-12 with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He led the American League with 233 whiffs. Weaver has now pitched in 144 games (all starts) in his first five years with the Angels and he is 64-39 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. If the Angels make some nice moves over the winter and Weaver pitches like he did last season he might win a Cy Young Award as soon as 2011.

31-year old switch hitting 3B Chone Figgins tied with Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees for 10th in the MVP voting of the American League. Figgins played in 158 games for the Angels last year and he was 183 for 615 (.298 avg, .789 OPS) with 114 runs scored, 5 homers, 54 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. He has now played in 936 games in his 8-year major league career and he is 1,045 for 3,585 (.291 avg, .751 OPS) with 596 runs scored, 31 homers, 341 RBIs and 280 stolen bases. It will be very interesting to see if the Angels bring back Chone Figgins for the 2010 season and beyond as he is a free agent and a lot of teams like him.

UPDATE: Figgins has signed a 4-year deal with the division rival Mariners worth $36 million bucks. This leaves a hole at 3B and the Angels need to either add someone via trade or free agency unless they are willing to give Brandon Wood his big chance in 2010.