Doug DeCinces arrived in the California organization via a January 1982 trade with the Baltimore Orioles, a move that finally allowed him to step out from the massive shadow of Brooks Robinson. While his time in Baltimore was defined by the impossible task of following a legend, his transition to the West Coast sparked an immediate offensive renaissance.
DeCinces had his best season in baseball in 1982, belting a career-high 30 home runs and recording his only career .300 season. He led the club to an American League West title and finished third in the AL MVP voting behind future Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Eddie Murray. The regular season was punctuated by a historic week in August, where he hit three home runs in a single game twice within a five-day span, earning him the 1982 Silver Slugger Award.
The 1983 campaign saw DeCinces maintain his status as one of the premier third basemen in the junior circuit, earning his lone career All-Star selection. While a mid-season injury limited his total games, he remained a model of consistent power throughout the mid-eighties, smacking at least 20 home runs in three consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1986, the last of which he recorded 26 home runs and 96 RBIs while finishing 11th in the MVP race and helping the Angels reach the ALCS.
DeCinces’s play tailed off in 1987, and he was released late in the season. With California, he had 130 home runs and a .277 average
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