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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] .

43. Kirk McCaskill

One of the few Canadian Pitchers who had a long career in Major League Baseball, Kirk McCaskill, played the first seven of his 12 years with California.

McCaskill was a starter for the duration of his Angels run, where he twice posted seasons where he won at least 15 Games.  McCaskill made the top ten in ERA in three different years, peaking with a fifth-place finish in 1989 with 2.93.  

He left the Angels for the White Sox in 1992 and would have a 78-74 record in California.  

42. Fred Lynn

Fred Lynn was one of the most popular players in the 1970s and was in rarified air as a player who won the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.  After seven years in Massachusetts, Lynn was traded to the California Angels, who thought he might be a player to help them reach the top.

Lynn had a poor start in California, as though he was voted into the All-Star Game, his numbers in the strike-shortened 1981 Season (5 HR, 31 RBI .219/.322/.316) were not good.  Lynn was voted to the following two All-Star Games, but he was a better player than in 1981.  He had at least 21 Home Runs in both of those years, batting at least .271, but his best moment was the 1982 ALCS, where despite the Angels losing, he won the ALCS MVP with a .611/.650/.889 Slash Line.

Lynn had another decent power year, hitting 23 Home Runs with a .271 Batting Average, and that was it for Lynn in California as he signed with the Orioles afterward.

With the Angels, Lynn had 71 Home Runs while batting .271.

41. Kole Calhoun

A 2010 Draft Pick, Kole Calhoun first made the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, becoming a starter at baseball’s highest level in 2014 at Rightfield.  

In his first full season, Calhoun batted .272 with 17 Home Runs, and he followed that with back-to-back 161 Hit Years, which again had at least double-digit power numbers.  Winning a Gold Glove in 2015, Calhoun kept his power numbers respectable, though he never matched his .272 Batting Average in 2014.  In 2019, which would be his last year as an Angel (he signed with Arizona after), he smashed 33 Home Runs.

With the Angels, Calhoun had 884 Hits with 140 Home Runs. 

40. Don Baylor

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.