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Garret Anderson
Stats: .306/.332/.539/.871, 29 HR, 123 RBI, 56 2B, 195 H, 93 R, 127 OPS+, 344 TB
Awards: All-Star, Silver Slugger, MVP (4th)
Baseball Reference WAR: 5.1
FanGraphs WAR: 3.7
Combined WAR: 4.4
Garret Anderson is one of the best hitters in franchise history. He had many good seasons with the Angels, but one of his better years came in 2002. Anderson was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, and finished top 10 in the American League in RBI, total bases, hits, extra base hits and was first in the MLB with 56 doubles.
Though he hit above .300, Anderson’s on-base percentage was only .332. He walked only 30 times all season and scored 93 runs, even though he drove in 123 runs. His 56 doubles are tied for the 14th most in MLB history, and they are tied for the third most in a season since 1936. Anderson had a double in 48 games, and had eight games in which he had at least two doubles.
Anderson struggled in the World Series for the Angels in 2002. Through the first six games, he had an OPS of only .571, had zero homers and had driven in only three runs. Then, in a winner-take-all game 7 against the Giants, Anderson had this crucial hit.
With the game tied in the third inning, he cleared the bases with a three-run double. It was the knockout punch for the game, and helped the Angels win their first World Series title. Fittingly, it was a double.