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Los Angeles Angels
Overall: 28
Title track: T26
Ownership: 73
Coaching: 41
Players: 31
Fan relations: 28
Affordability: 11
Stadium experience: 29
Bang for the buck: 28
Change from last year: -13
After finishing as the fans' favorite MLB team last year, the Angels suffered a bit of a dip in 2015. Perhaps that's a reflection of last year's disappointing three-and-out AL Division Series loss to the Royals -- or frustration with a team that struggled most of the season to get over .500 (voting was completed before the team started that late push for the second Wild Card spot, but even that fell just short). Either way, the last time the Angels fell out of the top 25, they had a big rebound the next year, jumping to first overall. The best this year's squad can hope for is a similar turnaround.
What's good
The Angels are still among sports' most affordable teams, voted third-most affordable in MLB -- their average cost per game is several dollars below league average, thanks to cheaper-than-average beer and merchandise. And the fans appreciate the experience (29th): Angel Stadium hasn't finished outside the top four in the AL in attendance since 2002. They also love their club's roster -- at 31st, only seven MLB teams rank higher. Of course, you would too, if Mike Trout played for your team.
What's bad
Not surprisingly, the franchise's lowest ranking by far came in ownership. Owner Arte Moreno overruled management in the Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton contracts, two huge deals for declining players that have cut deeply into the team's payroll. After Hamilton relapsed last offseason, Moreno was so upset that he dumped the outfielder in the third year of his $125 million contract, with the Angels paying $83 million to the Rangers just to get rid of him. Meanwhile, general manager Jerry Dipoto resigned in the wake of renewed friction with manager Mike Scioscia, who resisted much of the analytics data supplied by Dipoto and his staff (and who apparently has the fans on his side, ranking a respectable 41st).
What's new
Fan relations took the biggest drop (down 12 spots), perhaps a side effect of frustration starting to set in with coaches and players. The offense largely collapsed this season, just a year after the Angels scored the most runs in the majors and won 98 games (this year, they ranked 20th, and won 85). Even worse, with a farm system rated among the worst in the majors and a bloated payroll, the Angels will be hard-pressed to find players to support Trout -- or move up in these rankings -- in the near future.
Next: Washington Nationals | Full rankings