After the 2005 season, we compiled a list of the Top 100 Angels of All Time. There was never any doubt that Tim Salmon would be #1. READ OUR WRITEUP FROM THEN.
Since that tribute was published, Tim came back and contributed greatly to the 89-Win 2006 squad. He finished his career in the final game of that season in the on-deck circle in the bottom of the 10th inning with 299 career HRs under his belt. In a way, he will always be there.
With all of the success that the Angels have had this decade it is most important to underscore that in addition to being at or near the top of every statistical category - rate stats AND counting stats, that when Tim Salmon was in his first postseason, he showed up and made it count.
Had Vlad carried us all the way this year, maybe the argument is tougher to make. If Garret Anderson had higher rate stats in addition to all of his counting stats, perhaps the argument swings away from the Kingfish. If Nolan Ryan or Jim Fregosi had played an integral role in getting the team a ring, they would certainly challenge Timmy for his spot on this list.
But they did not. And Tim did. If Luck is when prearedness meets opportunity, then Timmy was just lucky. But when he hit that homerun in Game 2... dude, it was DESTINY.
My personal greatest moment as an Angels fan was seeing him race around the warning track with the American League Championship trophy in his hand showing it to every one of us. And to think that they were just getting started.
Up through 2002 at midnight every New Year's eve I wondered "Is this the year they finally do it?!?!" But because, among many Angels, Tim Salmon showed up when the postseason opportunity presented itself, we can all have our new years wishes, hopes and dreams to ourselves.
Happy New Year Everyone, may the Halo shine in your hearts all year.
Why is Vladimir Guerrero the #2 Angel of All Time?
Well first, let's ask why is he not the #1 Angel of All Time?
Vlad holds more franchise rate stat records (Batting Avg., Slugging %, OPS, Offensive Win %) than Tim Salmon (our obvious choice for #1 Angel of All Time). But Tim has more than twice the number of Plate Appearances and a ring.
Against our #3 Angel, Brian Downing, Vlad trounces Downing's rate stats.
Like our #4 Angel, Nolan Ryan, Vlad was the defining player of his Angels generation, more than just the face of the franchise, but the player that transformed how people thought about the Angels. And Vlad did not jsut paly every 4th day.
Vlad ranked 16th All Time Angel after the 2005 season (LINK to STORY) and only 1,274 Plate Appearances. With just over 3,300 at present, he is undeniably the most important player from this team in their most important and accomplished decade.
IN our post-2005 season Top 100 Angels, Brian Downing Ranked #3 and he occupies that spot again in our Post -2008 Top 100 Angels Rankings. Here is a re-posting of our 2006 presentation of Brian's case for Angel Mount Rushmore.
#3 Brian Downing, C, OF, DH
From the kid from La Mirada in the wireframe glasses, Brian, thanks for everything.
Brian Downing was a core offensive contributor to three Western Division titles for the Angels. Recent research by Angel Lifer Matt Welch indicates that in 1979, Downing had the best season ever by an Angels Catcher, as well as the 3rd Best in 1978. Realizing his offensive prowess, and minimizing the injury risk (that curtailed his 1980 and 81 seasons), the club switched him to the outfield. Having been integral to the 79 title, he then helps bring home the 82 Western crown. In 1986 he is in the middle of everything that winning season.
Looking back on Brian:
Rich Lederer picked Downing #5 all-time:
Downing was a solid performer for 13 seasons... top three in G, AB, R, H, HR, RBI, and BB ...a hustling, overachieving, fan favorite.
Read more of Rich Lederer at his Baseball Analysts site.
Brent Carter picked Downing #4:
It feels unfair to put Downing at number four. He played so hard, for so long and with such great productivity. It still makes me sad to think that the reward of playing in a World Series eluded this great, great Angel. I still have yet to see a player match Downing in his focused intensity. Even a player like Pete Rose, who had incredible intensity as well, often seemed out of control. Downing had a way of channeling his incredible desire to win and this desire helped him maximize the natural gifts he had, which were undoubtedly less than many players whose career numbers don't compare to Downing's. I can't think of a player who got more out of what he had than Downing. This is also a testament to his tirelessness and hard work (spending hours in his home batting cage).
The greatest single at bat I've ever seen is still a battle Downing had one night at the Big A with one time Oriole ace reliever Greg Olson, whose wicked, filthy slider Downing must have fouled off six or seven times. Olson also had an incredible fastball, which Downing also fouled off several times. As I remember, the Angels had made a bit of a rally and the O's brought in Olson in the bottom of the 9th to shut the door. Downing eventually flied out to center, but the fact that he battled and battled, fouling off pitch after pitch, when must other mortals would have been out on three pitches of this wicked stuff, has never left my mind.
The Chronicler also picked Downing #4:
I think one of the great things about Downing is how he was never supposed to be as good as he was. When he was with the White Sox, he was a good hitter for a catcher, basically because of his walks; he had no power at all. When he came to the Angels, Downing started up a weight lifting routine. Nolan Ryan had done the same thing, of course, I don't know if that was connected (they were teammates in 1978-79). In 1979, Downing exploded, and never really looked back. He hit 326/418/462 -- his career highs had been 284/402/402, all in his last year in Chicago -- and did this mostly as a catcher (he caught 128 games, DH'ing in 18).
He was never quite that good again, but as he was 28 years old, that's somewhat to be expected. He got hurt in 1980, and in 1981 made the permanent shift from catcher to left field. He stayed there until 1988, when the Angels made him a full-time DH. Downing was huge on the 1982 team and the 1986 team. One of the other great things about him was that he could bat anywhere in the lineup -- Gene Mauch would bat him leadoff or cleanup. He always had a great eye, and when he bulked up, the power was something.
The Angels unceremoniously released him after the 1990 season - all he had done was hit 273/374/467, but he was 39 and had played in less than 100 games for the first time since 1981. So the Rangers picked him up and he put up two more years with OPS+'s in the mid-130s, and then called it a career.
The Angel main DHs in 1991 and 1992 were Dave Parker and Hubie Brooks, who put up OPS+ marks of 72 and 62, respectively, and combined for 19 home runs and 92 RBI -- in two years. Downing was understandably upset about how the Angels had treated him at the end, and has been a conspicuous absence as guys like Grich and DeCinces are still around. However, I did hear on the radio that he would be involved with an Angel Fantasy Camp, so hopefully Arte or someone has reached out to bring him back into the fold. He's the favorite Angel of a lot of longtime Halo fans, and it doesn't matter how many counting stats Garret Anderson puts up: Brian Downing is the greatest left fielder in franchise history, and it ain't close.
Read more of The Chronicler at his Chronicles of the Lads blog.
Downing was selected #2 Angel all time by the fortysoemthing set: Matt Welch, LA Seitz aka Shredder and yours truly, Rev Halofan.
#4 NOLAN RYAN, RH SP
Think about it for a minute or two.
Nolan Ryan was the Angels for the 1970s.
Can you think of another player who, had he not been an Angel, that the franchise itself might have folded or moved?
Nolan Ryan carried the team for almost a decade. Easily the greatest baseball player ever pitch in the Angels uniform, he sustained the fan base and the media attention in an otherwise empty decade.
He singlehandedly separated the team from the bottom two-thirds of the majors simply by showing up.
He was the first superstar. Only Vlad and Reggie come close to the electric greatness his very presence on the team meant.
Nolan Ryan's Single Season Angel Records:
22 Wins in 1974 (tied with Clyde Wright)
Fewest Hits Per 9IP:
5.26 in 1972
10.57 K/9 in 1973
332.2 IP in 1974
383 Ks in 1973
the all time Major League mark
41 Games Started in 1974
26 complete games in 1973
Of course, among the Single season leader boards, his name is speckled amidst all of these categories for many seasons, as well as being edged out for the leadership in a category by a player who se name only appears that once, while Ryan has as many as 7 of the Top Ten records in said category.
As far as leading the franchise, Ryan still holds some impressive records.
Nolan Ryan's Angel Franchise Records:
156 complete games
next closest, Frank Tanana with 92
40 Shutouts
next closest, Tanana with 24
2,416 strikeouts
Chuck Finley had 2,151 and Mike Witt had the 3rd most with 1,283
And these are just the categories in which Ryan holds the lead - he is all over the leaderboards in counting stats as well as averaged-out numbers.
The only thing bad about the guy that can be said is that he is not wearing an Angels cap in Cooperstown.
Angels essayist MATT WELCH WILL TAKE IT FROM HERE...
Read our post-2005 season Top 100 Angel writeup of Jim's impact on the Angels franchise.
#6 - BOBBY GRICH - 2B (1977 - 1986)
Bobby dropped from #4 to #6 on our 2005 Top 100 Angels feature but the words from that compilation all still apply...
The fact of Grich's greatness is best illustrated to me by what happened in his aftermath - Wilfong, McLemore, Johnny Ray for 3 years, Luis Sojo for 2, Lovullo, Reynolds, Easley, Velarde, Alicea, Baughman, and then, in 2000, 14 seasons later, Adam Kennedy.
Some Angel fans had plenty to say about the bat and glove of Bobby...
The Chronicler:
Here's Bobby Grich for you: in 4100 career at-bats with the Angels, he posted an OPS+ of 124. Troy Glaus' career OPS+ with the Angels was 119, and Tim Salmon's is 129. So Grich was, as a hitter, somewhere between Troy Glaus and Tim Salmon, only without the strikeouts. And he played defense like Adam Kennedy Plus. Bobby Grich was a Gold Glove second baseman who hit like a DH, and was a huge part of the Angels' first three Division Championship teams.
Read more of The Chronicler at his Chronicles of the Lads blog.
Rich Lederer:
Grich was the first inductee in the Angels HOF, and one of the greatest defensive 2B of all time. He combined fielding and hitting prowess as an Angel for 10 seasons.
Read more of Rich Lederer at his Peter Gammons-endorsed Baseball Analysts site.
Brent Carter:
Grich can claim some of the most dramatic hits in Halos history, especially the 9th Inning Home Run off Ron Guidry of the Yankees just prior to the All-Star break in `79, which finished off a weekend sweep of the two-time defending champions, in what was, for my money the greatest regular season series in Angels history. Any arguments? He also hit that big three-run homer against Boston in `86 in the infamous "Donnie Moore" game. There are just too many great memories of Grich to list them all. Players like Grich make being a fan a rewarding experience.
You can hear Brent call in to Angels Talk throughout the season, and he really let's them have it when he does.
If you are of the generation who became an Angels fan when Bobby was an Angel, Grich is synonymous with Second Base, and he is our #6 Angel of all time.
#7 GARRET ANDERSON - OF (1994-2008)
Garret Anderson is the epitome of Counting Stats and a cautionary tale of overvaluing them in the face of Rate Stats.
He might have been your favorite Angel, and he holds oh so many records. So many.
Games, At-Bats, Plate Appearances, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Singles, Doubles, RBI, Extra-Base-Hits, Times On Base and Sacrifice Flies
He is 2nd in Angels history in HR and stands 3rd in Triples.
That is pretty awesome and that is why he is a Top Ten Angel, that and his bases-clearing double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.
But many fans will grumble that topping all of those categories is a clear indicator that Garret should be ranked #1, or at least higher than #7. But those records listed above are due to his record 8,480 Plate Appearances. Where Garret's achievements are measured as a percentage, he holds no franchise records. But he is still a stud:
.296 Batting Average (3rd), .469 SLG, (5th), .796 OPS (10th), 226.9 WIn Shares (2nd)
So that is a Top 100 Angel and a Top 10 Angel, but despite all of his accomplishments as an Angel, his Win Shares per Plate Appearance was .026, similar to Don Baylor and a little lower than Rod Carew. But Anderson was critical in the 2002 season as well as helping to carry the team to the 2007 AL West title with a monstrous 2nd half.
And no matter what anyone tells you, he may have looked lazy in the field, but he was a damn good outfielder.
#8 CHUCK FINLEY - Pitcher - (1986-1999)
Chuck Finley was the final member of the 1986 American League Western Division Champion Angels to play for the team, and the final one to retire, pitching his final regular season game on September 28, 2002 - three days after the Angels had clinched the 2002 Wild Card.
He holds a few important franchise pitching records, chief among them being the winning pitcher more often than any other Angel.
165 Angel Wins
Most in team history
2,675 Innings Pitched
Most in team history
379 Games Started
Most in team history
Chuck was also in the Franchise Top Ten of many prominent pitching categories:
118 Adjusted ERA+
5th best for an Angel pitcher
1.92 K to BB Ratio
9th best for an Angel pitcher
14 Shutouts
Tied with George Brunet for 4th most in team history
57 Complete Games
4th most for an Angel pitcher
2,151 Strikeouts
2nd most by an Angel pitcher
7.24 K/9
3rd best rate for an Angel pitcher
.541 WL%
8th best in franchise history
Finley's sinkerball led to many a Wild Pitch (and he threw an Angel record of 117 of them). The dip in the ball was so great that batters would swing and miss as catchers dove for the ball and missed - which is bad enough except when men are on base or the uncaught strike was #3 - the sinker made him the only pitcher in baseball history to strike out 4 batters in an inning twice in his career.
Of his many single season records, the one that is most impressive is appearing three times in the Angel Single Season Top Ten Adjusted ERA+, the only Angel to be on it more than once. (144 in 1993, 148 in 1989, 160 in 1990 - 5th, 4th and 2nd respectively).
From start to finish, Finley's career epitomized the Southern California experience - he came her from somewhere else (Louisiana), quickly shaved the redneck `stache and grew his hair long (a mullet actually), it got blonde and he married an actress (or some kind of playmate B-List celebrity), left town and made the tabloids, came home and retired in style.
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