Favorite Angel of All Time!?

but Edgardo Alfonzo will always be my favorite. Who could ever forget that .125 OBP he gave us. Had Scioscia played him more, I felt we would have caught the A’s that year.

Late 2011 acquisition. No nonsense bench player, with some Left side of the plate power. Also able to give a sharp hair cut.

Salmon and GA are the faces to me, but I have to go my the man who once played catcher at my high school. I guess Bryan Harvey was all right, but I never really saw a great Angels closer until Troy Percival took the mound. Just a beast out there. Add a bit of hometown pride and it’s gotta be Percy.

I have never seen someone with talent and the will to play like Erstad. He played 100 percent all the time. I was able to meet Aaron Sele and talk to him about the 2002 season and what he thought of Darin. He said one time in 2003, he ran into a wall to catch a ball and appeared to be hurt. Then when they got out of the inning Sele approached him and said to take it easy we need you. Erstad pinned against a wall and said, “I DON”T FUCKING GO EASY. THATS NOT HOW I PLAY." Most awesome player ever.

Jose Guillen, Shea Hillenbrand, Raul Mondesi, Adam Riggs, Josh Paul, Chris Resop, Gary Glover, and Brian Fuentes.

But my favorite Angel of all time has to be Adrien Brody.

I was sold ever since he won the MVP. My favorite moment, though, was when he hit the “THAT’S RIGHT, BITCH” homerun off of Jorge Campillo. The go-ahead single off of Papelbon in game 3 of the 2009 ALDS was also pretty incredible.

Guerrero was the shit.

Fregosi was the star on the late 60’s Angels, he could do anything. When the Angels played the A’s and Bert Campanaris would steal a base, Fregosi would steal one the next inning. When the Bosox were in town, Yaz would get three hits, with two doubles and my hero Jim Fregosi would get two doubles AND a home run. Even when he had a hitless game, he was making the plays in the field. Every kid in the neighborhood knew I liked Fregosi and knew better than to talk shit about him, they all knew he was much better than their Dodger shortstop. I’ll also go on record to say the Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi trade was the worst baseball day in my life, that produced my second most favorite Angel of all time.

But now, it would probably be GA. Quiet, professional, and got the job done.
Ersty, and Timmy are tied for 2nd, with Vlad close behind.

And i Liked Jim Abbott, even though he was never really that great. Must of been cause he only had one hand. haha

And the Chilli Dawg! Love them RBI’s

Growing up, he was the face of the franchise. I emulated his swing in Little League, 15 remains my favorite number, and if I ever get a jersey, it’ll be his.

Saw him outside the Big A this year and was going to try to get a signature on my hat, but he was talking on his cell and I didn’t want to bug him.

and Disarcina

because he made me the die-hard Angels fan I am today.

Yes I grew up in the 90’s and 2000’s.

No idea why but when I was a kid growing up in the ‘90s, I worshiped JT. The ONLY bitter moment about 2002 for me was that he didn’t get a ring.

Haha I’m kidding of course. It’s Darin Erstad. I watched Erstad in 98 and from then on I was hooked on Angels baseball. I loved his hustle, heart, and grit. Plus those periwinkle uniforms are awesome.

David Eckstein is the player I identified with most. I was always the ballplayer who relied on hustle over physical gifts. Eckstein was the little man’s player.

My grandma (who raised me to be an Angel fan) loved Erstad and was a fan of the Halos from their beginning. She passed away from lung cancer in 2002 the night we clinched the wild card. I think it was a couple months before, my mom wrote a letter to Erstad’s publicist about how big of a fan my grandma was and asked for an autograph. That was a Friday, and the Monday right after my grandma received a package from Darin with a signed picture, a little message to her from him, and some other memorabilia. He’s the definition of class in my mind, so he’ll always get my number 1 vote.

Nolan effin Ryan, Jim Fregosi, Tim Salmon and Brian Downing
 
Ryan was the favorite for his “take no shit” attitude when on the mound.

He was the best SS of the 60’s and held almost all the Angel
records. He hustled all the time, made more All Star teams than
any other, and was the face of the Angels for the longest time.
At Bat, with the glove, or on the bases, Jim Fregosi was the complete package.

Vlad for the ability to get hits- and home runs – on pitches that no player in their right mind should have even attempted to swing,
Eckstein for his infectious joy of the game,
Erstad for determination,
GA for his, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this” approach,
Percy, because THAT’S the demeanor I want from my closer,
Downing for his bull-in-a china-shop meets wrecking ball style of play,
Salmon for all-around ability, and for being a good guy,
Baylor for a magical 1979,
Fregosi for being the early face of the franchise, and a damn good player…

…tops of all though…Nolan Ryan.

Too bad most of these guys ended their careers in the uniform of another team.

Percy, Chili Davis, Santana, etc, etc, and not in this order.

Turned the pivot like a linebacker, was (along with Brian Downing) the underheralded star of the Baylor-Carew-Reggie Angels during the team’s first Golden Era (1978-86). Was the first 2Bman to lead his league in HRs & Slugging since Rogers Hornsby, totally belongs in the Hall of Fame, and had the pornstache to end all pornstaches.

Also, LBC represent. Plus, he’s doing a great job as alumni ambassador dude.

Was at the very first game Percy pitched at the Big A in 95 & saw something special about him. His jersey was also the first one I ever bought.

I’m sure I still have his Starting Lineup figure somewhere in a box at my parents’ house.

Or as the Japanese called him “the Worm Eater”.

Just kidding. Tim Salmon, duh.

Used to try to imitate his stance in little league [JBA…Baketown, damnit]. Needless to say, batting ninth, playing RF, and alternating with another untalented kid certainly didn’t do ol’
 #5 any justice!

You never forget your first.

I was 10 and his name sounded like mine on the radio. Instant hero. His poster hung on my wall (next to Jim Abbott’s) until I graduated high school in 1994.