While the Angels won the American League West for the fifth time in six years, it's their work off the field that is equally admirable.
The Angels organization is active throughout the year in the local community with the Angels Baseball Foundation, which was founded in 2004 under owner Arte Moreno.
The foundation focuses on initiatives aimed to create and improve education, healthcare, arts and sciences, and community-related youth programs throughout the region, in addition to providing children the opportunity to experience baseball and all of its positive attributes.
"The mission statement primarily focuses on kids," said Mark Merhab, the chairman of the Angels Baseball Foundation. "Almost anything that has to do with youth and improving their lives, we're all for it."
The main focus for the Angels charity work is to benefit the youth of the local area as many of the fundraisers provide money to award grants to youth organizations and schools around the area.
The Halos raise that money through events such as the Angels Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame Golf Classic, held on Nov. 11. It's the foundation's biggest fundraiser and features several former Angels such as Bobby Grich, Doug DeCinces and Jim Abbott.
The money raised from this event helps the Angels fund programs such as adopting five local elementary schools and five local high schools to provide them with grants for school programs, along with visits from the Angels.
The Halos also select five Angels Scholars each season to award local middle school students $4,000 (plus accrued interest) upon their acceptance into a four-year college. This was the fifth year of the program, which was special because it marked the first class of Angels Scholars entering college.
And some of the organizations that the foundation supports are Anaheim Memorial Hospital, Orange Coast Memorial Hospital, Children's Hospital & Health Systems Foundation, Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, the Orange County Burn Association and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
The foundation also helps the local branches of nationwide youth programs such as the Boys & Girls Club and the United Way, as well as local programs like Little Leagues throughout the area and the Angels' Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) team.
But the one common thread among all of their efforts is that players and coaches make appearances at many of the local events, which means a lot to the children and families at those events.
"The kids definitely identify with them," Merhab said. "The players are celebrities to the kids and they really look up to them. So we're fortunate enough to have a great group of guys, who also do a lot on their own."
Several players also have their own charity programs, such as pitcher Joe Saunders, who hosted Saunders Suite Nights at Angel Stadium, which allows selected families from Children's Hospital Orange County to meet with Saunders on the field before the game and then watch the game in a suite.
Outfielder Torii Hunter also is active in the community with the Torii Hunter Project Educational Initiative, which provides college scholarships and character development for students in Anaheim, Pine Bluff, Las Vegas and Minneapolis. For his efforts, he was the recipient of the Branch Rickey Award and was the team's representative for the Roberto Clemente Award.
But many other players and coaches, including manager Mike Scioscia, make visits at events throughout the year.
One such event is coming soon, as the annual Children's Holiday Party will be held on Dec. 16 at Angel Stadium with preselected children from local organizations attending the event.
Last year, several players such as Jered Weaver and John Lackey attended the event, as well as general manager Tony Reagins and Scioscia.
It's all part of the Halos' efforts during the holiday season, as their eighth annual Groundskeeper Canned Food Drive was held last week with fans allowed to take batting practice, shag fly balls or throw off the bullpen mounds with every donation.
So while the holiday season is often identified with giving, the Angels community efforts are year round.
