The 5 Greatest Angels of All Time by WAR Stat
There has been no shortage of great players to don an Angel uniform in the franchise's 61-year history.
From Los Angeles to California to Anaheim to Los Angeles of Anaheim and back to Los Angeles, here are the top five Angels with the greatest number of Wins Above Replacement.
1. Mike Trout — 80.9 Career WAR (and counting)
Surprise, surprise. Mike Trout is at the top of an all-time Angels list. Trout is undoubtedly the greatest player to wear an Angel uniform. And will only continue to climb the all-time ranks.
Trout made his MLB and Angel debut in 2011, exploded in his rookie season in 2012 and never looked back.
Trout is already the franchise leader in home runs and runs scored, and is top five in hits, games played, doubles, triples and walks. He's also a 10-time All-Star, three-time AL MVP award winner and eight-time Silver Slugger award winner.
When it's all said and done, Trout may just sit at the top of just about every Angels all-time list.
2. Jim Fregosi — 45.9 Career WAR
Jim Fregosi spent 11 of his 18 seasons in an Angel uniform, and was named an All-Star in six of them.
He hit .268 over his 1,429 games for the Halos, mashing 115 home runs and driving in 546 RBIs. He had an impressive 70 triples with the team, including a league-high 13 in 1968.
He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1989 and has his No. 11 retired in the rafters.
3. Tim Salmon — 40.5 Career WAR
Tim Salmon spent his entire 15-year career with the Angels from 1992-2006. He won a World Series with the team in 2002, the lone title in franchise history.
The 1993 AL Rookie of the Year was a career .282 hitter, and retired as the franchise leader in home runs with 299 (Trout passed him in 2020) and walks with 970 (he still owns the title to this day).
He won a Silver Slugger award in 1995 and finished top-15 in MVP voting three different years.
He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2015. His jersey isn't technically retired, but no one has worn his No. 15 since he played his final game in 2006.
4. Brian Downing — 37.9 Career WAR
Brian Downing spent 13 of his 20 seasons in the MLB with the Angels, in the late 1970s and through the 1980s.
Downing's best season came in 1979, when he hit a career-high .326 with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs. He made his first and only All-Star appearance that year, leading the California Angels to a first-place finish in the AL West.
Downing is still the Angels all time leader in the HBP category, being hit by 105 pitches during his tenure with the team.
He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2009.
5. Bobby Grich — 35.1 Career WAR
Bobby Grich spent the last 10 years of his 17-year career with the Angels. He played all but one of those years with the guy right above him on this list, Brian Downing.
Grich was a three-time All Star with the Angels — he also was a three-time All Star with the Orioles — and won a Silver Slugger award in 1981 after finishing with a league-high 22 home runs.
He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1988.
