The Angels spent a lot of money last winter on free agents, hoping to win the A.L. West, but it just didn’t happen. The Angels finished in 3rd place in the A.L. West with a 89-73 (54.9%) record, 5 games behind the A’s. Here is a look at the players that made the biggest impacts for the Angels in 2012, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Mike Trout - 21-year old righty swinging CF Mike Trout didn’t start the 2012 season with the Angels, but he more than made up for lost time when they called him up. 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. Trout is probably the best all-around player in the majors right now.

Best Pitcher: Jered Weaver - 30-year old righty Jered Weaver turned in another incredible year for the Angels in 2012. He pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Angels last year and he was 20-5 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He worked 188 2/3 innings in which he gave up only 147 hits and 45 walks while whiffing 142 batters, which is pretty impressive. Weaver will be a finalist for the Cy Young Award in the A.L. in 2012.

Biggest Surprise: Kendry Morales - 29-year old switch-hitting DH Kendry Morales came back healthy in 2012 after missing a year and a half due to a badly broken ankle. Morales played in 134 games for the Angels last year and he was 132 of 484 (.273 avg, .787 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 22 homers and 73 RBIs.

Biggest Disappointment: Jordan Walden - 24-year old righty reliever Jordan Walden saved 32 games in 2011. But, he was injured part of 2012 and he got into manager Mike Scioscia’s Dog House, losing his closer’s job. Walden pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Angels last year and he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 3.46 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

The Los Angeles Angels finished 2nd place in the A.L. West with a 86-76 record, which had them 10 games behind the Rangers. Here is a look at what stood out to me in 2011 about the Angels:

TEAM MVP & BEST PITCHER: 28-year old righty starting pitcher Jered Weaver was dominating for the Angels in 2011. He 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. Weaver only gave up 182 hits in 235 2/3 innings last year while walking 56 batters and whiffing 198. He will probably finish 2nd in the Cy Young Award Voting this year due to Justin Verlander.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: This was a tie between 25-year old righty swinging 1B Mark Trumbo and 23-year old rookie righty closer Jordan Walden. Trumbo filled in the void at 1B in 2011 as Kendry Morales missed another year due to his bum ankle. Trumbo played in 149 games for the Angels in 2011 and he was 137 for 539 (.254 avg, .768 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 29 homers, 87 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Walden stepped into the closer’s role this year and he looked like a young Troy Percival. Walden pitched in 62 games (0 starts) for the Angels in 2011 and he was 5-5 with 32 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He only gave up 49 hits while whiffing 67 batters in only 60 1/3 innings last year for the Angels.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 38-year old lefty swinging DH Bobby Abreu lost most of his power, turning him into a glorified singles hitter. He played in 142 games for the Angels in 2011 and he was 127 for 502 (.253 avg, .717 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 8 homers, 60 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.