Don Baylor might be more recognized as a Coach and Manager, but this was one hell of a baseball player who had a lot of pop in his bat.
Baylor began his career with Baltimore in 1970, and after being traded to Oakland in 1975, he signed his first Free Agent deal a year later with the California Angels. After tying his previous high 25 Home Runs in his first year in California, he broke it with 34 in 1978 and 36 in 1979. That campaign was Baylor's best, seeing him lead the American League in Runs Scored (120), RBIs (139), and winning the American League MVP. This would also be Baylor's lone All-Star year.
Baylor was injured for most of 1980 but was healthy the two years after, again going yard often and accumulating 141 Home Runs for the Halos before signing with the New York Yankees as a Free Agent after the 1982 Season.
Despite the MVP and strong power numbers, Baylor’s rank is negatively affected by his poor defense. Had he been even average in the field, he would likely be ten to fifteen spots higher. Baylor was nevertheless the Angels' first MVP, and in 1990, he was the third man inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame.
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