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Committee Chairman

Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

David Eckstein was a throwaway pick in the 1997 Draft, taken in the 19th Round by the Boston Red Sox.  The Red Sox placed him on waivers in 2000, and the Angels took a chance on the Shortstop, and it would be one of the organization's best decisions ever made.

At age 26, Eckstein made the Angels out of Spring Training, and he had a solid rookie year, batting .285 with 166 Hits with a fourth place finish in Rookie of the Year voting.  The Angels fans loved him, and how could you not like a 5’ 6” dynamo who did whatever he could to get on base.  In both 2001 and 2002, Eckstein led the American League in Hit by Pitch and Sacrifice Hits.  Eckstein’s best season with the Angels was 2002, where he was 11th in MVP voting, had 178 Hits, and batted .293.  Anaheim won it all that year, with Eckstein, the team's heartbeat leading the way.

Eckstein played two more seasons with the Angels, both decent, though not necessarily spectacular.  He was a good hitter, with limited power, but realistically expandable.  As popular as he was, Eckstein was not going to be in the upper-tier of Shortstops, though the Angels would have liked to have kept him after his contract expired following the 2004 Season. 

He opted for St. Louis, where he would later win a second World Series Ring (2006).  With the Angels, Eckstein had 614 Hits and batted .278.

The first six years of Gary Pettis' MLB career were with the California Angels, where he showed exactly what he was; a speedy and defensively skilled Outfielder who had zero pop in his bat.

Pettis debuted for the Angels in 1982, and two years later, he was their starter at Centerfield.  From 1984 to 1986, Pettis was perennially second in Stolen Bases, swiping 145 bases in that period.  He used that speed expertly with his glove, and he won two Gold Gloves, was the American League leader in Total Zone Runs in 1986 (22), and rarely made any errors.

Pettis was traded to Detroit after the 1987 Season, and although his offensive numbers were not impressive, his defense was, and he earns a place on this list.

Scot Shields played his entire Major League career with the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, a job that spanned 491 Games, an incredible number for a Pitcher drafted in the 38th Round.

Shields made his first appearance in 2001, and he would find a role with the Majors in middle relief.  A member of the 2002 World Series Championship Team, Shields had five straight seasons where he made at least 60 Games (2004-08), with the three middle exceeding 70.  

Over his career, Shields accumulated 21 Saves and had 114 Games Finished.

Clyde Wright made his Major League debut with the California Angels in 1966, and his first four seasons saw him bounce back and forth from starting to relieving.  It was not until 1970 where Wright had a breakout year, specifically as a Starter.

Wright’s 1970 Season saw him put forth a phenomenal record of 22-13 with a 2.83 ERA.  He was an All-Star that year with a sixth-place finish in Cy Young voting.  Wright was unable to secure any more Cy Young votes, but the southpaw had two more years where he had a sub 3.00 ERA and at least 16 Wins.  After a troubling 1973 Season, he was traded to Milwaukee.

With the Angles, Wright had 87 Wins against 85 Losses.