Halos Heaven

Some notable mid-career additions to the Angels in the free agent era and their accomplishments thru their first 28 games with the team.

NOTES:

• Dave Winfield was acquired after 20 games of the season and these numbers are for his 48th game of the year.
• Mo Vaughn was injured early in the season and his 28th game as an Angel took place May 21st, 1999.
• Lyman Bostock felt his early numbers were so terrible that he asked Gene Autry to take back his April paycheck.
  

For a team that is playing in its 53rd season, the Angels have had more no-hitters than one would assume. Here is my breakdown and some analysis of how tonight's game steers the 2012 Angels in the right direction.

Six pitchers have been involved in nine no-hitters over the years for the club. Jered Weaver became the seventh on the list and added the tenth to club lore. Check out this eclectic list...

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It is time for Top Grooming Moments in Angels History...

Instead of writing about an underachieving bunch of louts, let's look back on a more pressing historical question: Who had the greatest mustache in Angels history? I had to make the executive decision and remove Willie Fraser and Dave LaRoche from the running and even though Bryan Harvey's Mustache has its VERY OWN BLOG, I made this competition between to all-time franchise greats: Garret Anderson and Bobby Grich.

Before you vote in the poll, check after the jump and consider their contributions to grooming ...

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The Angels signed Shortstop Erick Aybar to a contract extension thru the 2016 season. The deal will pay him over $8 million a year for his Age 29-32 seasons, that is if you believe everything you read when you see that he is reported to have been born January 14, 1984.

Aybar has already accomplished quite a bit as an Angel. He holds a few top ten franchise offensive production numbers:

• His 29 triples as an Angel ranks 7th. Darin Erstad had 30 triples under the halo in over 3,300 more Plate Appearances than Aybar.
• His 45 sacrifice hits ranks 9th in club history.
• Despite a reputation for basepath blunders he has been a superlative base stealer. In 2,429 Plate Appearances as an Angel, legendary speedster Devon White recorded a successful stolen base percentage of 74.55% ...Aybar is a mere .02% behind Devo with a 74.53% stolen base success rate, good for 9th all time in club history. Chone Figgins ranks 10th with 74.47 in 4,075 PA as an Angel. With a minimum of 1,500 PA, the all-time leader in club history is current Rangers 1B coach Gary Pettis with a 79.83% success rate in 2,156 PA under the Halo.

Aybar's 2,420 Plate Appearances as an Angel are exactly 100 PA behind the 2,520 Angels PA accrued by legendary fan favorite David Eckstein. Let's look at what these two amassed in almost exactly the same amount of playing time:

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After the Rangers won the division, the Angels went out into the offseason and awarded the biggest contract in club history to an All Star MVP 1B who is acclimated to wearing red. The club gets tons of press, sells thousands more tickets and lots more merchandise. His big debut is opening night at Angel Stadium on April 6.

Tell me the coincidences end there.

If the second batter of tomorrow night's game pops foul to visiting dugout territory, Albert Pujols has someone to thank for the railings there. But unlike the drizzly night of April 6, 1999 there are plenty of friggin' flags flyin' in the outfield, the home uniforms look great and the forecast is for clear skies over Anaheim.

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Let's organize the 2012 Angels opening day roster by the people in the organization ultimately responsible for acquiring the players. Scouting directors get the amateur talent credited to their term. General Managers get the major league free agent signings and trades.

Donny Rowland (Scouting Director: November 1999 thru August 2003)
Signed Ervin Santana
Signed Erick Aybar
Signed Rich Thompson
Drafted Kevin Jepsen
Drafted Howie Kendrick
Drafted Bobby Wilson

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Last night's Game Thread was rocking. Will you be posting tonight?

Roll Call: Angelsfan015, BrownLunchSack, angelsfan7, AndyHogan14, Darth Duane, tanana40, NJinHB, mattwelch, angelslogic, UK Halo, GutterDem0n, Captain Thailand, ~MMP~, ryanfea, halosfan4ever, red floyd, ItCouldHappen, ladybug, salmonforever, clover_black, weaver_is_my_daddy, Rev Halofan, Henderson-Sports 06, migfig, the king of CERA, Halowitz, HÅLOED_BE_THY_GÅME, MH252525, RED SOX are #1 in my heart, Oxygen48, Quad Fin Rider, Twenty Twenty Hindsight, bc56274, opiejeanne, TheGodofRuns, OMAHALO FAN, Raaddad, justaguy92320, SLOfan, Moondoggy, Unclearnie, river-z, Commander_Nate, BrentSchmidt, DAD OF VLAD, HaloDanO, K3YEROUT, Rally Manatee
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