We’re kicking off 2021 celebrating the top sixty Angels players in their 60th season in franchise history. This list has been compiled based on an unbiased HaloLife formula. It combines Fangraphs & Baseball-Reference WAR ratings, awards voting, All-Star, and postseason appearances, and other factors. These rankings are strictly based on their performance during every player’s Angel’s career. It does not reflect overall career performance and years outside their tenure in Anaheim or Los Angeles. Nor does it factor in the personal opinion of the author.
Here are the previous list of player rankings: 56-60, 51-55, 46-50, 41-45, 36-40, and 31-35.
This week we countdown the 26th through 30th greatest Angels all-time.
30. Troy Percival
Drafted by the Angels as a catcher in the sixth round of the 1990 MLB draft, this UC Riverside product hit only .203 in 29 games at short-season Boise before coaches saw promise in his arm. Not from behind the plate but throwing from the mound. With a high-90’s fastball, Percival would dominate hitters for that same Boise club the next season. He would quickly become one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. Progressing level-by-level through minors over the next four seasons.
He would crack the Opening Day roster in 1995 and serve as the set-up man for all-time saves leader Lee Smith. Completing his rookie campaign with a 1.95 ERA while striking out 94 batters in 74 innings as a middle reliever. He finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He’d assume the closer role the following season and save 30 or more games eight of the next nine years.
He’d already have four All-Star games to his credit before getting the ball at the most critical time in his career. Holding a lead going into the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.
.@UCR_Baseball HC Troy Percival on the hill! #WorldSeries
MT @angels: ⚠️ CAUTION ⚠️… This will give you chills. pic.twitter.com/yjsknogKNe
— Big West Baseball (@BigWestBaseball) October 28, 2017
The tall right-hander would record the final out before being pounced upon by catcher Bengie Molina and his teammates. He would finish his 10 years with the Angels as the franchise leader in saves (316) and games (579). Percival also tops Halos’ hurlers with the lowest WHIP, highest strikeouts per 9 innings, lowest hits per 9 innings, and games finished.
29. Adam Kennedy
It’s tough to say goodbye to an All-Star and Gold Glove centerfielder like Jim Edmonds. It helps when the return is a 24-year-old rookie second baseman like Adam Kennedy. It certainly helps fans forget any loss of the former player dealt away. Kennedy had only appeared in 18 games with St. Louis before being acquired and immediately made the starting second baseman.
Kennedy hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, with 22 stolen bases his rookie season. Finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting following the 2000 season. Two years later he’d hit a career-best .312, helping propel the Angels into their first post-season in over fifteen years. He’d be only the fifth player in baseball history (at the time) to hit three home runs in a post-season game. The Northridge product hit three long balls in the deciding Game 5 of the ALCS. He would earn Most Valuable Player for the ALCS before hitting .280 for seven games in the World Series.
2002 ALCS. Game 5. Adam Kennedy.
See you at 7:00 PM. Brought to you by @ElPolloLoco.@Angels | @Adam2Kennedy pic.twitter.com/ofPbhDH87Y
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 26, 2020
Kennedy would start at second base in five playoff series during his Angels career. Hitting .308 with .843 OPS, slugging 4 home runs, and driving in 13 runs in October play. He’d depart the Angels as a free agent after seven seasons, returning to the St. Louis Cardinals. Not before compiling a .280 lifetime average wearing a Halo uniform with 176 doubles, 33 triples, and 51 home runs.
28. Jarrod Washburn
Darin Erstad was the first overall selection in the 1995 draft by the Angels. Their second-round selection was a left-handed starting pitcher from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Jarrod Washburn would spend parts of five seasons at Triple-A and three commuting back-and-forth from Anaheim. Finally establishing himself in Mike Scioscia’s starting rotation in 2001.
He would win 11 games with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts in 2001. Enough to go into the following season poised to be the staff ace. Washburn would go 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA in 32 starts leading the Angels back to the post-season. He would finish fourth in AL Cy Young award voting for the 2002 World Series champions. The southpaw would pitch well in 2002 ALDS and ALCS before struggling in two World Series starts. Still, the Angels won the series and Washburn would go on to pitch three more seasons in Anaheim. Scott Boras represented the lefty and found him a lucrative contract with the Seattle Mariners.
Washburn would finish his days with the Angels compiling a win-loss record of 75-57. Pitching to the tune of a 3.93 ERA while starting 183 games for the Halos. His win-loss percentage and pitchers bWAR still rank top ten among all-time Angel’s careers.
27. Andrelton Simmons
Simba, as they call him, would come to the Angels with two Gold Gloves to his credit. Spending his first four seasons dazzling the fans in Atlanta with his suburb play in the field. The Curacao native would immediately impact the game with his highlight defense 2016 through 2020 as the Halos everyday shortstop. Earning two Gold Glove awards and finish top 15 in AL MVP voting during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
.@Andrelton is a wizard. pic.twitter.com/7hscpK5hZn
— MLB (@MLB) April 20, 2018
At the plate, he would produce as well. Hitting .278 with 33 doubles, 14 home runs, and 19 stolen bases in 2017. Simmons would hit no lower than .264 any of his five seasons with the Angels. Always rebounding quickly from seemingly serious injuries his final three seasons with the club. Unfortunately, his hustle on the bases and all-out fielding would cause those injuries, costing him time in the lineup and making his availability unassured.
Even though he only earned two Gold Glove awards with the Angels, his defense was among the best of all fielders. The Andrelton Simmons story is far from over. It remains to be seen if he’s played his final game with the Angels. He’ll be a free agent again following the 2021 season.
26. Rod Carew
The 33-year-old Carew was a 12-time All-Star in 12 MLB seasons when acquired from Minnesota prior to the 1979 season. The six-time batting champion was only two years removed from his MVP season coming to the Big A. The .334 lifetime hitter immediately provided a spark the Angels needed at the top of their line-up. Hitting .318 with .419 on-base as he assisted the Angels in winning their first-ever AL Western Division title.
Carew would appear in six All-Star games during his time with the franchise. He’d hit as high as .339 for the team in 1983 on his way to baseball immortality. Recording 3,000 career hits in Anaheim against his former team on August 4, 1985, with a trademark opposite-field single. At home on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Anaheim Stadium.
¡Un día como hoy, pero de 1985, Rod Carew dio el hit número 3,000 en @LasMayores! 👏 https://t.co/AovaefxNH6 #AngelsBéisbol pic.twitter.com/eDMMJengLR
— Angels Béisbol (@AngelsBeisbol) August 4, 2017
The future Hall of Famer would be granted free agency at 39-years-old following the 1985 season. Never to play another big-league game again, he’d be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1991. During his seven seasons for the Angels, the Panamanian left-hander would hit .314 with a .393 on-base percentage. He logged 968 of his 3,053 career hits during his 834 games with the franchise. His batting average and on-base are second only to other future Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero and Mike Trout, respectively.
We will next countdown the 21st through 25th greatest Angels all-time featuring a quartet of starting pitchers and a Gold Glove outfielder that left it all on the field every night.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
