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Los Angeles Angels All-Time Team
The Angels joined the AL as an expansion team in 1961. It took them quite a long time to have much success: in fact, they didn't even finish second in their division until 1979 when they won the AL West crown. They repeated that again in 1982 and 1986, though couldn't seem to go to the next level. It wasn't until 2002 that they finally did so, winning the World Series in seven games over the Giants. It was Mike Scioscia's third year as their manager, and he has continued to lead them well since then as they took the AL West title in both 2004 and 2005 as well.
While post season success for the franchise has been, until recently, relatively elusive, they have plenty of great players over the years. As you will see, their All-Time Team would be quite competitive with other expansion-era clubs.
1st Base:
The starter is a tough decision, but I'll go with Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew (.314, 6 AS). Although his career was winding down when he was traded to the Angels from the Twins before the 1979 season, he was still a fine singles hitter. He only played over 140 games once in seven years for LA, and his speed was in decline, but he hit over .300 five times, including .331 in 1980 and .339 in 1983, and was still selected as an All-Star six times.
Although I still associate Wally Joyner (.286, 1 AS) with the Angels, he actually played less than half his career there. He started with a bang in 1986, his first year in the majors, hitting .290 with 22 HR and 100 RBI. His next was even better, as he hit .285 but with 34 HR and 117 RBI. But then his power numbers tailed off his next four years, and he was granted free agency after the 1991 season and signed by the Royals. He eventually returned for his last season in 2001, but only hit .243 in 148 at-bats. You could make a case for him as the starter, but I'll go with Carew.
J.T. Snow (.258, 2 GG) only played four years for the Angels, with his best being 1995 when he hit .289 with 24 HR and 102 RBI. He won two gold gloves for them, but didn't stay long enough to merit much thought here. And Darin Erstad played more games in the OF than at 1B, so he'll be considered at that position instead.
2nd Base:
Bobby Grich (.269, 154 HR, 3 AS) started his career as an Oriole, but had some of his finest seasons as an Angel. Although his gold-gloves all came with Baltimore, he nonetheless provided the Angels superb defense. He also gave them power at a position that usually lacked it during that era, hitting double-digit HRs seven years in a row. His best offensive season was 1979 when he hit .294 with 30 HR and 101 RBI.
The backup spot isn't as easy to choose. Adam Kennedy (.280, 116 SB) has been a steady but unspectacular performer in recent years, providing a decent average and (twice over .300) and consistent speed (12-22 SB in each of six seasons). Bobby Knoop (.240, 1 AS, 3 GG) played over 800 games at 2B for the Angels in the mid and late 1960s, and hit 17 HR with 72 RBI for them in 1966. He was a great defender, but struck out a lot and had a low batting average. And Sandy Alomar Sr. (.248, 139 SB, 1 AS) was the regular 2B for the club during the early 1970s. Also a fairly low-average hitter, when he did get on base he swiped bases: 18-39 per season in his five full years with the team. This is a close decision, but I'll go with Kennedy as the backup.
3rd Base:
Slugger Troy Glaus (.253, 182 HR, 3 AS) has earned the top spot at the hot corner, even though he lost parts of 2003 and 2004 to injury. His 47 HR in 2000 led the league, and he hit 29, 41, and 30 in other seasons in Anaheim. He also had three consecutive 100+ RBI seasons, and even swiped 10+ bases each year too.
Until Glaus came along, Doug DeCinces (.265, 130 HR, 1 AS) would have been the clear starter here. Also a provider of power, he hit 16-30 HRs in each of his six seasons in California. 1982 was his best year for them, hitting .301 with 30 HR and 97 RBI.
Nobody else really comes close. Carney Lansford (.280) started his fine career with three seasons for the Angels, but has his best seasons elsewhere. And Jack Howell (.241) played parts of nine seasons for the Angels, mostly as a 3B, but was a low average hitter with only moderate power.
Shortstop:
Jim Fregosi (6 AS, 1 GG) was with the team during the inaugural season in 1961 and was the SS for them until after the 1971 season when he was traded to the Mets for four players, one of whom had the name Nolan Ryan. But even aside from his value to the team in leaving it, he provided both good defense and some pop in his bat, hitting 10+ HR five times. In 1970 he hit .278 with 22 HR and 82 RBI.
It is a very close call for the backup. Dick Schofield (.232, 99 SB) was a light-hitting shortstop for the Angels from the mid 1980s through the early 90s. He had some speed, swiping around 20 bases a year from 1986-88. Taking over for Schofield in 1992 was Gary DiSarcina (.258, 1 AS), an even lighter offensive force. This is virtually a draw, but I'll go with Schofield by a hair. Speedy David Eckstein (.278) seemed on his way to breaking up this tie, but after four solid seasons he was lost to free agency after the 2004 season.
Catcher:
Backstop has never been a particularly strong position for the Angels. Bob Boone (.245, 1 AS, 4 GG) was an outstanding defensive catcher, even in the latter half of his career which is when he played in LA. He was a very light hitter, but his value was all in his defense.
Benjie Molina (.273, 2 GG) is also a great defender, as his two gold-glove awards attests. He has more pop in his bat than Boone did, thus far hitting 10+ HRs four times, and batting .295 in 2005. His resume is already good enough to garner the backup spot on this roster.
The only other candidate was Buck Rodgers (.232), who played his entire career for the Angels, before spending many years as a manager for the Expos, Brewers, and eventually the Angels too.
Outfield:
The OF and DH positions have often been where some of the best Angels players could be found, so there are plenty of good candidates to consider here. The first of the six to be chosen will be Garret Anderson (.296, 232 HR, 1094 RBI, 3 AS), a lifetime Angel who at this point has played in more games and has more at-bats than anyone else for the club. A good hitter right away, it took a few years for his run-producing capabilities to mature. But in his sixth full season he belted 35 HR with 117 RBI, and then had three more seasons in a row with HR totals of 28, 29, and 29, and RBI totals of 123, 123, and 116. Also a good doubles hitter, he had 56 in 2002 and 49 in 2003.
Tim Salmon (.282, 296 HR, 1008 RBI) is another lifetime Angels power hitter. He's had five seasons with 30+ HR, and another three with 20+. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1993 after hitting .283 with 31 HR and 95 RBI. His best two seasons were 1995 when he hit .330 with 34 HR and 105 RBI, and 1997 when he hit .296 with 33 HR and 129 RBI. He is surely one of the best players never to appear in an All-Star game since the institution of that mid-summer contest.
Brian Downing (.271, 222 HR, 846 RBI, 1 AS) came up primarily as a catcher for the White Sox in the early 1970s. After being traded to the Angels in a multiplayer deal (that sent Bobby Bonds to Chicago), he continued to catch for a few more years before switching to just the OF, and eventually to just DH. Playing in California for 13 seasons, he hit 20+ HR six times, and scored 100+ runs twice. He was of a rare breed, leading off one day and batting cleanup the next.
Darin Erstad (.286, 114 HR, 170 SB, 2 AS, 3 GG) is another lifetime Angel, and longtime teammate of Anderson and Salmon. A different style of player, he provides some power but also some speed as he has five times had 20+ stolen bases. By far his best season was 2000 when he busted out for a .355 average, 240 hits, 121 runs, 25 HR, 100 RBI, and 28 SB. Defensively he has excelled at both 1B and CF, winning gold gloves at each.
Chili Davis (.279, 156 HR, 1 AS) had two stints with the Angels, first from 1988-90, then again from 1993-96. He hit 20+ HR in six of those seven seasons, and hit over .300 twice. Although much of his at-bats came as a DH, Charles Theodore's resume is good enough to give him the fifth OF spot on this roster.
Jim Edmonds (.290, 121 HR, 1 AS, 2 GG) started his career with the Angels, and after two partial seasons had four full and productive ones, and then one shortened by a shoulder injury. Although his most impressive offensive numbers have since come with the Cardinals, he did hit 25+ HR in his four full seasons in LA, and always hit .290+. Plus he provided highlight-film quality defense in centerfield.
But these six choices means several fine players are left off. The most obvious is Don Baylor (.262, 141 HR, 1 AS) who played OF and DH for the Angels from 1977-82. He had 20+ HR four times during that span, and won the MVP award in 1979 after hitting .296, with 36 HR, 22 SB, 120 R, and 139 RBI. Reggie Jackson (.239, 123 HR, 3 AS) was an aging star when he joined the Angels in 1982, but still managed to lead the league with 39 HR that year. He hit another 84 over the next four seasons, while getting most of his at-bats as the team's DH.
Luis Polonia (.294, 174 SB) only played in LA for 3+ years, but had impressive SB seasons of 48, 51, and 55. Devon White (.247, 123 SB, 1 AS, 2 GG) started his career with the Angels, and had four full seasons for them. He provided some power, and solid speed, stealing 44 bases in 1989. He was a superb defender, but his average was low as he struckout a lot. Another speedster, Gary Pettis (.242, 186 SB), was similar in some respects to White, though he lacked any power. He too struck out a lot, but stole plenty of bases in his four full seasons with the club, including high seasons of 48, 56, and 50.
After the strike-shortened 1981 campaign, Fred Lynn (.271, 3 AS) played three full years with the Angels, hitting 20+ HR in each of them, and making the All-Star team each year. Mickey Rivers (.280, 126 SB), after limited playing time during his first four years in the majors, had two full seasons with the Angels in which he stole 30 and then a whopping 70 bases in 1975.
And going way back to the beginning, you'll find Leon Wagner (.279, 2 AS) to be the first star player the Angels had. He played in LA from 1961-63, hitting 28, 37, and 26 HR respectively. Indeed, his 1962 campaign was good enough for fourth in the AL MVP balloting.
Starting Pitching:
Legendary strikeout pitcher Nolan Ryan (138-121, 3.07, 2416 K in 2181.3 IP, 5 AS) gets the nod as the ace of this staff. In his eight seasons as an Angel, he twice won 20+ games, and two other times had 19. He was a workhorse, completing 20 or more games in five seasons, and regularly pitching 280 or more innings. But his most impressive statistics were his leading the league in strikeouts seven of these eight seasons, including five with 300+ and an amazing record of 383 in 1973. And he did all of that while pitching for mostly losing Angel ballclubs (6 out of 8 seasons).
Chuck Finley (165-140, 3.72, 2151 K in 2675 IP, 4 AS) was not as flashy as Nolan, but was nonetheless the ace of the Angels staff for most of his major league career. He never won more than 18 games for them, but did win 15-18 six times. He never led the league in any major pitching categories, but he did place second in ERA in both 1989 (2.57) and 1990 (2.40).
Mike Witt (109-107, 3.76, 2 AS) started in 1981 and played in LA until he was traded in May of 1990 to the Yankees for Dave Winfield. During that time he was a pretty steady performer, notching 15+ wins four times. His best year was 1986 when he went 18-10 with a 2.84 ERA to help lead the team to the playoffs.
Frank Tanana (102-78, 3.08, 3 AS) was the other good strikeout pitcher for the team in the 1970s. He notched 15+ wins four times, and struck out 200+ hitters three times. His 1975-77 seasons sported ERAs of 2.62, 2.43, and 2.54, with the last one leading the league.
Mark Langston (88-74, 3.97, 3 AS, 5 GG) pitched five full seasons and three partial ones for the Angels during the 1990s. He had 15+ wins three times, and excelled with an 19-8 mark and a 3.00 ERA in 1991. He also defended his position very well, capturing five gold gloves while in California.
Dean Chance (74-66, 2.83, 1 AS) was the first real ace the Angels ever had. He had several fine seasons, but 1964 was by far his best, as he went 20-9 with a 1.65 ERA, both of which led the league and earned him Cy Young Award honors.
The last spot for starters will go to Clyde Wright (87-85, 3.28, 1 AS), who pitched most of his career for the Angels, but was only a regular in their rotation from 1970-73. His best effort was in 1970 when he went 22-12 with a 2.83 ERA.
This leaves out several candidates who were worthy of consideration. Kirk McCaskill (78-74, 3.86) pitched for LA from 1985-91, winning 15+ games twice. One-armed wonder Jim Abbott had two stints with the Angels, from 1989-92, and then from 1995-96. His best season was 1991 when he posted an 18-11 record and a 2.89 ERA.
Two earlier starters deserve mention. Rudy May (51-76, 3.67) who was in the rotation for six seasons, but never won more than 12 games for them. And Andy Messersmith (59-47, 2.78, 13 SV, 1 AS) pitched for five seasons in LA, including a 20-13 record in 1971 with a 2.99 ERA.
And lastly, it looked like Jarrod Washburn (75-57, 3.93) might work his way onto this roster, before leaving town for the Mariners after the 2005 season. In 2002 he posted an 18-6 mark with a 3.15 ERA.
Relief Pitching:
Troy Percival (29-38, 2.99, 316 SV, 4 AS) spent only one year as a setup man before taking over as the Angels closer. At that point, he had 27 or more saves every year for nine straight years. His best season was likely 2002, when he had 40 saves and a 1.92 ERA.
Bryan Harvey (16-20, 2.49, 126 SV, 1 AS) was the Angels' closer from 1988-92. In 1991 he led the league in Saves with 46, and had an amazing 1.60 ERA to go with it.
Francisco Rodriguez (14-11, 2.47, 84 SV, 1 AS) burst onto the scene late in the 2002 season. He struck out 12 batters in only 5.7 innings, while allowing no runs to cross the plate. This earned him a prominent role in the postseason, where he pitched brilliantly in all three series. In 18.7 innings he struckout 28 batters, while allowing only 10 hits and 4 earned runs, collecting a 5-1 record in relief. When the 2003 season began, he was still behind Percival in the bullpen depth chart, so he spent two years as a setup man. In 2004 he was again dominant, striking out 123 batters in 84 innings and posting a 1.82 ERA. This allowed the Angels to not resign Percival as a free-agent, and give the closer's job to Frankie. He didn't disappoint either, leading the league in saves with 45, while striking out 91 in 67.3 innings and posting a 2.67 ERA. Even with limited experience, he already deserves a spot on this all-time roster.
I considered a few others, including early reliever Bob Lee (20-16, 1.99, 58 SV, 1 AS) who was the Angels closer from 1964-66, with Save totals of 19, 23, and 16, and ERAs of 1.51, 1.92, and 2.74.
Also deserving mention is Donnie Moore (19-17, 2.75, 61 SV, 1 AS), who pitched well as the Angels regular season closer in 1985-86. But his collapse in the 1986 postseason, and his downward spiral after that, spelled the end of his career a few years later, and the end of his life (by suicide) in 1989.
Extra Spot:
There were several close decisions, but they were mostly between not-very-impressive candidates. So I'll go with Don Baylor, partly on the strength of his 1979 MVP season.
Team Captain:
This isn't an easy honor to give, but I'll go with pitcher Nolan Ryan. You could make a case for several others, most notably Grich, Fregosi, Anderson, Salmon, Finley, and Percival.
Starting Lineup
Rod Carew 1B
Bobby Grich 2B
Garret Anderson OF
Tim Salmon OF
Troy Glaus 3B
Brian Downing OF
Jim Fregosi SS
Bob Boone C
Nolan Ryan SP
Since they have had a DH for most of their existence, it makes sense to envision their lineup with one, and there are lots of possibilities. One would be to play Erstad at 1B or OF, and then move Carew or Downing to DH. Or you could get Joyner's or Davis' bat in the lineup this way too.
Prospects for Current Players:
What are the prospects of current Angels players making this all-time team? Anderson, Salmon, Erstad, Kennedy, and Rodriguez are on the roster already. The most obvious candidate to join them is superstar OF Vlad Guerrero, who has so far had two outstanding seasons for LA. Another possibility would be utility speedster Chone Figgins, though it'd be interesting to see at what position he makes it. And for pitching, John Lackey has shown potential. We'll see...
Other Lists
Angels Retired Numbers (players only)
Jim Fregosi (11), Rod Carew (29), Nolan Ryan (30)
2003 Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups
Neyer's starting lineup is nearly the same as mine, with two exceptions in choosing Joyner over Carew as the starter at 1B, and splitting the OF by position which means Edmonds plays in CF flanked by Downing and Salmon. With Molina not really a candidate yet after the 2002 season, Rodgers is the sensible choice as the backup backstop. Ditto for Knoop over Kennedy at 2B. His OF reserves are Anderson in LF, Lynn in CF, and Bobby Bonds in RF. With Baylor and Davis listed as the two designated hitters, these selections are reasonable. About Bonds he notes that while Bobby didn't even play two full seasons for the Angels, the RF position has been very unstable for them over the years, which is certainly true.
For pitching he lists Finley first, then Ryan, Tanana, and Witt. His next four are solid too: Chance, Langston, Wright, and McCaskill. And Percival and Harvey are the two obvious closers.
1985 The
All-Time All-Star Baseball Book by Bart Acocella,
Nick Acocella, and Donald Dewey
Written in 1985, the authors had barely two decades to draw on for their lineup. The infield is the same as mine, except Lansford at 3B. That is reasonable, since DeCinces was only midway through his Angels career at the time. For outfielders they list Baylor, Jackson, and Leon Wagner, though they admit that "Another good year from Brian Downing would squeeze him somewhere into the outfield." I would have already given him the spot over Wagner.
1995 Baseball
Ratings by Charles S. Faber
Written in 1995, the most recent stars would not
have yet been eligible. The Faber system produces a strong infield of Carew, Grich, Fregosi, DeCinces, and Boone. The outfield has Brian Downing and Don Baylor, but between them is Albie Pearson, who played five mediocre seasons for the Angels during their earliest years.
TheBaseballPage.com (link)
This website (as of May 2006) selects Joyner and Snow at 1B, because Carew makes the Twins roster. Grich is at 2B, Fregosi is at SS, and Glaus is at 3B, with no backups listed for each. The lone LF is Downing, with Erstad and Edmonds in CF, and Anderson, Davis, and Salmon in RF. With Boone on the all-time Phillies team, the catchers here are Rodgers and Molina. Baylor makes the team as a DH.
For pitching, the starters are listed as Ryan, Langston, Messersmith, Finley, and Chance. Abbott and May make it as extras in the pen. Frank Tanana makes the Tigers team, so his ommission here is explained. But I think a disservice has been done to Witt, McCaskill, and Wright by choosing Messersmith, Abbott, and May ahead of them. The true relievers are a good crop: Percival, Dave LaRoche (who pitched in 304 games for the Angels), Harvey, Rodriguez, and Moore.
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