The 100 Greatest Angels - #75, Jerry Remy

#75 - Jerry Remy - 2B

Career Stats

After Bobby Grich and Adam Kennedy, the names of Angel second sackers worthy of mention in a top 100 is a murky gray area of failed defensive experiments and few holding the position for two consecutive seasons in a manner that redeemed them.

For over 400 games under the Halo, Gerald Peter Remy played good defense and was a rabbit on the basepaths. He is in the Angels career top ten in stolen bases (9th with 110) and Sacrifice Hits (also 9th place with 44). Sadly, Jerry is now an announcer for the Boston Red Sox. He even has a website hawking all sorts of stuff. Maybe some hungover Chowd can drop Rem-Dawg a line and say we remembah his greatness out heeh whair ya pawk da caw near Disneyland, not in da yawd.

Rob McMillin of the 6-4-2 L.A. Baseball Blog tracks down one quick Angel

Jerry Remy had a promising start in the minors, in 1974 winning the Texas League batting title in a partial season. A left-handed hitter, he came up in 1975 with an Angels squad that desperately needed offense, especially considering the bullpen at that time went by the unpleasant but accurate nickname of "The Arson Squad". After an uncharacteristically strong spring training -- the Angels had the best mark in baseball in spring training that year -- Harry Dalton had a hard time choosing between Remy and former regular Denny Doyle.

It didn't take long for Remy to take over at second, not after Doyle made the mistake of demanding he either start or be traded on April 2. "I personally don't feel there is a battle between Remy and myself. I feel I'm entitled to the position," Doyle said. It would take until June 14 to honor that request, but in between, Doyle played exactly eight games. Meanwhile, Remy took to his new role like a fish to water, going 12 for 36 in his first ten games. A speedy player, he mostly batted second, and stole as many as 41 bases for the Halos (his mark in 1978).

Highly regarded, he was team captain at the time he was traded to Boston in 1977, for Don Aase. Aase became a mainstay in the late 70's/early 80's Angels rotations, while Remy finished out his career at Fenway;  Remy was an All Star his first year there in 1978. Recurring knee problems forced him to retire in May, 1984.