#83 - BOBBY ABREU, OF
He didn't sign with the team until a day before Spring Training, 2009 began, but if Bobby Abreu was a mere afterthought, his performance while wearing a halo is a much better memory. It is almost a legacy - and would be for many players, but Bobby shined with a few franchises and just because he was not a superstar while in Anaheim is no reason to not just look at what the numbers show:
For Angels players with more than 1,500 Plate Appearances (Bobby had 1,946 here), his .364 On Base Percentage ranks ninth all time in club history. His 41 doubles in 2010 are tied for the tenth most in a single season in club history and his 103 overall as an Angel rank in the top 30.
His .412 Slugging % is in the top 30 all time, and his On Base % + Slugging of .776 ranks 21st as an Angel - right behind Reggie Jackson at .782 and right ahead of Mark Trumbo at .768.
He was most noted for walking and the numbers bear out the legend. Each of his three full seasons as an Angel rank high in single season Angels walk records - 78 BB in 2011 (ranks 33), 87 in 2010 (ranks 22) and 94 in 2009 (ranks 12). Even better was Chone Figgins learning more about taking pitches under Bobby's teammate tutelage to see Figgy get 101 that year - 7th most in a single season for an Angel. That was nearly one-quarter of all the walks Figgins had as an Angel over eight seasons, six of them in full time utility. The 2009 Western Division Champion Angels had at their core Bobby and his apprentice on the base-paths so often that scoring runs was easier than rehearsal at times.
Bobby's 261 Walks rank only 20th all time as a Halo - but consider that he is just ahead of Torii Hunter's 258... which Torii accrued with 1,000+ more PA than Bobby had in Anaheim.
Loved in the clubhouse by his teammates, loathed in the field with his porous glove by fans, Bobby spent 2011 as a full time DH after two seasons in the outfield. He was released in April of 2012 to make room on the roster for Mike Trout. Who would you give up your seat on a bis for?