by Dean Patino | May 8, 2013 | Blog
The City of Angels gave birth to the Los Angeles Angels ascending to the American League in 1961. Since then they have retained their team moniker yet have floated geographical names such as California, Anaheim, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and settled back on Los Angeles in recent years. Gene Autry purchased the franchise and paid then Dodger owner Walter O’Malley $300,000 for the original team name Los Angeles Angels. O’Malley owned the rights to that name from a prior acquisition of a minor league team with the same name. The Angels franchise have won 1 World Series, in 2002 over the San Francisco Giants.
The Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels are 2 of the next 4 Major League Baseball Franchise teams we will be adding to the #1 selling Baseball Classics All-Time Greats set in the Fall of 2013. The 4 teams will be available as an add-on for those who already purchased the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats. Stay tuned in our Blog to learn about the next 2 MLB franchises to be added!
In the Fall of 2013 Baseball Classics will welcome the Houston Colt .45s-Astros and Los Angeles/Califonia/Anaheim Angels to the All-Time Greats set. There are many great and exciting players to choose from; here’s who makes the cut for the top 15 position players and 9 pitchers that will be added and their impact on the franchise.
Pitchers
Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan – The all-time strikeout King, A.K.A. “Ryan Express” is a welcome addition to the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats! Led the AL in strikeouts 7 of his 8 seasons for the Angels. He was a dominating pitcher in his generation and considered one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history.
Hall of Fame/All-Star | ERA 3.19 | SO/9 9.5 | Strikeouts 5714
Chuck Finley – 14 seasons pitching for the Angels, accumulated 165 wins during that span. The 4-time All-Star, consistent lefty averaged 14 wins for 11 seasons with the Angels. Had the longest stint with the Angels franchise on the mound.
All-Star | ERA 3.85 | Wins/Losses 200/173 | WHIP 1.376
Frank Tanana – Began as a 100+ mph flame thrower, then after an injury became a savvy left hander with a nasty curve that dropped from the heavens over the plate to full many hitters. At one time in the same rotation with Nolan Ryan.
All-Star | ERA 3.66 | Wins 240 | WHIP 1.27
Jered Weaver – An outstanding pitcher for the Angels, has only pitched in his MLB career for this franchise. Drafted in 2004 by the Angels in the 1st round as the 12th overall pick. Does not surrender many long balls. 20 game winner in 2012.
All-Star | ERA 3.25 | Wins/Losses 102/53 | WHIP 1.145 | HR/9 1.0
Mark Langston – Pitched 8 of his 16 seasons for the Angels while compiling an impressive career in many categories including fielding his position well. Another one-time flamethrower turned crafty pitcher striking out far more while walking far less.
All-Star/Gold Glove | ERA 3.97 | Wins/Losses 179/158 | WHIP 1.354
Mike Witt – Pitched a Perfect Game in his career with over 100 wins for the franchise. Drafted by the Angels, the tall, lanky right-hander was stingy giving up Home Runs. His durability shined through with 6 consecutive seasons of 200+ innings.
All-Star | ERA 3.83 | Wins/Losses/Saves 117/116/6 | WHIP 1.1318 | HR/9 0.8
Dean Chance
Dean Chance – A member of the original Los Angeles Angels, Dean enjoyed a remarkable 11 year career including a highly impressive season with the Angels in 1964 when we was honored with the Cy Young award. He had 20 wins, 11 shutouts, and 4 saves to boot that season to compliment his 1.65 ERA!
Cy Young/All-Star | All-Star | ERA 2.92 | Wins/Losses/Saves 128/115/23 | HR/9 0.5
Francisco Rodriguez – Relief specialist and phenomenal closer he never struck out less than a stunning 9.9/9 IP for the Angels. In 2008 he recorded 62 saves, a franchise record. Three-time league leader in saves. Could strike out batters with any one of his four pitches, including his featured hard four-seam fastball.
All-Star | ERA 2.70 | Saves 294 | WHIP 1.175 | SO/9 11.0
Troy Percival – Angels all-time saves leader, another strikeout artist for the franchise. He appeared in 579 games for the Angels, with 29 wins, a 2.99 ERA, and 316 saves. Was the stopper for 9 consecutive seasons for the Angels with 4 trips to the All-Star game over that span.
All-Star | ERA 3.17 | Saves 358 | WHIP 1.108 | SO/9 9.9
Catcher
Bob Boone – Played 19 seasons in the Bigs, this hard-nosed catcher comes from a strong family line of solid Major League Baseball players. Boone was sturdy with a decent average, excellent at handling pitchers.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .254 | FLG .989
Brian Downing – 20 year MLB career with over 2000 hits. Belted 222 home runs for the Angels after leaving the Chicago White Sox. Though his years as a catcher were waning fast when he joined the Angels, his offensive stats were just heating up.
All-Star | AVG .267 | OPS .796 | HITS 2099
First Base
Wally Joyner – A smooth, natural swing stoked many doubles from his at bats throughout his stellar career. He was also a slick fielder and a fan favorite during his day. In his tenure with the Angels, he hit .286 with 117 home runs and 532 RBIs.
All-Star | AVG .289 | OPS .802 | 2B 409
Jim Spencer – Began the first 6 seasons of his 15-year career with the Angels. Had an average bat, though was excellent with his fielding. He had some pop in his bat and oddly enough hit for 27 triples, though only stole 11 bases.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .250 | RBI 599 | FLD .995
Second Base
Bobby Grich
Bobby Grich – Grich was tough as nails during his 17 illustrious year MLB career, spending 10 of them with the Angels after coming over from the Orioles. Good glove man with some power, always dependable year after year. Grich could essentially do it all in every aspect of the game, really solid all-around second baseman.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .266 | HITS 1833 | OPS .794
Howie Kendrick – Ever since joining the Angels his rookie season he’s been an outstanding and versatile player. Now playing in his 8th season for the only Major League Baseball franchise he’s ever known, he has never batter lowed than .279 and adapted to some new places with the glove to make himself that much more valuable.
All-Star | AVG .292 | FLD .986 | OPS .756
Third Base
Chone Figgins – He may come as a surprise to some for making this team considering he left his bat in California once we signed with Seattle. However his stats for the Angels are undeniable, prior to leaving them he was a perennial weapon in the lineup. His speed was always a threat on the base paths and he found himself on base at a impressive clip. Not great in the field, but surely can play many spots.
All-Star | AVG .277 | OPS .713 | 3B 58 | SB 337
Troy Glaus – Clubbed quite a few home runs for the Angels in his day, led the league in 2000 with his career high 47. 5 times had 30 or more home runs in a season. Fair average and in the field, he featured his raw power and clutch hitting for the franchise.
All-Star | AVG .254 | HR 320 | RBI 950
Shortstop
Jim Fregosi – The franchise Shortstop from the beginning with a very nice productive career for the Angels. During 11 seasons with the Angels, Fregosi hit .268 with 115 home runs and 546 RBIs. However his best franchise contribution may have been prying Nolan Ryan away from the Mets in exchange for Fregosi.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .265 | HITS 1726 | FLD .963
Erick Aybar – Steady at the plate and provides good leather, Aybar is the best hitting shortstop for batting average in their history. He can steal a base and get around third to score more times than not, thus always putting the pressure on the defense.
Gold Glove | AVG .279 | 3B 33 | OPS .706
Outfield
Tim Salmon – Played all 14 of his MLB seasons with the Angels and considered an icon of the organization (“Mr. Angel”). Despite some all-star caliber seasons he was never elected to the All-Star team, though should have been a number of times. His keen eye at the plate, power, and ability to hit above average made for a long outstanding career.
Rookie of the Year | AVG .282 | OPS .884 | HR 299 | RBI 1016
Garret Anderson – An outstanding hitter he was a mainstay throughout most of his 17-season career here. He has a flare for piling up extra base hits, twice leading the league in doubles. An average fielder, but a clutch performer, he was as consistent as a Manager could ask for every day highlighting why he played so many years.
All-Star | AVG .292 | 2B 522 | RUNS 1084 | OPS .785
Garret Anderson
Jim Edmonds – Though just squeezed out from the St. Louis Cardinal All-Time Greats roster, there is definitely a place for him with the franchise he also had some of his best seasons with. Smooth fielding with a bat to back up his ability at the plate, Edmonds was a star. He could get on base and wasn’t shy when it came to scoring runs, let alone knocking them in with his knack for the key timed hit.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .284 | HITS 1949 | HR 393 | OPS .903
Darin Erstad – Earned a Gold Glove for his play one season in centerfield and another at firstbase. His story doesn’t stop there, his focused play and determination at the plate capped a batter than average ability to hit over 14 seasons, 11 of them with the Halos. In 2000 he had his best season, knocking out 240 hits to lead the league while batting .355.
All-Star/Gold Glove | AVG .282 | HITS 1697 | OPS .743 | FLD .996
Albie Pearson – Another one of the original Los Angeles Angels, he had a .275 career batting average while playing for them. He had an All-Star season in 1964 to surpass his Rookie of the Year accolades in 1958 with Washington.
All-Star/Rookie of the Year | AVG .270 | RUNS 485 | OPS .724
Notable Franchise Names That Missed The Cut.
Devon White was inconsistent for the Angels, yet flashy before heading to have his best seasons with the Blue Jays. Maicer Izturis started and ended his career in Canada with the Expos and Blue Jays, though in between for 8 seasons was a very consistent performer during his time with the Angels as a utility infielder. Adam Kennedy had a very nice career for the Halos, just missed making this Baseball Classics All-Time Greats Angels roster. Buck Rogers was a founding member of the Angels and long standing catcher, but unfortunately had a subpar career. Andy Messersmith had a fine MLB career which began with the Angels, though didn’t stay with the franchise long enough to qualify. John Lackey had a good tenure with the Angels, but fell short of his fellow staff members that made the list.
Here’s the starting lineup I recommend generally starting for the All-Time Great Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels:
- 3B – Chone Figgins
- 2B – Bobby Grich
- OF – Garret Anderson
- OF – Tim Salmon
- 1B – Wally Joyner
- OF – Jim Edmonds
- SS – Erick Aybar
- C – Bob Boone
- P – Nolan Ryan
We look forward to adding them to the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats later this year. Do you agree with our top 24 selections for the All-Time Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels? Who do you think is the best Angels player to ever play? What’s your favorite memory of this franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
by Dean Patino | Mar 30, 2013 | Blog
This Houston franchise was born in the year 1962 and belonged to the National League, in 2013 they are making the switch to the American League. They began as the Colt .45s, though after a few years changed the team name to the Astros when they moved from Colt Stadium to the Houston Astrodome. During the 1970’s they were mostly known for their flashy, trendy, colorful multi-striped uniforms and in the 1980’s became a team to reckon with. In 2005 they were the first team from Texas to be represented in the Fall Classic, though fell short against the Chicago White Sox.
The Houston Colt .45s-Astros are 1 of the next 4 Major League Baseball Franchise teams we will be adding to the #1 selling Baseball Classics All-Time Greats set in the Fall of 2013. The 4 teams will be available as an add-on for those who already purchased the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats. Stay tuned in our Blog to learn about the next 3 MLB franchises to be added!
In the Fall of 2013 Baseball Classics will welcome the Houston Colt .45s-Astros to the All-Time Greats set. There are many great and exciting players to choose from; here’s who makes the cut for the top 15 position players and 9 pitchers that will be added and their impact on the franchise.
Pitchers
JR Richard
J. R. Richard – He is arguably the best pitcher to represent this Baseball Classics All-Time Greats team. J.R. Richards through with smoke and fire racking up strikeouts on par with the best of any pitcher during his time.
All-Star | ERA 3.15 | Wins/Losses 107/71 | Strikeouts 1493
Larry Dierker – His rookie season was on the Houston Colt .45s and played for the franchise through 1976. Nothing flashy, yet can count on his consistency day in and out. Low hits, walks, and home runs allowed, dependable throughout most of his long career.
All-Star | ERA 3.31 | Wins/Losses139/123 | WHIP 1.217
Ken Forsch – Outstanding control pitcher, versatile starter or reliever with quality starts or relief appearances. For being a control pitcher in 1 season he hit almost as many batters as free throwing JR Richards did throughout his career (11/17)!
All-Star | ERA 3.37 | Wins/Losses/Saves 114/113/51 | HR/9 .7
Mike Scott – 1986 Cy Young award winner is another outstanding starting pitcher on the Houston staff. Scott was tough on the mound, added a 20 game win season in 1989 when he almost notched his 2nd Cy Young trophy.
All-Star/Cy Young | ERA 3.54 | Wins/Losses124/108 | WHIP 1.201
Joe Niekro – A 22 year career, half of it spent as a member of the Astros. He was the first pitcher to post back-to-back 20 game winning seasons for the Astros in 1979 and 1980. Added a knuckleball to his arsenal along with a good mix of other pitches.
All-Star | ERA 3.59 | Wins/Losses 221/204 | Faced over 15,000 batters in his career
Billy Wagner – A 16 season career, most of them spent starring with the Astros as their stopper. Wagner was tough to get a hit off of and averaged more than 1 strikeout per 9 innings. He’s the all-time saves leader for the franchise.
All-Star | ERA 2.31 | Saves 422 | SO/9 11.9
Dave Smith – Another outstanding closer for the Houston franchise, started only 1 game throughout his stellar career. Good luck hitting a home run off Smith, one of several areas he was stingy to batters with. From the 1987 through 1989 seasons he merely allowed 3 long balls.
All-Star | ERA 2.67 | Saves 216 | HR/9 0.4
Turk Farrell – Another staff member from the Colt .45s before moving on with the Astros he was a 3-time All-Star representing the franchise. He had a 14-year career mostly coming out of the bullpen, except with Houston he was typically a starting pitcher.
All-Star | ERA 3.45 | Wins/Saves 106/83 | WHIP 1.23
Joe Sambito – Very effective bullpen leader, second most saves in Houston history. Low walk combined with high strikeout ratio made him tough to be successful against. In 1979 he pitcher 40 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He featured a fastball and slider.
All-Star | ERA 3.03 | Saves 84 | WHIP 1.203
Catcher
Alan Ashby – Great with the staff, Ashby caught 3 no-hitters and 107 shutouts during his career. A modest hitter, se was a fixture behind the plate for the majority of his career with Houston. Houston hasn’t had an all-star representative behind the plate yet.
AVG .245 | FLG .986 | Hits 1010
Brad Ausmus – Three-time Gold Glove winner and five-time season leader for catchers in fielding. He is one of only a handful of catchers in major league history to get 1,500 hits and steal at least 100 bases.
Gold Glove | AVG .251 | FLG .994 | Hits 1579
First Base
Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell – Should be easily headed to the Hall of Fame when he qualifies. A team leader had a long, steady career in the plate and field with big-time clutch hits and reliable glove.
MVP/ROY/Gold Glove/All-Star | AVG .297 | OPS .948 | HR 449
Bob Watson – Terrific 19 year career, should have made the All-Star team more times than twice. Watson was credited scoring the 1,000,000th run in major league history on May 4, 1975 at 12:32 in the afternoon at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.
All-Star | AVG .295 | OPS .811 | RBI 989
Second Base
Craig Biggio – Gritty Biggio was fearsome with his style of play and hustle parlayed into a perennial All-Star. His leadership in the clubhouse and in the lineup carried the team into the playoffs and first ever World Series. He’s another member of the Astros that should be headed to the Hall of Fame along with Jeff Bagwell when their time comes.
Gold Glove/All-Star | AVG .281 | Hits 3060 | Runs 1844
Bill Doran – Very popular member of the Houston Astros and hard-nosed player that hustled. He reached base consistently with walks and just good enough batting average. Doran is a good glove man at second base.
AVG .266 | FLD .983 | OPS .728
Third Base
Ken Caminiti – Very good hitter for the Astros with a tainted career due to admitted steroid usage including throughout his MVP season. A great talent who eventually lost his career and life to drugs.
MVP/Gold Glove/All-Star | AVG .272 | OPS .794 | HR 239
Doug Rader – Perennial Gold Glover at third base, Radar saved many hits targeted to left field for hits. Radar was just an average hitter, but a main stay for years manning the hot corner as their starter. He did have a pretty decent pop in his bat.
Gold Glove | AVG .251 | FLD .956 | HR 155
Shortstop
Craig Reynolds – Reliable Reynolds was the only shortstop selected to the All-Star teams representing the AL and NL in consecutive seasons. Interesting stat that he had more triples than stolen bases 65/58.
All-Star | AVG .256 | 3B 65 | FLD .966
Dickie Thon – The long time steady shortstop for the Astros had a career on the rise until April 1984 when stung in the face with a fastball from Mike Torrez. Thon eventually recovered, but couldn’t quite turn the corner to stardom since, yet had a very admirable career. Ironically was only hit by a pitch 9 times during his 15 year career.
All-Star | AVG .264 | SB 167 | FLD .965
Outfield
Lance Berkman – 6-time All-Star Berkman is currently only second to Bagwell in career batting average and home runs. He has a high on-base percentage for a player with average speed, a testament to his great eye at the plate. Had to play outfield since Bagwell held down the fort at first base, he wasn’t known for his fielding, yet later in his career when moved back to first base fielding his position very well.
All-Star | AVG .296 | OPS .953 | HR 360 | RBI 1200
Cesar Cedeno – Superb with both his bat and glove, to date Cedeno is the best a 5-tool player to ever play for the Houston franchise. Though he never reached the anticipated level of superstardom, Cedeno had an impressive career throughout and could do it all.
Gold Glove | All-Star | AVG .285 | HR 199 | SB 550 | OPS .790
“Toy Cannon” Jimmy Wynn
Jose Cruz – 2-time all-star, Cruz was quick and an extra base threat at the plate. He was a gamer, played in 3 different post seasons for the Astros and a beloved member of the organization. Batted .300 or greater 6 seasons not including his first MLB season when he batted .353 in 17 at bats.
All-Star | AVG .284 | Hits 2251 | 3B 94 | SB 317 | OPS .774
Terry Puhl – Played 14 of his 15 MLB seasons with the Astros. He’s an outstanding fielder and consistent performer at the plate. Fit in well with the style of play for the Astros during his tenor, just enough speed, great defense, and reliable hitter.
All-Star | AVG .280 | Hits 1361 | OPS .737
Jimmy Wynn – The “Toy Cannon” nickname states it all; a power-packed hammer at the plate was always a threat to go deep. This 7-time All-Star, a member of the Colt .45s during his rookie season, logged 11 seasons with the franchise. Average hitter who had high strikeouts though matched with high walk totals.
All-Star | AVG .250 | HR 291 | OPS .802
Notable Franchise Names That Missed The Cut.
Joe Morgan would have taken a prominent spot, though Morgan’s glory years were with Cincy. Roger Metzger all field, but too light a hitter to surpass the all around play of Thon and Reynolds. Glenn Davis, decent career, yet not close to the same league of Bagwell and Watson. Carlos Lee, actually had better stats and played just as long for the Chicago White Sox. Bob Knepper was a close call, but just didn’t quite have enough to beat out the pitchers on our list. Mike Hampton kind of fell apart after leaving the Astros, his career ERA wound up ballooning over 4.00.
Here’s the starting lineup I recommend generally starting for the All-Time Great Houston Colt .45s-Astros:
- 2B – Craig Biggio
- OF – Jose Cruz
- OF – Cesar Cedeno
- 1B – Jeff Bagwell
- OF – Lance Berkman
- 3B – Ken Caminiti
- C – Alan Ashby
- SS – Dickie Thon
- P – J. R. Richard
We look forward to adding them to the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats later this year. Do you agree with our top 24 selection for the All-Time Houston Colt .45s-Astros? Who do you think is the best Houston player to ever play, J. R. Richards or one of their great position players like Jeff Bagwell? What’s your favorite memory of this franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
by Dean Patino | Mar 23, 2013 | Blog
If you had to guess which teams are the most popular and greatest in Major League Baseball history what would be your guess? The 1927 New York Yankees likely come to mind, then again the current World Series Champion 2012 San Francisco Giants may as well. Or what about the Big Red Machine, 1975 Cincinnati Reds?
We have had the great pleasure over the years with a birds eye view over the past 25 plus years, it’s been interesting to see the orders for MLB seasons and teams placed. The most popular seasons ordered come from present day (2000’s), next are from the 1970’s, and then the 1960’s. However there are quite a number of orders for MLB seasons and teams from other eras ordered too. Our #1 best seller all-time is the Baseball Classics All-Time Greats.
We plan to add 4 more Baseball Classics All-Time Greats franchise teams by Thanksgiving this year to our packaged set. Recently on our Facebook page and through Twitter, we asked for feedback on which teams you would like to see added such as the all-time Houston Colt 45’s-Astros, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, etc. Share your thoughts below in the comments!
With thousands of Baseball Classics games out there, there must be ten’s of thousands of games played by our customers since 1986. Some were likely played for fun, perhaps during a camping trip, kitchen table, or at school and forgotten. Others may have kept track of detailed stats and still have them today.
I always enjoy hearing from our customers and when they share their BC game play and experience, it makes my day as they share their enthusiasm about their experience. Believe it or not, I have received some heart-warming emails from gents letting me know their fiancée played some BC games with them, so they knew they were marrying the right gal! And the stories go on…
Introducing Baseball Classics Games Played
Baseball Classics Community, I’ve added a new section to our website called Games Played. I’m calling out to you to share your game results with us at www.playbaseballclassics.com/games-played.
Submit any game you just played or if you kept track or your past BC game play and would generously enter those results, together we will see which teams are the most dominating and popular of all-time. Along the way we will capture your special game notes and I’m sure have fascinating stories and results to share! Running standings will also be posted. This will help us all to get the word out about the great game we love, Major League Baseball.
By now those of you who know BC well, you know we like to keep it simple and fast, yet detailed and flexible for you. The Baseball Classics Games Played page has a form with required fields:
- Your name or initials
- Visitor and Home teams
- Winning team
- Score
Optional fields include winning & losing pitcher, pitcher that recorded a save, special events (no-hitter, hit for the cycle, etc.), and game notes.
Let’s continue to share and grow the Baseball Classics experience. We have an opportunity to share America’s National Past Time with a larger baseball fan base through Baseball Classics next generation game play and learn which MLB teams are the greatest and most popular moving forward! I wish I would have thought to begin collecting your game play information a long time ago, though no time like now to start collecting this fun and educational information.
Think of the teams everyone will learn about and why they perform so well or those that fall short. Beginning April 1st, 2013 Baseball Classics will post all the results submitted and generate a Standings for the most popular so you can see where they rank!
Thank you for your great support and being a Baseball Classics customer. We always love to hear from you, please provide any feedback and suggestions for this new idea in the Comments section below.
