What was your most disappointing season as an Angels fan?

[Chuck]

So what Angels team were you super stoked with the roster & overall chances entering the season only for the team to completely shit on your couch with their overall performance and record?

For me it was the 1996 California Angels. I felt that they had some bad luck after the Disarcina injury in the summer of 1995 when they coughed up a huge 1st place lead to the Mariners. One could argue the 1995 season was the most disappointing season, but I felt the team was poised to have an outstanding season the following season. 

There was a ton of home grown talent and quality players. George Arias ended up being a huge disappointment after he was the minor league player of the Angels the year before (30 HR, 104 RBI, .886 OPS). Finley, Abbott and Langston had TERRIBLE seasons, maybe the worst of their careers. 

But that club did hit a ton of HR's (192), the bullpen was good and boy was it fun watching that homegrown talent in terms of Salmon, Edmonds and GA blossom before our eyes and we also had the debut of Darin Erstad later on that season. Rex Hudler had a great season as well and was always fun to watch. Watching Troy Percival throw near 100 mph gas was a thrill as well. 

What a total bummer. I had high hopes for that team to go far in 1996, yet they finished in last place 19.5 games out, with a 70-91 record under Marcel Lachemenn.

1996 California Angels Opening Day Starters Garret Anderson George Arias Chili Davis Gary DiSarcina Jim Edmonds Jorge Fabregas Chuck Finley Tim Salmon J.T. Snow Randy Velarde SP  Jim Abbott SP  Shawn Boskie SP  Chuck Finley SP  Jason Grimsley SP  Mark Langston SP  Dennis Springer     RP  Mark Eichhorn RP  Mike Holtz RP  Mark Holzemer RP  Mike James RP  Chuck McElroy CL  Troy Percival

[ten ocho recon scout]

Ill start with 2003. But injuries sank them. So its understandable.

2004. Same with injuries, but also Boston becoming a monster. So its understandable. 

2008..... that one sucked... laying down for Boston.

2013... Pujols once again being a letdown, hamilton collapsing...

Tie between 2008 and 13 i think.

[Chuck]

1 minute ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Ill start with 2003. But injuries sank them. So its understandable.

2004. Same with injuries, but also Boston becoming a monster. So its understandable. 

2008..... that one sucked... laying down for Boston.

2013... Pujols once again being a letdown, hamilton collapsing...

Tie between 2008 and 13 i think.

Yeah I didn't want to go with a team that actually was successful yet failed in the postseason like the 2004, 2008 and 2013 seasons....but more of your expectations entering a season only for the team to completely shit the couch during the season.

Those playoff teams still entertained us throughout the season and provided us hope all the way through the playoffs, despite the collapse in October.

2003 was weird man. I was still buzzed from the 2002 World Series Championship victory that year.

[Make Angels Great Again]

I thought we were gonna win 100 games in 2012. That was a mess of under achievers.

[failos]

Yes

[mmc]

I haven't been into baseball for that long, only casually since 2007 and not a serious follower until about 2013, so my answer will be 2015.  After the amazing season in 2014, I thought this team was entering their contention window with Trout that would last for a long time, only to miss the playoffs entirely in 2015 finishing only 3 games above .500.  In a way, all of the ones since then might be more disappointing on the surface level, but relative to my hopes and expectations, 2015 takes the cake.

[Bronson]

Damn, Jim Abbott with that 2-18 record... and 7+ era....

[Bronson]

59 minutes ago, mmc said:

I haven't been into baseball for that long, only casually since 2007 and not a serious follower until about 2013, so my answer will be 2015.  After the amazing season in 2014, I thought this team was entering their contention window with Trout that would last for a long time, only to miss the playoffs entirely in 2015 finishing only 3 games above .500.  In a way, all of the ones since then might be more disappointing on the surface level, but relative to my hopes and expectations, 2015 takes the cake.

As I remember correctly we started out like really strong that season and blew it in the end... 

 

but I’m also really high right now and maybe I’m thinking of something else entirely.

[Bronson]

3 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Ill start with 2003. But injuries sank them. So its understandable.

2004. Same with injuries, but also Boston becoming a monster. So its understandable. 

2008..... that one sucked... laying down for Boston.

2013... Pujols once again being a letdown, hamilton collapsing...

Tie between 2008 and 13 i think.

2013 was so disappointing.... that team should have won the WS on paper.

[Bronson]

2 hours ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

I thought we were gonna win 100 games in 2012. That was a mess of under achievers.

Yeah but 2013 was so much worse.

[Bronson]

1 hour ago, failos said:

Yes

I agree. I’m really high right now.

[Jason]

This is very tough as there have been so many disappointing seasons in recent years 

[eligrba]

The year Donnie Moore served up the Henderson homerun.

[Redondo]

27 minutes ago, eligrba said:

The year Donnie Moore served up the Henderson homerun.

That was a very sad moment and season

[Torridd]

I think I was bummed with the performances of several of the next-year playoff teams that bombed: 1983, 1987, 2003. And then there was 2013: we just got Hamilton and the year before, Pujols and Wilson, and totally bombed. That really hurt.

[tchula]

The choke year was pretty awful.  And like you the following year I was expecting a huge rebound and we just shit ourselves.  Those are two very disappointing years.  Also, the year we got Hamilton.  Also, three years ago,  I was expecting the Angels to completely erupt and we got off to a great start.  Of course, then everything fell apart

[Justin]

2012 and nothing else is remotely close. Added Pujols and Wilson before the season started... Trout had a rookie season for the ages... picked up Greinke in July ... and still finished in third place. A rotation of Greinke, Weaver, Wilson, Santana, and Haren, and they still couldn’t make the postseason. 

It was a disgusting season in and of itself, but what compounded the frustration is that I had moved to New York City at the start of the season. I disliked it there and I had no friends, but I thought ‘At least I will be able to watch this amazing Angels team every night.’

And they repeatedly let me down. Whether it was the game at Texas where Sosh chose not to pinch run Bourjos for Morales and the latter got thrown out at home (the Angels blew a 6-run lead during the first nine innings and then blew a 3-run lead in the 10th inning), or the team blowing an 8-0 lead to the Rays at home the night they honored the 2002 team, it was just one kick in the balls after another.

[Justin]

46 minutes ago, tchula said:

Also, three years ago,  I was expecting the Angels to completely erupt and we got off to a great start.  Of course, then everything fell apart

That was the most frustrating year for me, because we finally appeared to have a rotation with all the guys back from their 2016 TJ surgeries, plus we added Ohtani. Then the team raced out to the 13-3 start and we all thought Okay! THIS is what we’ve been waiting years for... only to watch it all collapse. So frustrating. But in terms of “disappointing,” 2012 takes the cake. 

(I certainly remember the early 90s teams, including the ‘96 team Chuck mentioned, but I was young enough that I didn’t get that worked up about baseball back then. The only team that truly felt like life and death to me then was UCLA basketball, which is funny now for half a dozen reasons.)

[floplag]

No one year, but these last few have been my most frustrating times as a fan, especially the last two.
So much potential, wasted.
We should have been building for this window that we all knew was coming, and yet here we are back at square one having let it all slip away reusing to move forward.
In the past i got it, we did our best, we did what we could, yada yada yada, no certainty around Trouts future... but we now know, or should, that ownership can afford almost anything they want and yet were refusing to do what it takes to get to the next level.
The day we extended Trout i thought, wow here we go, locked him up now they will get the rest, now they will go off.  
Since that time, pure agony of expectation being drowned by reality.
right now for me is as down as i think ive ever been to be honest.  The team wont suck, it will fight for a playoff spot, but it could, and perhaps should, have been so much better by now.
Im going to get the debbie downers and meows but... thats how i feel.

[Angelsjunky]

Probably either 19xx or 20xx.

[oldguy]

1977 - We just signed Grich, Baylor, and Rudi and were favored to win the AL west.  Grich was signed to play shortstop, gets hurt (replaced by Rance Mulliniks), 5th place finish.

[Chuck]

3 hours ago, eligrba said:

The year Donnie Moore served up the Henderson homerun.

 

2 hours ago, Redondo said:

That was a very sad moment and season

All of that said, while the end result was heartbreaking that 1986 season was one of my favorites until the Donnie Moore HR and the eventual loss to the Red Sox in the ALCS. 

That was a great season. 

[gotbeer]

2010-present.  It's been a long ass season.  

[eligrba]

13 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

 

All of that said, while the end result was heartbreaking that 1986 season was one of my favorites until the Donnie Moore HR and the eventual loss to the Red Sox in the ALCS. 

That was a great season. 

Any fond reminiscing about the season was extinguished for me after learning about what Donnie Moore experienced during the season and afterward.  I always thought Donnie Moore's story was tragic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/10/the-myth-of-the-home-run-that-drove-an-angels-pitcher-to-suicide/247447/

 

[stormngt]

2 hours ago, Justin said:

2012 and nothing else is remotely close. Added Pujols and Wilson before the season started... Trout had a rookie season for the ages... picked up Greinke in July ... and still finished in third place. A rotation of Greinke, Weaver, Wilson, Santana, and Haren, and they still couldn’t make the postseason. 

It was a disgusting season in and of itself, but what compounded the frustration is that I had moved to New York City at the start of the season. I disliked it there and I had no friends, but I thought ‘At least I will be able to watch this amazing Angels team every night.’

And they repeatedly let me down. Whether it was the game at Texas where Sosh chose not to pinch run Bourjos for Morales and the latter got thrown out at home (the Angels blew a 6-run lead during the first nine innings and then blew a 3-run lead in the 10th inning), or the team blowing an 8-0 lead to the Rays at home the night they honored the 2002 team, it was just one kick in the balls after another.

Yes it was a disappointing season.   The Bullpen sucked.  We got Grienke at the trade deadline and Haren and Santana proceeded to suck.