Angels best teams... home grown vs. acquired players

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 1:02 AM PST Comment 43 comments

I’m a TV Producer and a performer as seen on HBO Sports docs about the Red Sox.

I am also a maniacal baseball fan and I keep up a baseball blog.

I have been spending the off season compiling the greatest all time rosters consisting of only home grown players and comparing them to the greatest all time roster consisting of only players acquired from other organization.

I am doing it for all 30 teams and I just finished the one for the Angels.

You can read the Angels post here

Anderson, Glaus and K-Rod among others are on the home grown.

Reggie, Carew and Vlad among others are on the acquired team.

Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

Hopefully it can spark a debate or two or bring back a memory of a

Angel you forgot about.

If you like it, show it to your other Angel fan friends.

It’s amazing how I’ve been able to see how passionate some of the fan

bases can be.

(Who knew Astros fans were so opinionated?)

Take care,

Paul Sullivan

Aka Sully

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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Comments

Thanks for making fun of our team's name, Shakespeare.

About as original as saying “If Boston is so great, why the fuck don’t you move back there?”

by Rev Halofan on Jan 23, 2009 1:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Good job

A fun read—though laying off the LAA thing would be nice…you’re a good writer, but that joke/debate is OLD.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 23, 2009 1:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Your MOM is old

oh, burrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Damn, I’m good.

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Jan 23, 2009 1:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Your MOM is so old

she calls John McCain sonny.

Recipient of the 2008 "The Iron Man" award from scottnak of Halos Heaven!

by 44FAN on Jan 23, 2009 4:11 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Cool Read

Except Eckstein over Fregosi at short? Maybe it’s my love of Fregosi, but he’d be near the top of any all-time list while Eck would be pretty far down.

Yeah, the name shit’s getting old.

I was uncool before uncool was cool.

by WiHaloFan on Jan 23, 2009 4:03 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

One could argue that Fregosi was originally signed by the Red Sox

by mattwelch on Jan 23, 2009 5:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Really? I didn't know that.

Did he ever play in their system before being picked by the Angels?

(I see you sponsor his page on B-R…awesome)

I was uncool before uncool was cool.

by WiHaloFan on Jan 23, 2009 6:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So was Eckstein...

Fregosi was way better. Though it looks like I’m preaching to the choir.

"…he has a 2 seam ‘heavy’ fastball that has sink but he does not throw a ‘sinker’." Angel Aviator on Jake Peavy.

by GarretSaysSuckIt on Jan 23, 2009 12:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And what about AK over Bobby Knoop?

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Jan 23, 2009 6:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Knoop

I came thiiiiiiis close to having Knoop on the team.

I even wrote the little bio and picked a picture.
But as I wrote earlier, I weigh post season success really heavily.

And when a guy hits three homers to FINALLY clinch a pennant for a franchise that was starving for a pennant… he gets love on Sully Baseball.

It’s subjective. I understand the Knoop argument and it is a valid one.
I like to honor post season heroes.

Met fans got angry with how high I put up Ray Knight and Mike Hampton… but one was a World Series MVP and the other an NLCS MVP who threw a complete game shutout to clinch a pennant.

That stuff impresses me… like Spiezio’s homer.

Just an opinion.

Sully
(currently writing up the Nationals and Expos)

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 11:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Mike Napoli - Reserve Catcher?

WTF is that? Maybe you should stick to writing about the Red Sox. And you know where you can stick that rant about our name don’t you?

Recipient of the 2008 "The Iron Man" award from scottnak of Halos Heaven!

by 44FAN on Jan 23, 2009 4:08 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

you really pick Naps over Benjy?

I have to go with his ranking. As much as I like Eck…don’t think Fregosi would be a bench player either.

GA GA he's the man, if he can't do it, no one can

by Moondoggy on Jan 23, 2009 5:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If it were Mathis over Naps

Then I’d agree with you.

But I think Bengie Molina, at this point, really should be ranked higher than Napoli. Perhaps that will change over time.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 23, 2009 12:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Molina

Bengie Molina is ranked above Napoli on my roster already

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 12:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I know

Hence I was agreeing with you and refuting 44FAN.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 23, 2009 5:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

:-D

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 23, 2009 6:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

to quote Raising Arizona

well ok then

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 8:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

fun read

by ihearhowie2.0 on Jan 23, 2009 8:53 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Red Sox fan named Sully. No bleeping way.

I guess I already used my Manny bomb for the month?

by hauldog on Jan 23, 2009 9:45 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I know...

Real original

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 11:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Classic scene from Commando:

“What did you do with Sully?”
“I let him go.”

by Downing Rules on Jan 24, 2009 10:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Loved the California, Anaheim, LAA jokes

It was like Sully was channeling Paula Poundstone, or Carrot top.

YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER OF THE DARKSIDE.....

by halofolife on Jan 23, 2009 9:51 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hey he writes for HBO

Ensuring stale cable continues for the next generation…

by Rev Halofan on Jan 23, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

I guess I should post an apology for the Team name jokes.
Guess I hit a nerve there.

As for the Mike Napoli catcher, let me ask you…
What great home grown catcher should have been on the bench?

It was between Mike Napoli, Jose Molina, Jeff Mathis, Jorge Fabregas, Chris Turner and Tom Donohue.

I picked Napoli.

I can see possibly Jose Molina or Jorge Fabregas… but it’s not like I left off Johnny Bench.

I picked Eckstein over Fregosi because I tend to lean towards post season success. Thus why I put Spiezio as the 25th man over people like Bobby Bonds, Lyman Bostock, Chili Davis and Bill Singer

I also considered putting Dickie Thon on the home grown squad, but he blossomed in Houston and I figured Schofield’s glove (and that Grand Slam) earned him the spot.

I’ll keep the team name jokes to a minimum.
And may we all find our inner Carrot Top

Sully

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 11:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

i didnt mind bengie over napoli

naps is more potential than anything right now and the molinas have rings

by ihearhowie2.0 on Jan 23, 2009 11:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh man

You skipped over Jorge Fabregas?? How could you??

Seriously though, Naps was a good choice.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 23, 2009 12:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Turner

blast from the past.

by HALO_86 on Jan 23, 2009 12:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Napoli

Napoli looked pretty list worthy hitting those two homers in the playoffs last October!

OK, back to the Expos/Nationals post

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 12:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Post Season

I picked Eckstein over Fregosi because I tend to lean towards post season success

Fine. I’d like to point out that Fregosi managed the team to its first division championship.

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Jan 23, 2009 2:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough

And Fregosi is indeed on the team.

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 2:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bengie

Bengie has the rings and sunk the Yankees in 2005.
As a Red Sox fan, I must say I enjoyed that

I also really wanted to put Orlando Cabrera on the team because… well… I love Orlando. I think he’s great.

But no way he starts over Eckstein nor pushes Fregosi nor Kennedy off of the roster.

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 11:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

My edits

On the homegrowns, I’d take Howie Kendrick over Jerry Remy already, probably Dickie Thon over Dickie Schofield, and though I love me some Darin Erstad, there are plenty of homegrown players who could outhit him, and therefore get the starting nod at DH (Carney Lansford and Tom Brunansky, for example). Though Ervin Santana’s good, he’s got a ways to go before entering Andy Messersmith territory. And there’s a long list of relievers better than Dave LaRoche — Roberto Hernandez, anyone?

For reserve IFs replace Jack Howell and Gary DiSarcina w/ Carney Lansford & Chone Figgins. Dante Bichette was a better ballplayer than Gary Pettis, and if you want a CFer go with Kenny Landreaux. And I’m not sure that both Bengie Molina and Mike Napoli have played better than Brian Harper did.

On the All-Acquisition team you can’t seriously place Eckstein ahead of Fregosi. Brian Downing deserves to bump Don Baylor to DH, and Reggie deserves a candy bar. I’ll take Jose Cardenal over Freddie Lynn, and Kelvim Escobar over Geoff Zahn. Bruce Kison doesn’t belong on any list (except for overpaid pitching disappointments); and Dan Ford is only a sentimental favorite in a world where Chili Davis does not exist.

Fun exercise, though.

by mattwelch on Jan 23, 2009 2:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Messersmith

I’ve had enough people bring up Messersmith that I may have to reconsider.

I wouldn’t put Brunansky because he wasn’t a hitter of note until he was gone.
Roberto Hernandez was a product of the farm but he pitched as many games for the Angels as I did.

Carney Lansford was on my short list… decided to go Howell. Might have been a mistake. I’ll compare them again.

Chone Figgins was acquired from the Rockies.

Bichette was a better hitter than Pettis but Pettis was the better outfielder and got a few big hits in the ALCS.

Brian Harper only played 5 games as an Angel. For the career you’d have a point but not with his Angels years.

Because I always weigh post season heavily, I am not moving Fred Lynn.

But it’s these kind of different points of view that make writing these things fun for me

I’m not doing for the dough

by SullyBaseball on Jan 23, 2009 4:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs