Halos Heaven - Top Angel AcquisitionsAngels news and analysishttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50595/hh-fav.png2013-02-13T22:29:15-08:00http://www.halosheaven.com/rss/stream/37186472013-02-13T22:29:15-08:002013-02-13T22:29:15-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: In Review
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<figcaption>"Joe, what are you fist pumping for? You're not on the list." | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The countdown is over, the suspense (if there was any at all) is dissipated, and now, we look back at the Halos Heaven creation.</p> <p>This was a fun little thing we did, was it not?</p>
<p>It wsa about two months ago that I first got the idea to take the end-of-year awards that I did, and expand the voting base. This idea evolved into the Halos Heaven Voting Board, to which 34 members, as well as Baseball Prospectus' Sam Miller, committed. We received 23 ballots for this countdown, and I'm sure for other various countdowns and awards we vote upon, this number will fluctuate.</p>
<p>Over two weeks have passed since the countdown first started, and over a month since votes started trickling in. I consider this countdown to have been a monumental success in curing offseason boredom, for voters and readers alike, and next month I will conduct one more countdown to tide us over until Opening Day (although I won't reveal the category just yet).</p>
<p>37 players garnered votes for this countdown. Some were snubs, some were questioned. Let's take a look at the list of the top 15 AND of those who failed to make the cut, just for review's sake:</p>
<p>1) Nolan Ryan 2) <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span> 3) Brian Downing 4) Bobby Grich 5) <span>Albert Pujols</span> 6) Jim Fregosi 7) <span>Torii Hunter</span> 8) Rod Carew 9) <span>David Eckstein</span> 10) Don Baylor 11) Reggie Jackson 12) Dean Chance 13) <span>Chone Figgins</span> 14) <span>Mark Teixeira</span> 15) <span>Adam Kennedy</span></p>
<p>16) Doug DeCinces 17) Mark Langston 18) Chili Davis 19) <span>Josh Hamilton</span> 20) <span>Scott Spiezio</span> 21) Fred Lynn 22) Frank Robinson 23) <span>Zack Greinke</span> 24) Mo Vaughn 25) <span>Orlando Cabrera</span> 26) <span>Bartolo Colon</span> 27) Don Mincher 28) Bo Belinsky 29) <span>Alex Ochoa</span> 30) <span>C.J. Wilson</span> 31) <span>Kelvim Escobar</span> 32) <span>Dan Haren</span> 33) Bob Boone 34) <span>J.T. Snow</span> 35) <span>Aaron Sele</span> 36) <span>Darren Oliver</span> 37) <span>Bobby Abreu</span></p>
<p>Just for fun, what if, with this pool of players, we had comprised the top 15 simply by WAR totals with the team? How different would it look? Actually...VERY.</p>
<p>1) Jim Fregosi, 43.3 2) Nolan Ryan, 37.6 3) Brian Downing, 35.3 4) Bobby Grich, 32.9 5) Mark Langston, 24.4 6) Vladimir Guerrero, 20.9 7) Chone Figgins, 20.8 8) Torii Hunter, 19.7 9) Dean Chance, 19.1 10) Doug DeCinces, 17.5 11) Adam Kennedy, 16.5 12) Rod Carew, 16.2 13) Kelvim Escobar, 13.3 14) David Eckstein, 12.0 15) Chili Davis, 10.6</p>
<p>Um...yeah. Kelvim Escobar was among the top 15 among these 37 acquisitions in total WAR. He of the rotted arm was 13 wins better than a replacement-level pitcher. Whoever cast his or her ballot for him...wow, good job. Seriously.</p>
<p>I could go on to arrange several different criteria for top 15 re-orders, but I won't. The point is, this countdown was a success.</p>
<p>If you voted, and haven't done so already, you can now publish your ballot. Feel free to discuss the results (and the WAR reordering of the list), or anything whatsoever. Maybe later I'll even disclose the next countdown category for discussion fodder.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/13/3987578/top-15-angels-acquisitions-in-reviewOf Maicer and Men2013-02-12T22:14:57-08:002013-02-12T22:14:57-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #1- Express to Success
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<img alt="Gulf: the amount of Cy Youngs I won, the amount of World Series the Rangers have won with me, and the number of regrets I have." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dOiRwXLv8sm3YPMUK3JIfqMGqNE=/0x194:465x504/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8066515/106335569.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gulf: the amount of Cy Youngs I won, the amount of World Series the Rangers have won with me, and the number of regrets I have. | Elsa</figcaption>
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<p>After the gruel of the countdown leading up to this point, we look at the player fans ranked as the greatest acquisition in Angels history.</p> <p>Yesterday, we reviewed and reminisced about the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> tenure of future Hall of Famer <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span>, the second-ranked Angels acquisition.</p>
<p>Today, we cap the countdown itself--though there will be a review/wrapup installment coming hereafter--with the player voted as the greatest acquisition in Angels history.</p>
<p>In the 1971 offseason, the Angels had an aging shortstop, Jim Fregosi. It became clear his best days were about to be behind him, but he was at the point where he could still be in his prime if he steered clear of the injury bug. The Angels looked to cash in on this opportunity. The <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Mets</a> sidled up with a heck of a trade package, and without any hesitation, general manager Harry Dalton pulled the trigger. Jim Fregosi to the Mets. To the Angels, went Don Rose, Leroy Stanton, Frank Estrada, and a young'n with control issues by the name of Nolan Ryan.</p>
<p><strong>NOLAN RYAN, STARTING PITCHER</strong></p>
<p>138-121, 3.07 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 2416 K, 10 K/9, 6.3 H/9, 156 CG, 40 SHO, 115 ERA+, <strong>37.6 WAR (4.7 average, 8 seasons)</strong></p>
<p>Lynn Nolan Ryan, of lowly Alvin, Texas. The pride of that town whose time in the Mets organization brought him a World Series ring, but not much else, other than being a mid-rotation starter with a wild arm and not too much upside--clearly to the point where he was assessed to be worth 25% of Jim Fregosi. The Angels liked the package because of the pitching depth it contained, but few could've guessed what Ryan would do as an Angel.</p>
<p>His first season saw him go 19-16 with a 2.28 ERA (2 runs per game on average, and he lost 16 times. Ridiculous), finishing 8th in AL Cy Young voting and 30th in AL MVP voting, netting his first All-Star appearance. His 1973 season was something absurd, however. Two no-hitters, 21-16, 2.87 ERA, an all-time single-season record 383 strikeouts, 1.22 WHIP--and somehow, runner-up for the AL Cy Young. 1974 was a large parallel to 1973, Ryan increasing his win total to 22 and his ERA slightly increased to 2.89. 1975 saw his ERA increase over half a run to 3.45, but he still bagged an All-Star appearance.</p>
<p>1976 was, statistically speaking, his "worst" Angels season, although not really "bad" aside from the wins and losses: 17-18, 3.36, 327 K, 21 CG, 7 SHO. That's bad?</p>
<p>In 1977, Ryan pitched to a 2.77 ERA, which, among other stats, bagged him a 3rd-place Cy Young finish and an All-Star nod, but that increased almost a full run in 1978 to a 3.72 mark, with no recognitions. 1979 saw him go 16-14 (which will be referenced below), with a 3.60 ERA; in his lone Angels playoff appearance, he pitched a stellar game, striking out 8 and allowing three runs (one earned) in seven innings, but getting the loss.</p>
<p>After the 1979 season, Buzzie Bavasi, the Angels' then-GM, glanced at Ryan's record and stated that a 16-14 pitcher "can be replaced with two guys going 8-7." This comment is universally ridiculed in the present day, and in hindsight Bavasi called it "indisputably the worst move I ever made as a general manager of any team." Ryan went on to pitch 14 more seasons (9 with the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Astros</a>, 5 with the Rangers, whose hat he would wear on his Hall of Fame plaque), three more no-hitters, and break the all-time strikeout record (ending at 5,714). The way Angels management treated him is a likely factor into his decision to spurn them with an immortalized plaque--and well...we deserved it.</p>
<p>He went on post-baseball to buy the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Rangers</a> in the summer of 2010, becoming the principal owner in that offseason when Chuck Greenberg sold his controlling interest to Ryan. He never won a Cy Young in his career, but when you hold numerous all-time records, I doubt you care.</p>
<p>In voting, Ryan received 14 first-place votes, five second-place votes, one third-place vote, one sixth-place vote, and one eighth-place vote, for a total of 257 points.</p>
<p>Regardless of what Angels fans think of him now, he is indisputably among the greatest Angels of all time, and according to this countdown, the greatest acquisition in their history. I may not like how he shunned the Angels after his career, but I do respect that he was one of the greatest players to grace the Halo in baseball history, and I will admit that I plan to (whenever the time should come) name my firstborn son after him. I have that much reverence for what he did in an Angels uniform. And many other fans do as well. Thanks for the no-hitters, the strikeouts, and the memories, Nolan.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/12/3983456/nolan-ryan-angels-acquisition-1Of Maicer and Men2013-02-11T21:28:18-08:002013-02-11T21:28:18-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #2- Just Call Me Daddy
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<figcaption>Good God, we miss you. | Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>The second-greatest acquisition in Angels history, one that was a statement move from a new owner that the team would not put up with non-contention.</p> <p>Yesterday we reviewed the 13-year <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> tenure of The Incredible Hulk--no, not Bruce Banner. Just his stronger twin brother, Brian Downing.</p>
<p>Today, we look at the SECOND-greatest acquisition in Angels history, one which served not just as a lineup improvement amidst a roster makeover, but as a statement move from a new owner that losing would be unacceptable.</p>
<p>In the offseason of 2003, a year that the team followed up a World Series championship with a disappointing distant third-place finish, at 77-85, new owner Arte Moreno, taking over from Disney's reign of terror, made several signings that offseason which would serve to symbolize the desire to win at any cost. New to the team were offensive (in both senses) standout <span>Jose Guillen</span>, perennial trade centerpiece <span>Bartolo Colon</span>, number-two <span>Kelvim Escobar</span> (whose arm went number-two shortly thereafter), and this player, whose team could not afford to keep him, amid impending rumors of their forced relocation, and who would become the life and blood of a revamped Angels offense, en route to the team's first division title in 18 years, and his first-ever MVP award. This player? None other than the Impaler, Big Daddy, <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span>.</p>
<p><strong>VLADIMIR GUERRERO, OUTFIELDER</strong></p>
<p>.319/.381/.546, 1034 H, 173 HR, 616 RBI, 194 2B, 304 BB, 2004 AL MVP, 141 OPS+, <strong>20.9 WAR, 3.5 average (6 seasons)</strong></p>
<p>Vladimir Guerrero was the premier hitter of the 2003-04 offseason, and Arte Moreno came out of nowhere to snatch him up on a 5-year, $70 million contract with a sixth-year option. Suddenly, combined with Guillen, the Angels had the potential of having an outfield combine for 100 home runs (they would combine for 80, due to <span>Garret Anderson's</span> injury-limited campaign). Guerrero had a monstrous debut season in 2004, going .337/.391/.598 with 39 HR, 126 RBI, a league-leading 124 runs scored and a 156 OPS+, en route to his first MVP award (and only). 2005 saw him hit similarly (.317/.394/.565), and finish 3rd in MVP voting, proving that his MVP season was no fluke. 2006 brought forth another MVP-caliber season (which likely would've been his second MVP award had the Angels made the playoffs that season).</p>
<p>People began to wonder if Vladdy was ever going to slow down. Pundits wondered how it was that a player could be so consistent and not be on steroids. Vladdy did it with his signature pine tarred helmet, no batting gloves, and a swing that made any ball magnetize his bat, regardless of location. In 2007, he had yet another third-place finish for MVP, but won the Home Run Derby in San Francisco that season. 2008 was an uncharacteristic injury-shortened season, but even still, missing 22 games, he managed 27 home runs and a .303 batting average. This, however, was considered a "down year" for Vlad, and 2009 did him no favors.</p>
<p>Despite his ALDS heroism in 2009, Vlad still missed 62 games with injuries. In 100 games, Vlad hit 15 home runs with a .295/.334/.460 slash line. For whatever reason, Tony Reagins thought the fan favorite to be incapable and aging, using this logic to sign the even-older <span>Hideki Matsui</span> to replace him. Tony must not have been big into math and logic. Over 162 games, Vlad would've hit 24 home runs and 81 RBI to go with that .295 average--stats which either met or exceeded Matsui's 2010 season as an Angel. As for what actually happened, Vladdy went to the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a> and spurred them to their first-ever World Series as the team's DH, performing like the Vladdy he was when he was first an Angel, even starting that year's All-Star Game in Anaheim as the DH, which many Angels fans considered a homecoming for him, delaying the introduction of the teams for almost a minute with a standing ovation. His career, while not OFFICIALLY over, is likely done, after a 0 WAR stint for Baltimore in 2011 (in which he still batted .290 with 13 HR in 145 games).</p>
<p>In voting, Vlad received four first-place votes, six second-place votes, six third-place votes, four fourth-place votes, and two fifth-place votes, for a total of 198 points.</p>
<p>Vladdy was one of the biggest fan favorites in franchise history, and he performed historically in Anaheim, leaving many team records behind in the trail of Tony Reagins' legendary doltness. I'd love to see him go out as an Angel and sign a "one-day contract" for the purposes of retiring with the team. It's no doubt he'll wind up in the Hall of Fame as one of baseball's few clean power hitters in the steroid era, and when he goes in, I'd be stunned if he's not donning the halo. We miss you, Big Daddy.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/11/3979174/vladimir-guerrero-angels-acquisition-2Of Maicer and Men2013-02-10T22:19:21-08:002013-02-10T22:19:21-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #3- A Hulking Presence
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<figcaption>Jeff Golden</figcaption>
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<p>Looking at the number-three-ranked acquisition in the team's history--one that was part of a return package, which we TOTALLY won.</p> <p>Yesterday we looked at the fourth-ranked <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> acquisition in team history, legendary second baseman Bobby Grich.</p>
<p>Today, we continue to climb the list, up to the top three. Serious stuff now. And at our number-three spot, we find a superhuman player--a hulking presence.</p>
<p>After the 1977 season, the Angels had a problem. They were getting old and not winning--which, of course, wasn't much better than being younger and not winning years before. Gene Autry was visibly frustrated by this, and he knew that he could pull off a ridiculous 3-for-3 with only one other owner in the league: Bill Veeck. When Autry mentioned three names--Thad Bosley, Richard Dotson and Bobby Bonds--he got three in return that, on paper, was a steal. Dave Frost was the first player listed. Second was a player who subsequently became the worst pitcher in franchise history (in terms of ERA+), Chris Knapp. The third player...we called him The Incredible Hulk at one point. He became the face of the team for the next thirteen years, even amidst guys like Carew, Grich, Boone, Lansford, Baylor, Jackson and Joyner. Ladies and gents, Brian Downing!</p>
<p><strong>BRIAN DOWNING, OUTFIELDER/CATCHER</strong></p>
<p>.271/.372/.441, 1588 H, 222 HR, 846 RBI, 889 R, 866 BB, 126 OPS+, <strong>35.3 WAR (2.7 average, 13 seasons)</strong></p>
<p>Those WAR totals are skewed by four injury-shortened seasons, but never mind that. Downing came to the team as a new catcher before Bob Boone rolled into town, at which point the team realized it wiser to preserve his presence and his bat by moving him to the outfield, where he excelled in left field, flanking Fred Lynn in center and Reggie Jackson in right. Like the number-four acquisition Bobby Grich, Downing was a player underappreciated in an era where offensive walks were viewed as unproductive, although common sense nowadays proves that to be nothing but malarkey. As a bat, Downing put up a mediocre debut season in an Angels uniform in 1978, going .255/.345/.342, but 1979 came and Downing blossomed, going .326/.418/.462 with 12 HR and 75 RBI, but more impressively his 77 walks going alongside just 57 strikeouts. Even including his injury shortened seasons, Downing's strikeout totals only ever exceeded his walk totals once.</p>
<p>1980 was a season of potential for Downing, cut short at 30 games due to injuries. 1981 was likewise shortened by the strike, leading to an offensive rebirth for Downing in 1982, when he went .281/.368/.482, with 28 HR, 84 RBI and a 132 OPS+. He largely followed his career averages over the next three seasons before a 1986 where he posted his highest OBP since his breakout Angels performance seven years prior, with a .389 OBP. 1987, though, was his OBP showstopper.</p>
<p>Downing posted career highs in runs scored (110) and home runs (29) that season, but the career high that was more impressive was the one that was also an American League high: Downing drew 106 walks in those 155 games, to go alongside just 85 strikeouts. Downing posted a .400 OBP to go with his .272 batting average, and a career-high .487 slugging percentage. Mind you, Downing was 36 years old by this point in time. Two more career-average seasons followed, until 1990, when, at the age of 39, Downing put up an injury-shortened campaign of just 96 games, but still went .273/.374/.467 with 14 HR and 51 RBI. Age and injuries made it seem almost permissible to release the face of the franchise, until he went to the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a> (mind you, before the days of Rangers Bandbox in Arlington) and posted two last monster seasons, including his mind-boggling age-41 season where he managed a .407 OBP. Yeah, egg would've been covering my entire face by this point.</p>
<p>Downing was another player underappreciated in an era of benchmarks-or-bust. Maybe not quite a Hall of Fame-caliber player, but he IS in our team hall of fame, and were it not for Pujols already donning his own legendary #5, I'd believe that number would be best respected out there past the right field pavilion, next to Fregosi's 11.</p>
<p>In voting, Downing received one first-place vote, two second-place votes, four third-place votes, five fourth-place votes, two fifth-place votes, two sixth-place votes, two seventh-place votes, and one eighth-place vote, for a total of 131 points.</p>
<p>Thirteen years he gave to us, and for whatever reason we assumed he was out of gas? Never underestimate The Incredible Hulk.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/10/3975460/brian-downing-angels-acquisition-3Of Maicer and Men2013-02-09T22:11:47-08:002013-02-09T22:11:47-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #4- Salute the Bobby
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<img alt="Helmets and heads alike rolled when Bobby Grich played in Anaheim." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QCReRPLyhum5asKjbf8BBOilf8A=/11x0:986x650/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7925201/20120402_ajl_al2_217.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Helmets and heads alike rolled when Bobby Grich played in Anaheim. | Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Looking at the player voted as the fourth-greatest Angels acquisition ever. Could be argued that he's the greatest second baseman not in the Hall of Fame, and if the Veterans' Committee were ever to induct him, he'd likely be the first with a Halo on his hat.</p> <p>Yesterday, we looked at the surprising rank in the fifth-greatest <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> acquisition, that being first baseman and future Hall of Famer <span>Albert Pujols</span>.</p>
<p>Today, we look at the player that the Halos Heaven Voting Board voted the fourth-greatest acquisition in team history, whose resume demands Hall of Fame consideration that was strongly overlooked at his first go-round on the ballot.</p>
<p>'Twas after the 1976 season. The <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Baltimore Orioles</a> had built up to be a success in 1976, cashing it all in on the chance to, hopefully, overtake the likes of Boston and New York in their division. While ultimately finishing second place, the Orioles knew that things would be tougher in 1977. Reggie Jackson, who they acquired in a monster trade with Oakland, would be departing via free agency, not likely to stick around for perceived failure in Baltimore. Their rotation was aging, and a certain star second baseman of theirs was hitting free agency for the first time, and was likely to be too pricy for the MacPhail family to keep around. Luckily, Gene Autry, he of the deeper pockets, opened up the wallet with a blank check to get this man to hold second base down for the team. He'd stick around for ten years and establish a fan love, a legacy, and several offensive second base records for the team. Arguably should have his #4 retired if ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bobby Grich, ladies and gentlemen.</p>
<p><strong>BOBBY GRICH, SECOND BASEMAN</strong></p>
<p>.269/.370/.436, 1103 H, 154 HR, 557 RBI, 630 BB, 183 2B, 124 OPS+, <strong>32.9 WAR (3.3 average, 10 seasons)</strong></p>
<p>Drafted in 1967 by the Orioles in the first round (they would select fellow Top 15 Acquisition Don Baylor in the second round), Grich proved early on that his strong suit was simply getting on base. Even after coming to the Angels, with 7 years in Baltimore under his belt, Grich proved he still had it, despite an injury-hampered first season caused by him trying to lift an air conditioner whilst moving. 1978 saw him bat.251, but with an OBP of .357. 1979, however, was his breakout year as an Angel.</p>
<p>Fellow 1967 Orioles draftee and now reunited-teammate Baylor would win the AL MVP that season, but Grich led the Angels (if I'm not mistaken; him or Brian Downing) in WAR that season. Hitting .294/.365/.537, with 30 HR and 101 RBI, notching his first Angels All-Star appearance and finishing 8th in MVP voting. After another impressive 1980 season, Grich tied for the AL lead in home runs in the strike-shortened 1981 season with 22 (and would've been on pace for 36 had the season not been interrupted), but holding the sole lead in slugging percentage (.543) and OPS+ (165), while also topping a .300 average for the first time (.304), finishing 14th in MVP voting but winning a Silver Slugger.</p>
<p>Keeping with the low-average, high-OBP stat trend in 1982, Grich set a career high in on-base percentage in 1983 with a .414 clip. His stats--even OBP--started to sink in 1984 and hit a valley in 1985, but he came back for one more season in 1986.</p>
<p>That 1986 season was shortened by injury, as Grich was limited to 98 games, but even at 37 years old he was putting up career-average numbers for cheap pay--going .268/.354/.412 with 9 homers and 30 RBI. His highlight of his final season, however, came in the ALCS against the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Red Sox</a>, when he hit a walkoff single off of Calvin Schiraldi in Game 4 to give the Angels a seemingly-commanding 3-1 series lead.</p>
<p>His numbers for his overall career warrant some Hall of Fame reconsideration--his career .371 OBP, 1033 runs scored, 1833 hits, 320 doubles, 224 HR, 864 RBI, 1087 walks and a 125 OPS+. He had the misfortune of playing in an era of "benchmarks or bust," where players were lumped into sure shots and sure misses for the Hall. Arguments weren't easy to pose for borderline guys, as Grich certainly was. He was the greatest offensive second baseman of his era, taking the torch from Rod Carew, who shifted to first, before passing it on to Ryne Sandberg in the twilight of his career. Of course, things like that weren't considered in 1992, when Grich first appeared on a ballot, when he was quickly disposed of with just 2.6% of the vote.</p>
<p>In voting, Grich received three second-place votes, three third-place votes, five fourth-place votes, two fifth-place votes, two sixth-place votes, one seventh-place vote, and one ninth-place vote, for a total of 130 points.</p>
<p>Let's start making the Veterans Committee push for Grich to wind up in the Hall of Fame--he's due, and with several voters on the committee being former opponents, maybe he and Davey Concepcion go in together?</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/9/3972734/bobby-grich-angels-acquisition-4Of Maicer and Men2013-02-08T15:48:39-08:002013-02-08T15:48:39-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #5- King? Machine?
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<img alt=""Do you see it? I do. I'm number five."" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rwku_7hh-nxlfJwEttCxm8yo2Lw=/0x166:549x532/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7877687/135465590.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>"Do you see it? I do. I'm number five." | Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Looking at who our voters have ranked the Angels' 5th-greatest acquisition in team history. The most recent on the list, but clearly his ranking tells something beyond the numbers.</p> <p>Yesterday, we looked at the underrated tenure of the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a>' sixth-greatest acquisition ever, shortstop Jim Fregosi.</p>
<p>Today, we take a look at a rather shocking choice for the Angels' 5th-best acquisition ever--the most recent selection to place in the top 15, but for good reason.</p>
<p>2011 was a disappointment. The team wasn't really expected to be phenomenal. Of course, we as fans still expected the team to contend and make the playoffs, as the capabilities were there. However, several players chose to play subpar in 2011 to one varying degree or the other. Most notably, <span>Vernon Wells</span>, the team's "big splash" in the offseason when many expected a Crawford or a Beltre to come on board, was atrocious, and given the offense the team gave up to get him (<span>Mike Napoli</span> and Juan Rivera), this left general manager Tony Reagins with egg all over his face, and nothing to do but turn tail and be forced into fetching cinnamon rolls and Del Taco for Dennis Kuhl. New GM Jerry Dipoto came in prepared to make some changes. He said the team didn't need "great" changes, but man, what a great job putting a poker face on. Because on December 8, 2011, Dipoto came in out of nowhere and, likely with much influence from Arte Moreno, snatched up THIS future Hall of Famer to a team-record contract. For 10 years and $240 million, we signed <span>Albert Pujols</span>.</p>
<p><strong>ALBERT PUJOLS, FIRST BASEMAN</strong></p>
<p>.285/.343/.516, 30 HR, 105 RBI, 50 2B, 141 OPS+, <strong>4.6 WAR (4.6 average, 1 season)</strong></p>
<p>Pujols' first month and a half was a sick reminder that the honeymoon was over, but after hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was fired in mid-May, Pujols--and the rest of the team--took off. After hitting .243 in the first two months of the season, Pujols, from June on, hit .307 with 22 HR and 77 RBI. The April has been mostly dismissed as a rough adjustment period, which he won't go through in 2013. With a career-average month of April, Pujols would've gone from hitting .285 to .301 in 2012. Imagine what happens if he turns it on in 2013.</p>
<p>Clearly, it's NOT Pujols' numbers that propelled him to the number-five rank in our countdown. His signing is here largely for the reason Reggie Jackson's was impactful: it revived the fans after a disappointing season. 2011 disenchanted many fans, and the start of 2012 didn't help things, as the team barely eked their way above the 3,000,000 mark for the tenth straight season. But the Pujols acquisition clearly revived fans during the offseason, and gave a reason for people to get excited after the Angels had spent offseason after offseason swinging and missing at the big names. Pujols' acquisition was a sign that the team was NOT going to put up with being outspent, and that the free agent market was the better venue for "high-risk, high-reward" than the draft.</p>
<p>In voting, Pujols received one first-place vote, one second-place vote, two third-place votes, one fourth-place vote, two fifth-place votes, one sixth-place vote, three seventh-place votes, and one tenth-place vote, for a total of 78 points.</p>
<p>King Albert. Phat Albert. The Machine. AFP. Call him what you want. We call him the fifth-greatest acquisition in Angels history, and in time, his numbers may very well propel him higher on the list.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/8/3969220/albert-pujols-angels-acquisition-5Of Maicer and Men2013-02-07T19:01:49-08:002013-02-07T19:01:49-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #6- Jim Fregosi
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<figcaption>Sporting the red managing another team, with the same vigor he had in his Angel days. | Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Reviewing the tenure of the Angels' sixth-greatest acquisition, and first true fan favorite.</p> <p>Yesterday, we looked at--and reminisced of--the tenure of the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a>' seventh-greatest acquisition, fan-beloved <span>Torii Hunter</span>.</p>
<p>Today, we take a look at the player voted the SIXTH-greatest Angels acquisition in team history--and it's another shortstop acquired through non-traditional methods.</p>
<p>In the Eckstein installment of this countdown just a few days ago, I mentioned that there are two players in this countdown who were not acquired through free agency or trade. Eckstein was the first to be listed, acquired via waiver claim. This player, acquired through the expansion draft, is the other. Our very own Matt Welch (according to this player's Baseball Reference page) believes him to be the most productive expansion-draft player of all time. His numbers with the Angels do much to support that argument. A six-time All-Star and Gold Glove shortstop, the Angels selected him in the 1960 expansion draft with the 35th overall selection, from the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Red Sox</a> (shortstops from Boston, acquired through non-traditional methods, fans love him...trend?). He spent eleven years in the organization, and is one of only five Angels with their number retired. He even managed the organization after his retirement (though he more famously managed the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Phillies</a> to the 1993 NL pennant). None other than Jim Fregosi.</p>
<p><b>JIM FREGOSI, SHORTSTOP</b></p>
<p>.268/.340/.403, 1408 H, 219 2B, 70 3B, 115 HR, 546 RBI, 558 BB, <b>43.3 WAR (3.9 average, 11 seasons)</b></p>
<p>He was a lot more significant to this franchise than a lot of people take him for. He saw limited playing time in his first two seasons (ages 19 and 20 those years), but he took over the starting shortstop job in 1963, hitting .287 and finishing 23rd in AL MVP voting. Basically, there was no looking back. Autry and Rigney liked what they saw, and Fregosi wasn't going anywhere for a while. Arguably his strongest season came the next year, in 1964, though the slash line wouldn't look overwhelming--.277/.369/.463--and he earned his first All-Star appearance, and a 13th-place finish in MVP voting. What's largely unknown about that season was his WAR total (obviously)--his 7.7 WAR was second amongst position players, and his 141 OPS+ was seventh. And with a season like this coming from him at age 22, there was much optimism for a potentially Hall of Fame-level career in an Angels uniform.</p>
<p>However, while not on the same echelon of <span>Darin Erstad's</span> 2000 season, that was pretty much the way Fregosi's 1964 stuck out compared to the rest of his Angels tenure. Not to say he was bad thereafter; far from it. Fregosi stayed a consistent, sharp-hitting shortstop, though in his seven successive seasons, he only ever topped a .350 OBP again twice (1969 with .361, and 1970 with .353), and above .280 once (.290 in 1967). His consistent presence was much appreciated, until a down year, coupled with injuries, in 1971, when he posted a slash line of .233/.317/.326, by far his worst season in an Angels uniform, and that was enough for the front office to start shopping him.</p>
<p>That 1971-72 offseason saw Fregosi traded to the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a>, and what a haul the team got for the fan favorite/franchise face--Don Rose, Frank Estrada, Leroy Stanton, and some AAAA-type pitcher with control problems named Nolan Ryan. Shrewd move by little-known Angels GM Harry Dalton, who had a knack (in Anaheim and elsewhere) for acquiring Hall of Fame talent (he also brought Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer to Baltimore, and drafted Paul Molitor in Milwaukee).</p>
<p>In voting, Fregosi received two first-place votes, four second-place votes, and two fourth-place votes, for a total of 78 points.</p>
<p>Maybe it's because of the fact that he played for the Angels in their first seasons that he got underrated. Maybe it's because people are just forgetful. In any case, the numbers don't lie. Fregosi was certainly a consistent and lovable guy, the first true fan-favorite Angel, and we do remember it. #11 is retired for a reason. A very, very good reason.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/7/3966028/jim-fregosi-angels-acquisition-6Of Maicer and Men2013-02-06T17:00:04-08:002013-02-06T17:00:04-08:00Top 15 Angels Acquisitions: #7- Two-Eyed Hunter
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<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The seventh-greatest acquisition in Angels history, according to the Halos Heaven Voting Board. The two-eyed (insert rimshot) Hunter with a rifle for an arm.</p> <p>Yesterday we reviewed the seven-year stop in Anaheim of Rod Carew, the eighth-greatest <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> acquisition.</p>
<p>Today, however, is the SEVENTH-greatest Angels acquisition ever, and it's one who certainly changed the clubhouse dynamic to something almost unprecedented for the franchise.</p>
<p>The date? Thanksgiving 2007. Angels fans are still cringing from the horrific experiment that was the Gary Matthews, Jr. contract, which did not pay many dividends in 2007, let alone any other year he spent here. Bill Stoneman is gone, and Tony Reagins is in. Days earlier, he acquired <span>Jon Garland</span> (who received no votes; funny what happens when your ERA is almost 5) for fan favorite shortstop <span>Orlando Cabrera</span>. Trading away a fan favorite doesn't do well for your rep as a GM when you first appear on the scene. But Tony taketh away, so Tony giveth. Shortly after the trade, Tony, out of nowhere, sat down at the Del Taco down the road with this player and his agent with a pen and some paperwork. Whilst downing Double Dels and spicy chicken burritos, this player inked a five-year, $90 million contract--then the richest in franchise history--to be the team's new center fielder. To the bench was GMJ. To the field...Torii Kedar Hunter.</p>
<p><strong>TORII HUNTER, OUTFIELDER</strong></p>
<p>.286/.352/.462, 768 H, 105 HR, 432 RBI, 147 2B, 122 OPS+, <strong>19.7 WAR (3.9 average, 5 seasons)</strong></p>
<p>His arrival created a welcome logjam, as Gary Matthews, Jr. and <span>Reggie Willits</span>, starters in 2007, were now the 4th and 5th outfielders in 2008. Hunter came in, flanked on either side by Juan Rivera and <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span>, to create one of baseball's better offensive outfields. Hunter made his presence with the boomstick almost immediately, hitting a walkoff grand slam over Cleveland after just a week in an Angels uniform. He had an overall decent first season, hitting .278 with 21 HR and 19 stolen bases. His 2009, however, were it not for a groin injury, would likely have been an MVP-type season.</p>
<p>Injuries limited <span>Torii Hunter's</span> 2009 to just 119 games, but before his injury he was hitting .306/.384/.576 with 17 HR and 57 RBI, and on pace to slam 37 HR and 125 RBI. However, a groin injury all but shut down his July, and though he returned to form when he came back in August, he had a paltry September hitting .254/.303/.368 that weighed down his season totals. No MVP votes, but he did receive a Gold Glove AND his first Silver Slugger, as well as his first All-Star appearance as an Angel.</p>
<p>Another typical Torii season in 2010 netted him another All-Star appearance, although this season was more significant for his voluntary shift to right field in August so that <span>Peter Bourjos</span> could play every day. And after a down 2011, one could only wonder if he'd lost his touch as an Angel, and would be left to be a <span>Nyjer Morgan</span> type player: substandard play with a nonstop mouth.</p>
<p>However, this would NOT be the case. Torii's status as a clubhouse leader remained intact--even through personal troubles involving rape allegations against his son--and hitting between <span>Mike Trout</span> and <span>Albert Pujols</span> got Hunter a CAREER season, hitting .313/.365/.451 with an insane BABIP.</p>
<p>His unceremonious release after the season led to him jumping ship to the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tigers</a>, where he'll have similarly misleading seasons like 2012 hitting between Austin Jackson and <span>Miguel Cabrera</span>. Not to say he's not capable of that play regardless; Hunter is a fantastic player whose skill set was much appreciated as an Angel. What made him such a valuable asset, however, was his status as the team's clubhouse leader.</p>
<p>Tough loss? Talk to Torii, he'll give you the quote you're looking for. Need a good sound byte? Torii's got it. 2009 ALCS start off crappy? Torii yells at the entire team to "grow some balls" and "do it for Nick." He was unabashed in telling it like it was, and he was always good for an interview and for an explanation for ANYTHING.</p>
<p>In voting, Hunter received one second-place vote, one third-place vote, two fourth-place votes, two fifth-place votes, two sixth-place votes, one seventh-place vote, three eighth-place votes, and one ninth-place vote, for a total of 68 points.</p>
<p>To a man who brought tangibles and intangibles to the team in an unprecedented proportion, I say thank you for your service. I doubt <span>Tommy Hanson</span> will do #48 justice like you did.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2013/2/6/3961124/torii-hunter-angels-acquisition-7Of Maicer and Men