#1 Tim Salmon, RF, DH

Career Stats

The Chronicler and I compared Angel rankings in Early November and thus started this Top 100 Angels list (we both selected Tim #1, btw). Many people assisted in writing up particular Angels and commenting on the selections. None was more crucial to the success of this top #100 series than Rob McMillin.

So to discuss our #1 Angel of All Time, I present Rob McMillin and The Chronicler...

Rob McMillin of the 6-4-2 Southern California Baseball Blog gives us the Tim Salmon story...

Tim Salmon, "Mr. Angel", started his professional career with a fizzle: after slugging 15 home runs and 60 RBIs with Arizona's Grand Canyon University in 1989, Salmon figured he'd be a first-round draft pick. Instead, he fell to the third round, and the Angels failed to contact him until the ninth round, leaving Salmon to wonder just how low he'd gone. He signed almost immediately, and started with low class-A Bend, Oregon, in the Northwest League that same year. There he hit an undistinguished .245/.357/.418 -- and took a fastball right to the nose. He earned a promotion to high class-A Palm Springs in 1990 -- where another pitch hit him square in the face, shattering his jaw and forcing him to spend seven weeks with his mouth wired shut.

Despite those setbacks, the Angels continued to push their prospect, and he got yet another promotion, this time to AA Midland in the Texas League. There, he lived in the shadow of teammate Mark Howie, who in 1991 posted Texas League records for hits and batting average. But by 1992, promoted yet again to AAA Edmonton, Salmon overcame his high strikeout rate and proceeded to tear up the league, hitting 23 homers with an impressive .370 on base percentage. His minor league numbers would eventually win Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year award, and the papers started wondering aloud when he'd get his callup to an Angels team almost completely bereft of offense. After several false starts, he finally got it on August 21, in the opening game of a three-game series against the Yankees. He popped up, struck out twice, and walked -- in the cleanup spot.

The next day, he singled.

On the third day, he got his first big-league homer, driving in three.

The Kingfish was on his way, though he didn't do so well that year, ending his first major league season with an anemic .177 average. He made up for it the next year, blasting through the league with a .283/.382/.536 line, with 31 homers and 95 RBIs, and garnering a Rookie of the Year award by unanimous vote. Proving he wasn't a one-year wonder, he put up similar rate stats (.287/.382/.536) in the strike-abbreviated 1994, but really caught fire in '95, ending the season with a .330 average, and clubbing 34 homers. He was, as Bill James described him, an "old-fashioned hard-hat kind of player, good arm, not too much speed, works hard and rarely goes into a slump."

When James wrote those words in 2000, he also predicted Salmon would hit another 200 homers. You can certainly excuse him for thinking that; after all, Salmon was still fairly young, only 31 at the time, and with a track record of precocious and steady hitting. The Angels thought so, too, but their prize slugger -- the best offensive player the team's farm system had ever developed, and the franchise leader in home runs -- had doubts about the club's direction under new GM Bill Stoneman and new manager Mike Scioscia. With his free agency looming after 2001, Salmon entertained thoughts of becoming a Diamondback, but after mulling it over briefly, he accepted a four-year, $40 million extension from the Angels in early 2001.

But James's prediction of a near-Hall-of-Fame career for Salmon never materialized, a shortcoming that became almost immediately apparent. For the first time since becoming a full-time major leaguer (in a non-strike year), Salmon failed to play in 140 or more games. It was the weakest full-season performance of his career, brought on partly by the effects of offseason shoulder and foot surgeries, and a spring training groin injury. Though Salmon was a notoriously slow starter even in good years (career .256 hitter in April), by May 20, Scioscia had seen enough. With the Kingfish hitting a piddling .203 (and a paltry .060 with runners in scoring position), Scioscia bumped Salmon to batting third, where he stayed for most of the rest of the year. But neither repeated lineup changes, bench time, visits to Dr. Lewis Yocum, nor anything else broke his slump. Salmon finished his awful 2001 with a .227 average and only 17 homers, his worst season since his 1999, when a wrist sprain cost him nearly all of May and June; the injury followed him into 2001, and may have partly explained his woes.

But regardless of the cause, Disney was concerned about their expensive star who suddenly looked like an albatross. Fans -- for the most part, quietly, remembering season after season of 30+ home runs -- groused about Salmon's performance, especially after his public reticence staying with the team the offseason before. It didn't help that Darin Erstad and Mo Vaughn also had years marred by injury, leading to an abysmal 75-87, third place finish.

Like the rest of the team, he got off to a dreadful start in 2002; by April 9, after seven games, he was hitting a miserable .125. He didn't clear the Mendoza Line -- a .200 batting average -- until May 10, when he started a burst of three multi-hit games in four, part of an eight-game streak that brought his average to a respectable .250. The Tim Salmon of old had returned, and the Angels' fortunes turned on it. Despite being hit by a pitch on the left hand in an August 10 contest, an injury which put him on the DL for nearly a month, the Kingfish finished strong with a .286/.380/.503 line, winning The Sporting News's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Salmon's 2002 postseason was a thing of beauty. He clubbed a pair of homers against the Yanks, including a two-run shot in ALDS Game 3 that put the Angels ahead for good, and collected an RBI single in the miraculous eight-run fifth inning of the clinching Game 4 that put the Angels ahead. Probably Salmon's most memorable moment, though, was his two-homer Game 2 in the World Series, a slugfest that saw six balls go over the fence. The first one, straight down the left field line, Salmon practically had to will fair a la Carlton Fisk. Salmon's second, though, was the biggest, giving the Angels the lead for good. No active player had waited longer to be in the postseason, and he was making the most of it. The dugout "was like a mosh pit," Salmon recalled after the game. "I wanted to go over there and crush everybody."

Salmon's 2003 was good, but his age had started to show with a significant reduction in his power numbers, hitting only 19 home runs in 148 games. He had become a half-time DH, and by 2004, age, recurring knee injuries, and the offseason acquisition of Vlad Guerrero forced him into a dedicated DH role. Missing all of May to the injury, new troubles with his rotator cuff and biceps tendon put him on the DL for good in late August; rehabs from multiple surgeries prevented him from playing at all in 2005.

Salmon became a free agent and signed a minor league contract with the Angels in December, 2005, with a stipulation that he be released by March 22 if he doesn't make the team. I don't know of an Angels fan who isn't pulling for him to be on the 25-man roster. Godspeed, Kingfish: a first-rate player and a class act in a time when both were at a premium.

A Halos Heaven Thanks to Rob.

And now it's...The Chronicler on Tim:

Tim Salmon in Ten Images:

1. Do you remember how good a defender he used to be when he came up? He had good range, a great arm - he was good going back on the ball, and made an art form out of the sliding catch on sinking bloopers.

2. He was a smart baserunner, too. He was never all that fast, but he could take an extra base like nobody's business, and would go first-to-third pretty often.

3. April 4, 1997, the Indians lead the Angels 6-4. It's the bottom of the eleventh. The Angels load the bases - Tim Salmon steps to the plate: grand slam. Angels win.

4. Why did Mark Langston cut off his throw home? You know what game I'm talking about.

5. June 17, 1997, the first interleague match-up between the Angels and Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers have a guy on third, fly ball to right - Timmy makes the catch and throws a bullet on a line to home, holding the runner. I think it was this game, because I remember being there, but this is something he used to do all the time.

6. I have no idea who this was against, but I remember Timmy driving a guy home with some relatively weak groundball or blooper or something, and actually being upset with himself when he got to first base.

7. I remember being a little sad in the late nineties when I realized Salmon was just a bit slower going back on balls than he used to be.

8. I still wish I had written Tim a letter of support when his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

9. I was there for this: Game 5 of the 2002 ALCS, and its aftermath, with Tim Salmon happily carting the AL trophy around the warning track, holding it up for us jubilant fans. No one on Earth was more deserving of that victory lap.

10. World Series, Game 2. The score is 8-8. Tim Salmon tomahawks a two-run homer to left. The Curtain Call: jubilant and triumphant, as Tim raises his helmet and shouts to the screaming crowd. My eyes tear up just thinking about it.

Read more of The Chronicler at his Chronicles of the Lads blog.

Thanks to each and every contributor and reader for making this project yield us all an enriching and fun offseason.

#2 Nolan Ryan, RH SP

Career Stats

Think about it for a minute or two.

Nolan Ryan was the Angels for the 1970s.

Can you think of another player who, had he not been an Angel, that the franchise itself might have folded or moved?

Nolan Ryan carried the team for almost a decade. Easily the greatest baseball player so far to ever wear the Angels uniform, he sustained the fan base and the media attention in an otherwise empty decade.

He singlehandedly separated the team from the bottom two-thirds of the majors simply by showing up.

He was the first superstar. Only Vlad and Reggie come close to the electric greatness his very presence on the team meant.

Nolan Ryan's Single Season Angel Records:

22 Wins in 1974 (tied with Clyde Wright)

Fewest Hits Per 9IP:
5.26 in 1972

10.57 K/9 in 1973

332.2 IP in 1974

383 Ks in 1973
the all time Major League mark

41 Games Started in 1974

26 complete games in 1973

Of course, among the Single season leader boards, his name is speckled amidst all of these categories for many seasons, as well as being edged out for the leadership in a category by a player who se name only appears that once, while Ryan has as many as 7 of the Top Ten records in said category.

As far as leading the franchise, Ryan still holds some impressive records.
Nolan Ryan's Angel Franchise Records:

156 complete games
next closest, Frank Tanana with 92

40 Shutouts
next closest, Tanana with 24

2,416 strikeouts
Chuck Finley had 2,151 and Mike Witt had the 3rd most with 1,283

And these are just the categories in which Ryan holds the lead - he is all over the leaderboards in counting stats as well as averaged-out numbers.

The only thing bad about the guy that can be said is that he is not wearing an Angels cap in Cooperstown.

#3 Brian Downing, C, OF, DH

Career Stats

From the kid from La Mirada in the wireframe glasses, Brian, thanks for everything.

Brian Downing was a core offensive contributor to three Western Division titles for the Angels. Recent research by Angel Lifer Matt Welch indicates that in 1979, Downing had the best season ever by an Angels Catcher, as well as the 3rd Best in 1978. Realizing his offensive prowess, and minimizing the injury risk (that curtailed his 1980 and 81 seasons), the club switched him to the outfield. Having been integral to the 79 title, he then helps bring home the 82 Western crown. In 1986 he is in the middle of everything that winning season.

Looking back on Brian:

Rich Lederer picked Downing #5 all-time:
Downing was a solid performer for 13 seasons... top three in G, AB, R, H, HR, RBI, and BB ...a hustling, overachieving, fan favorite.
Read more of Rich Lederer at his Baseball Analysts site.

Brent Carter picked Downing #4:
It feels unfair to put Downing at number four. He played so hard, for so long and with such great productivity. It still makes me sad to think that the reward of playing in a World Series eluded this great, great Angel.  I still have yet to see a player match Downing in his focused intensity. Even a player like Pete Rose, who had incredible intensity as well, often seemed out of control. Downing had a way of channeling his incredible desire to win and this desire helped him maximize the natural gifts he had, which were undoubtedly less than many players whose career numbers don't compare to Downing's. I can't think of a player who got more out of what he had than Downing. This is also a testament to his tirelessness and hard work (spending hours in his home batting cage).

The greatest single at bat I've ever seen is still a battle Downing had one night at the Big A with one time Oriole ace reliever Greg Olson, whose wicked, filthy slider Downing must have fouled off six or seven times. Olson also had an incredible fastball, which Downing also fouled off several times. As I remember, the Angels had made a bit of a rally and the O's brought in Olson in the bottom of the 9th to shut the door. Downing eventually flied out to center, but the fact that he battled and battled, fouling off pitch after pitch, when must other mortals would have been out on three pitches of this wicked stuff, has never left my mind.

The Chronicler also picked Downing #4:
I think one of the great things about Downing is how he was never supposed to be as good as he was. When he was with the White Sox, he was a good hitter for a catcher, basically because of his walks; he had no power at all. When he came to the Angels, Downing started up a weight lifting routine. Nolan Ryan had done the same thing, of course, I don't know if that was connected (they were teammates in 1978-79). In 1979, Downing exploded, and never really looked back. He hit 326/418/462 -- his career highs had been 284/402/402, all in his last year in Chicago -- and did this mostly as a catcher (he caught 128 games, DH'ing in 18).

He was never quite that good again, but as he was 28 years old, that's somewhat to be expected. He got hurt in 1980, and in 1981 made the permanent shift from catcher to left field. He stayed there until 1988, when the Angels made him a full-time DH. Downing was huge on the 1982 team and the 1986 team. One of the other great things about him was that he could bat anywhere in the lineup -- Gene Mauch would bat him leadoff or cleanup. He always had a great eye, and when he bulked up, the power was something.

The Angels unceremoniously released him after the 1990 season - all he had done was hit 273/374/467, but he was 39 and had played in less than 100 games for the first time since 1981. So the Rangers picked him up and he put up two more years with OPS+'s in the mid-130s, and then called it a career.

The Angel main DHs in 1991 and 1992 were Dave Parker and Hubie Brooks, who put up OPS+ marks of 72 and 62, respectively, and combined for 19 home runs and 92 RBI -- in two years. Downing was understandably upset about how the Angels had treated him at the end, and has been a conspicuous absence as guys like Grich and DeCinces are still around. However, I did hear on the radio that he would be involved with an Angel Fantasy Camp, so hopefully Arte or someone has reached out to bring him back into the fold. He's the favorite Angel of a lot of longtime Halo fans, and it doesn't matter how many counting stats Garret Anderson puts up: Brian Downing is the greatest left fielder in franchise history, and it ain't close.
Read more of The Chronicler at his Chronicles of the Lads blog.

Downing was selected #2 Angel all time by the fortysoemthing set: Matt Welch, LA Seitz aka Shredder and yours truly, Rev Halofan.

May I add a personal plea to Angels management to retire Brian's #5 during this season, the 20th anniversary of the 1986 AL West Championship.

#4 Bobby Grich, 2B

Career Stats

Bobby Grich was a Top Ten selection on every ballot of the 8 Angel fanatics who cast their vote for the Top 40 Angels. Only one voter had him listed below #5.

The fact of Grich's greatness is best illustrated to me by what happened in his aftermath - Wilfong, McLemore, Johnny Ray for 3 years, Luis Sojo for 2, Lovullo, Reynolds, Easley, Velarde, Alicea, Baughman, and then, in 2000, 14 seasons later, Adam Kennedy.

Some Angel fans had plenty to say about the bat and glove of Bobby...

The Chronicler:
Here's Bobby Grich for you: in 4100 career at-bats with the Angels, he posted an OPS+ of 124. Troy Glaus' career OPS+ with the Angels was 119, and Tim Salmon's is 129. So Grich was, as a hitter, somewhere between Troy Glaus and Tim Salmon, only without the strikeouts. And he played defense like Adam Kennedy Plus. Bobby Grich was a Gold Glove second baseman who hit like a DH, and was a huge part of the Angels' first three Division Championship teams.
Read more of The Chronicler at his Chronicles of the Lads blog.

Rich Lederer:
Grich was the first inductee in the Angels HOF, and one of the greatest defensive 2B of all time. He combined fielding and hitting prowess as an Angel for 10 seasons.
Read more of Rich Lederer at his Peter Gammons-endorsed Baseball Analysts site.

Brent Carter:
Grich can claim some of the most dramatic hits in Halos history, especially the 9th Inning Home Run off Ron Guidry of the Yankees just prior to the All-Star break in `79, which finished off a weekend sweep of the two-time defending champions, in what was, for my money the greatest regular season series in Angels history. Any arguments?  He also hit that big three-run homer against Boston in `86 in the infamous "Donnie Moore" game. There are just too many great memories of Grich to list them all. Players like Grich make being a fan a rewarding experience.
You can hear Brent call in to Angels Talk throughout the season, and he really let's them have it when he does.

If you are of the generation who became an Angels fan when Bobby was an Angel, Grich is synonymous with Second Base, and he is our #4 Angel of all time.

#5 Garret Anderson, OF

Career Stats

According to the Hall of Fame Monitor, Garret Anderson is the 308th greatest batter in baseball history and is more than halfway to Cooperstown, statistically speaking. Considering that he only turns 34 this June 30, there could be a number of fine offensive seasons ahead of him.

But even if the arthritis gets the better of him, nobody has done what he has done in his (California, Anaheim, Los Angeles of Anaheim) Angels uniform. Angel fan Brent Carter was our only Top 40 ballotteer who chose Garret as #1, so we'll hand the microphone over to him...

For starters, G.A' s incredible career is still going and he will inevitably add on to his already very impressive, potentially Hall of Fame numbers. Only one player in all of Major League Baseball has more hits than G.A. in the ten year period from 1995 - 2005. That is Derek Jeter with 1,936 hits and he is well on his way to being enshrined at Cooperstown. Over that same period Garret had 1,924 hits (only 12 fewer) and his power numbers are much more impressive.

As for a potential place in Cooperstown, it appears that his health may be the biggest question mark.  Certainly moving to DH would extend his already great career a couple of years and allow him to add to his resume. Garret became the All-time Angel hit leader with a game winner against the Dodgers last season. In his Angel career he has 1,929 hits, 224 HR, 1,043 RBI and an amazing 403 2B's.

Since Garret has always been an essentially reclusive star who doesn't self-promote with commercials or excessive interviews, he fails to get the national recognition of other great players. Fortunately, this began to change with his game winning hit in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series and his subsequent hitting exploits on the big stage of the 2003 All-Star Game in Chicago where he won the Home Run Derby and the All Star Game MVP honors on consecutive nights.

On top of all this, it has always seemed that the majority of G.A's HR's and RBI have come in pivotal situations that either tied the game or put the Angels ahead. He hasn't padded his stats with a lot of meaningless production in blow-out games.

Thanks Brent.

Garret has too many Angel records to retabulate here, suffice to say that he is far from simply a King of Kounting stats that multiply simply by his showing up for work. His career .473 Slug% is 4th best for an Angel, and his .298 career batting average is 2nd highest in franchise history. And of course, no discussion of G.A. is complete without noting that his thin `stache is as cool a look as a major leaguer has ever had.

#6 Chuch Finley, LH SP

Career Stats

Chuck Finley was the final member of the 1986 American League Western Division Champion Angels to play for the team, and the final one to retire, pitching his final regular season game on September 28, 2002 - three days after the Angels had clinched the 2002 Wild Card.

He holds a few important franchise pitching records, chief among them being the winning pitcher more often than any other Angel.

165 Angel Wins
Most in team history

2,675 Innings Pitched
Most in team history

379 Games Started
Most in team history

Chuck was also in the Franchise Top Ten of many prominent pitching categories:

118 Adjusted ERA+
5th best for an Angel pitcher

1.92 K to BB Ratio
9th best for an Angel pitcher

14 Shutouts
Tied with George Brunet for 4th most in team history

57 Complete Games
4th most for an Angel pitcher

2,151 Strikeouts
2nd most by an Angel pitcher

7.24 K/9
3rd best rate for an Angel pitcher

.541 WL%
8th best in franchise history

Finley's sinkerball led to many a Wild Pitch (and he threw an Angel record of 117 of them). The dip in the ball was so great that batters would swing and miss as catchers dove for the ball and missed - which is bad enough except when men are on base or the uncaught strike was #3 - the sinker made him the only pitcher in baseball history to strike out 4 batters in an inning twice in his career.

Of his many single season records, the one that is most impressive is appearing three times in the Angel Single Season Top Ten Adjusted ERA+, the only Angel to be on it more than once. (144 in 1993, 148 in 1989, 160 in 1990 - 5th, 4th and 2nd respectively).

From start to finish, Finley's career epitomized the Southern California experience - he came her from somewhere else (Louisiana), quickly shaved the redneck `stache and grew his hair long (a mullet actually), it got blonde and he married an actress (or some kind of playmate B-List celebrity), left town and made the tabloids, came home and retired in style.

#7 Troy Percival, RH Reliever

Career Stats

Troy Percival's franchise records for Angel pitchers with a minimum of 500 Inning Pitched:

Saves: 316
Games Pitched: 579
Adj. ERA+: 156
K/9: 10.43
WHIP: 1.101
Fewest Hits Per 9IP: 6.03
Games Finished: 466

ERA of 2.99 as an Angel ranks 3rd in franchise history
K/BB Ratio of 2.69 is also 3rd best all time for an Angel pitcher.

What is your favorite Troy Percival memory?

#8 Jim Fregosi, SS

Mangerial Record

Career Record

Jim Fregosi was born two months before Paul McCartney but had already completed three seasons of big league ball when the Beatles arrived in America. He played his first Major League game at age 19, making him a proven commodity in his prime ten years later when he was traded to the Mets for Nolan Ryan.

While he was noted for his defensive range (turning 125 Double Plays in 1966 alone), his offensive stats piled up over time and, despite playing as an Angel during the dustbin of the deadball era, he is among the all-time leaders in Angel history in numerous batting categories.

Consider that his .287 batting average in 1963 ranked 9th in the American League, or his .290 average in 1967 ranked 7th. Jim's OPS of .833 was 10th in the A.L. in 1964 - you have to wonder why it took them ten more years to institute the Designated Hitter rule.

For the fledgling Angels, Fregosi was the face of the team, appearing in the All-Star Game 6 times under the Halo.

Of his ten seasons in Wrigley, the Ravine and finally Anaheim Stadium, Fregosi saw everything but the postseason. He accomplished that in 1979 as an Angels manager. As great as it was, there needs to be a little rant here about his getting fired midway through the 1981 season when the team's awful record was obviously the fault of the Angels General Manager- that stupid and overrated old coot Buzzie Bavasi who chucked way the good parts of the late-70s Angel teams for next to nothing.

Standing in the dugout with a long mane of coiffed black hair that would go uncut until the team had clinched the West, Manager Fregosi owned most of the team's offensive records. He is still among the franchise leaders:

4th in games Played

4th in At Bats and Plate Appearances

5th in Runs Scored

5th in Total Bases

1st with 70 Triples

7th in RBI

4th in Walks

5th in XBH

5th in Runs Created

4th in Times on Base

4th in Power Speed Number

Interestingly, Fregosi is only in three Top Ten Single Season Categories: 6th place for playing 161 games in 1965 and 69, 2nd and 5th for Triples with 13 and 12 in 1968 and 63 respectively, and tied for 10th place with 93 walks in 1969.

For his managerial magic, his Captain of Counting Stats, his amazing leather at Short and his Fregosimania status as Angel of the decade for the 1960s, Jim Fregosi is an All-Time Angel.

#9 Troy Glaus, 3B, DH

Career Stats

Since the departure of Troy Glaus seems to still be somewhat controversial for some Angels fans, here are the records set by the only World Series MVP  in Angels history...

In 827 Games (15th All time Angels) and 2,962 At Bats (16th All time Angels), Troy Glaus reached many Angel franchise and single season Top Ten milestones:

Slug%
.497 Angels Career, ranked 3rd in franchise history
.604 in 2000, ranked 1st as an Angel Single Season

OPS
.854 Angels Career, ranked 3rd in franchise history
1.008 in 2000, ranked 2nd as an Angel Single Season

Runs
523 Angels Career, ranked 7th in franchise history
120 in 2000, ranked 3rd (tie) as an Angel Single Season

Total Bases
1473 Angels Career 9th
340 in 2000 5th Single Season

Doubles
165 Angels Career 10th

HR
182 Angels Career 4th
47 in 2000 1st Single Season
41 in 2001 2nd Single Season

RBI
515 Angels Career 10th

BB
470 Angels Career 6th
112 in 2000 2nd Single Season
107 in 2001 3rd Single Season

Adjusted OPS+
119 Angels Career (t) 6th
150 in 2000 8th Single Season

Runs Created
529 Angels Career 9th
137 in 2000 3rd Single Season

XBH
354 Angels Career 7th
85 in 2000 2nd
81 in 2001 4th Single Season

Times on Base
1242 Angels Career 10th
274 in 2000 (t) 4th Single Season

Power/Speed Number
77.2 Angels Career 7th
21.6 in 2000 8th Single Season

AB/HR
16.3 Angels Career 1st
12.0 in 2000 1st Single Season
14.3 in 2001 3rd Single Season

#10 Darin Erstad, OF, 1B

Career Stats

A few years back, columnist/sub-literate Rob Neyer couldn't let Angel fans enjoy the World Series victory, so he twisted the knife into Darin Erstad's back. Erstad was making $8 million a year and was not performing up to the level of his monster 2000 season. I guess the glare from Darin's World Championship ring was blinding Rob to reality: If Darin Erstad were a Yankee, they would have renamed Central Park after him by now.

Before you yammer on with your stats and disbelief in the intangibles, the poetry and unquantifiable foggy grit that make great team players, look at your Rosetta Stone of sabermetric stats - Win Shares. Guess what Stat-Ass? Darin Erstad has the 8th most Win Shares in Angel history. So he is not overrated. He's Top Ten material all around.

Angel Lifer Brent Carter had a few thoughts on Erstad...

Darin's the only player in MLB history to win gold gloves in both the outfield and infield. His monster season in 2000 aside, his numbers don't begin to tell the story of his importance to the Angels. With Erstad you either get it or you don't, and if you don't it's just too bad for you.

Thanks Brent.

For more perspective on the role of Darin in Angel lore, retired Angel blogger Sean Smith revives the spirit and intelligence of his dearly departed Purgatory Online Blog for a look at the first player selected in the1995 amateur draft...

Take that 2000 season. Erstad was 26 that year, coming off a sub-par 1999, and no one was sure what to expect. What we got was the seemingly limitless stack of hits - singles, doubles, homers, even six triples. 240 of them in all, and 100 RBI and 121 runs scored thrown in for good measure. He destroyed the franchise single-season record for hits, previously 202 by Alex Johnson, and set new franchise records in runs, total bases, runs created, and times on base, and cracked the top ten in doubles, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. He was phenomenal; he seemed to get hits by sheer force of will while at the same time winning his first Gold Glove in an outfield that was missing the defensive genius of Jim Edmonds, who had been traded two years prior. He made the All-Star Team, and finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player voting despite being on a .500 club that finished third in a four-team division - just barely behind Edgar Martinez and Manny Ramirez, and ahead of Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter. It was a good year.

Like I said, take it. Take it, and put it away, because it's irrelevant. Worse, it's a distraction: it gives anyone who sees ballplayers as a collection of Microsoft Excel columns something to point at while they say, "that Darin Erstad - he just never lived up to that 2000 season." As if somhow failing to hit .355 every year was a personal insult to them. As if there was no value in defense, or in character, or in bringing a no-nonsense temperament to a franchise that had managed to fumble away every chance at glory they'd every possessed.

When Darin Erstad is long retired, I certainly won't remember him for that season. Those numbers - 240, .355 - they mean something, but they don't get anywhere near the heart of the matter. They don't capture Erstad, and they sure as hell don't capture what being a fan is about. What I'll remember most about him is that, when the Angels finally broke through to glory, finally drove a blade deep and fatally into the heart of their reputation, he was the guy holding the knife.

Scott Spiezio is rightly remembered for his three-run shot off of Felix Rodriguez to put the Angels back into Game 6 of the 2002 World Series. But the Giants escaped that inning - the seventh - without further damage. The Angels were still down 5-3, and had six outs left in their season. The real question was whether they could keep any momentum going, especially since the Giants had managed to get a couple of outs after the Spiezio homer the previous inning.

And it was Erstad who answered that question. What I will remember first about him is that he took that grim focus into the maelstrom and laid off a ball outside and a strike on the outside corner, then hammered a Tim Worrell changeup into right field and kept the Angels from slipping back into the role of prey. I'll remember Joe Buck shouting "smoked into right! It's a one-run ball game!" I'll remember that Erstad didn't strut down to first, he ran, and when he saw the ball was gone he put his head down and finished running around the bases without cracking a smile. In Game 7, he'd make a sensational diving catch and, later, catch Kenny Lofton's fly ball to center to end it all, but for my money that Game 6 home run, that bridge between Spiezio and the tying run, was the greatest single play in Angels history. From that moment on, the Angels weren't that cursed and forgotten club living in the shadows of the Dodgers and Donnie Moore, they were a team that could shoulder the pressure and not buckle. They were champions.

Thanks Sean, good luck in Law School. In the ballotting, Shredder Seitz ranked Darin 5th all-time Angel, I ranked him 7th and Brent ranked him 9th. I have to add that, with season seats directly behind the Centerfielder, I am looking forward to Erstad's return to the turf. And so will every pitcher.