clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

No. 90: Greatest seasons in Angels history: Brian Downing, 1986

Look at those arms!

Brian Downing circa 1987 Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images

Brian Downing, 1986

Stats: .267/.389/.452/.841, 20 HR, 95 RBI, 27 2B, 137 H, 130 OPS+, .376 wOBA, 133 wRC+

Baseball Reference WAR: 4.4

FanGraphs WAR: 3.9

Combined WAR: 4.15


Brian Downing spent 13 of his 20 career seasons with the Angels. He’s near the top in nearly every offensive category in franchise history. Downing had many good seasons in Anaheim, but today we’ll be looking back at his 1986 campaign.

Yet again, Downing put up another consistent season. He hit for power, he got base hits, and he even walked more times than he struck out. Though he hit only .267, he still had an on-base percentage of nearly .400.

His season would pretty much broken into two parts. The first half, he was really good. The second half, his bat really cooled down. During the first 71 games of the season, Downing was hitting above .300 with a .919 OPS. Over his final 80 games, his average was down at .236, with an OPS of .770.


Get caught up on the rest of the “All-Time Angels” lists!