Top 100 Angels: Luis POLONIA #65
by Rev Halofan on Dec 14, 2008 11:45 PM PST
in 100 Top Angels
Email
PrintWhile the Angels had four lousy seasons 1990-93, they were made bearable by the exciting play of Luis Polonia. A speedy Left Fielder with League Average defense and a good batting average, Luis went from first to third (and 2nd to home) as well as any Angel I recall, and maximized the entertainment value of his speed (i.e., it was always a close and sloppy play when he dove in headfirst along with the throw).
Luis' .294 batting average is 3rd all time among Angels with more than 2,000 plate appearances.
He is 3rd all time in Angel Stolen Bases with 174
3 of his season totals in stolen bases land in the Angels Top Ten Single Season leaders.
While there are many players on this list who contributed to winning seasons, players like Polonia kept this fan interested in and excited about the franchise during some of its darkest days. In the big picture, that might be more important than being in the right place at the right time.
Conversely, it is unlikely Polonia would make a Top 100 list of Braves or Yankees, two teams on which he won the World Series (1995, 2000). So here is to Luis Polonia, the 65th Greatest Angel of them all.
9 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
and that strange resemblance to morris day!
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Dec 15, 2008 8:04 AM PST reply actions
angels uni :)
Go gettem next year, what have we got to lose--Frankie?
by AnaheimHalos61 on Dec 15, 2008 11:05 AM PST up reply actions
Polonia has that Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'abate/Chaka from Land of the Lost
look. Didn’t I see Luis on Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator?”
You ever feel as if your mind had started to erode?
Caught stealing and picked off
In 1991 at Angel home games that I went to Luis Polonia was either caught stealing or picked off in 5 out of 6 steal attempts. The one time Polonia successfully stole second base he was promptly picked off. These caught stealing/pick-offs were not in consecutive games played by the Angels. They were in consecutive Angel games that I went to. After that bad streak I wanted Polonia to keep his foot on the bag so that he could not be picked off!
Bret Butler was the Dodgers stolen base version of Polonia in the early 90’s. Butler and Polonia had seasons where they were successful stealing less than two-thirds of the time. That is the break-even point for base stealing. If you cannot surpass that you should not steal at all. Butler was a much better defensive outfielder than Polonia. There is no comparison there.
In April 1992 I stayed at the Polonia Hotel in Medan on Sumatra, Indonesia for two nights. I chose that hotel because of Luis Polonia.
This is a repeat of my Luis Polonia # 54 post from two years ago. I am not sure if Polonia failed 5 out of 6 times or 6 out of 7 times during that 1991 streak. When in doubt go with the lower numbers. I will have to research those games at Baseball Reference.com to find out for sure!
L.P.
One of my favorite players on baseball video games in the early 90s. I can’t recall what game it was, but I could consistently get bunt hits with players with a 9 or above speed, and I’d double bunt with Polonia (would make third on the second bunt) and Chad Curtis. Then, I’d double steal to score a run. Those Angel teams had good pitching too. Its a shame they couldn’t put it together on the field.
LP was recently still playing in the Dominican, and played in the 2006 WBC. You never know, he might play this year too!
Confounding bloggers, one post at a time.
-Slasher52
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- The Cardinals Hall of Fame can now be found at Bill Clinton’s library in Arkansas (Huh?)
- Will Bryce Harper start the season with the Nationals?
- Mitch Mustain puts football behind him, signs reported rookie deal with White Sox
- Robinson Cano and Denzel Washington face off in Jay Leno’s Yankees trivia contest
- Shane Victorino lands role on ‘Hawaii Five-0′
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
