#89 - Brad Fullmer, DH
The methodology of this list basically errs on the side of Angels integrally involved in championship drives mixed in with Angels who played many, many seasons. A little higher up you will be seeing Angels who had amazing seasons in terms of franchise and MLB history, and then combos of these three criteria with the occasional smidgen of attention going to their impact on the franchise off the diamond. Brad Fullmer qualifies in the first category, his presence on the 2002 Championship team.
Our Halospheric colleague Black Hawk Waterloo, the presence behind the Chronicles of the Lads blog analyzes the contributions of `02's #20:
I'm a bit surprised to see make the top 100, given that he only played about a season-and-a-half with the team. Of course, one of those seasons was the season, so he deserves some credit for that. And he was on base when Spiezio hit his home run.
2002 was an odd year for the Angels in that they actually tried to get a healthy DH that could hit. For much of the Stoneman/Scioscia Era, it seems that the Angels have contented themselves with using a DH spot as a revolving door for whichever outfielder has nagging injuries. In 2005, for instance, no Angel DH'd in more games than did Garret Anderson, who only DH'd 36. Salmon and Glaus were each at 39 in 2004, Orlando Palmeiro had 30 games there in 2001, and Scott Spiezio had 50 in 2000.
But Fullmer DH'd 94 games in 2002, and did it well. The 136 OPS+ he put up in a platoon role was sweet, and he was actually a pretty decent baserunner, as well (10 steals against only 3 times being caught, and my impression of him was that he was good at taking the extra base, as well). I don't think it was a coincidence that our best offensive year in recent memory was the same year we had a real and regular DH. Fullmer continued to rake for a couple of months in 2003, but then got injured, one of many derailing injuries the 2003 team suffered. After that, there was no more room for him, and he went to Texas, where he continued to fight injuries.
I don't know that Fullmer really left that much of a mark on the Halo fanbase, despite the fact that he was a local product (Chatsworth), filled a key role on a good team, and was acquired for a song (Brian Cooper -- the lyrics to which are "I was as good as a prospect can be after posting a 7.00+ ERA in the Texas League/Sha-la-la-la"). But we wouldn't have had that flag without him.