The Los Angeles Angels have fielded a number of Hall of Famers and superstars in their relatively short 61-year history. While many of those players made their names elsewhere, they have a formidable group of talented players in their history nonetheless. As we continue our All-Time team tournament, we look at the Angels’ All-Time team.
Angels All-Time Team
Catcher: Brian Downing (1978-1990)
Catcher is an interesting position for the Angels. They do not have a catcher in their history who has manned the position for more than seven years. Bob Boone and Bengie Molina both spent seven years there. They were both very good. Boone had an All-Star appearance and both won several Gold Gloves. Brian Downing only caught for his first three years in Los Angeles before moving to left field. Downing, however, has the fourth highest WAR among position players for the Angels and his overall numbers with the team place him among the greatest Angels ever. In 1979, he was an All-Star at catcher (his lone All-Star appearance) as he had the greatest season ever by an Angels catcher. Downing was always going to make the All-Time team for the Angels, but putting him in the lineup at catcher makes room in a crowded outfield.
First Base: Darin Erstad (1996-2006)
At first base, there are a couple of choices as well. The easy way out is to pick the Hall of Famer. Rod Carew was a perennial All-Star and an unquestioned all-time great of the game. His best seasons, however, were with the Minnesota Twins. Carew was far from washed up as an Angel though. He hit at a .314 clip across seven seasons in California. In 1983, Carew posted the second highest single-season batting average of any Angel ever. Who posted the highest, you ask? That would be Darin Erstad in 2000. Looking strictly at their careers with the Angels, Erstad accumulated nearly twice as many Wins Above Replacement and dominates Carew in nearly every counting statistic. Erstad was the better defender and outpaced Carew in slugging. If Carew had spent more time with the Angels, he probably gets the nod, but as is, he’s an elite honorable mention.
Second Base: Bobby Grich (1977-1986)
There is a case that could be made to put Howie Kendrick in at second base, but Bobby Grich had a decade of very productive time with the Angels and gets the nod. Grich is fifth in career WAR among position players for the Halos and is sprinkled across the top-ten in a variety of offensive categories for the team. He made three All-Star appearances and received a few MVP votes over the years. He was a fixture at second base.
Third Base: Troy Glaus (1998-2004)
Third base on the Angels All-Time Team belongs to Troy Glaus. He only had a seven-year run at the position, but he hit for significant power during that time. Glaus led the league in home runs in 2000 with 47, made three All-Star appearances as an Angel, and secured two Silver Slugger awards. Glaus was an adequate defender and outpaces Doug DeCinces for the spot.
Shortstop: Jim Fregosi (1961-1971)
Shortstop is a position where teams will often sacrifice offense for exceptional defense. On this All-Time Team, that’s not necessary. Jim Fregosi is fourth among Angels in defensive WAR, narrowly trailing fellow shortstops Gary Disarcina and Andrelton Simmons. He sits at third in offensive WAR for the team, trailing only Mike Trout and Tim Salmon. In short, Fregosi is the second greatest Angels’ position player, at least in terms of WAR. He was a six-time All Star and received MVP votes in eight consecutive years.
Left Field: Garret Anderson (1994-2008)
In all fairness, the greatest left fielder in Angels history might be Brian Downing. Since Downing is in the catcher’s spot, Garret Anderson can start in left. No player has taken more at-bats in an Angels uniform than Anderson. It’s no surprise that he is the career leader in hits, runs batted in, and a number of other counting stats. He is fourth among Angels in batting average and barely cracks the top-ten in slugging. Although he isn’t the greatest Angel of all-time, he was a fixture who produced at a high level every year.
Center Field: Mike Trout (2011-Present)
He has been Rookie of the Year, a three-time Most Valuable Player, appeared in nine All-Star games, and is showing no signs of slowing down. There is little that can be said about Mike Trout that hasn’t been said already. He’s an absolute no-brainer for this list, and a century from now will still be on the Angels all-time team.
Right Field: Tim Salmon (1992-2006)
The position player with the third highest WAR for the Angels is Tim Salmon. Salmon won the Rookie of the Year award in 1993. In 1995, he had one of the best seasons ever by an Angel not named Mike Trout. Salmon hit .330 with an OPS of 1.024. He scored 111 runs while driving in 105. Overall, he’s second only to Trout regarding most power stats and trails only Anderson in most counting statistics. Despite excellent numbers, Salmon was never named to an All-Star team during his fourteen seasons in the majors.
Designated Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero (2004-2009)
Since Kendrick so narrowly lost out to Grich at second base, it makes some sense to slot him in here. But Kendrick only had seventeen appearances at DH with the Angels. The proven designated hitter is Vladimir Guerrero. Many may view Guerrero as an all-time Expo as opposed to an Angel, but he won his lone MVP award in Los Angeles in 2004. Four of his nine All-Star appearances were in LA. Despite only six seasons with the Angels, he’s in the top-ten among all position players in WAR.
Pitchers
Starting Pitcher: Nolan Ryan (1972-1979)
There are two candidates for the starting pitcher spot, and both are worthy of inclusion. At first blush it wouldn’t seem that a competition between Chuck Finley and Nolan Ryan would be close. That’s not to shortchange Finley who was a great pitcher. Making it close is admirable, and when isolating just their careers in LA, it’s a narrow battle. They are often first and second on the career leaderboards for the Angels. Finley has the higher WAR and more wins. He threw more innings for the Angels, but Ryan had more strikeouts and more shutouts. Ryan’s lower ERA and his ability to achieve as much as Finley in far fewer years gives him the edge of course. If Ryan’s entire career had been spent with one team, he’d be the undisputed All-Time starter of that team. As is, he’s in the conversation for three different All-Time teams.
Relievers:
Troy Percival is the only true reliever in the mix here. He gets the spot as the All-Time saves leader for the Angels. Percival is also the leader in WHIP and strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Since Finley isn’t the starter, he moves to the bullpen. He’s joined by Jered Weaver who narrowly gets the spot over Frank Tanana.
Manager: Mike Scioscia (2000-2019)
Over 20 seasons, Mike Scioscia took the Angels to the playoffs seven times and secured their only World Series victory. He is both the longest-serving and most successful manager to helm the team. His career winning percentage of .536 is highest and one of only four above .500.
Angels All-time Team Honorable Mentions
It’s tempting to make up a list of honorable mentions consisting of players like Carew who are Hall of Famers, but achieved more with other teams than the Angels. Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Lee Smith, Eddie Murray, and eventually Albert Pujols would all make that list. Instead, the honorable mentions consist of players who had very good careers for the Angels, but someone simply had better numbers for that position. If Francisco Rodriguez would have spent more of his career in Los Angeles he would have joined Percival in the bullpen. Tanana probably would have as well if he hadn’t been traded to Boston.
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Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Bob Boone, Bengie Molina, Brian Downing, Rod Carew, Darin Erstad, Howie Kendrick, Bobby Grich, Troy Glaus, Doug DeCinces, Jim Fregosi, Gary Disarcina , Andrelton Simmons, Garret Anderson, Mike Trout, Tim Salmon, Vladimir Guerrero, Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Troy Percival, Jered Weaver, Frank Tanana, Mike Scioscia, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Lee Smith, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, Francisco Rodriguez
