Now that the Baseball Hall of Fame festivities have come and gone, it’s worth taking a look at next year’s ballot and what LA Angels have a chance to be inducted.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any players on the ballot who would go in as Angels.
There is, however, a former Angel on the ballot. Many forget about his tenure with the Halos, but his stint with the Halos was the best stretch of his career.
Mark Teixeira never played better baseball than in his run with the LA Angels.
Mark Teixeira was traded to the LA Angels from the Atlanta Braves in 2008. As true Halo fans remember, he went nuts in an Angels uniform.
Teixeira batted .358/.449/.632 with a 1.081 OPS in 54 games with Anaheim. In those 54 games, he smoked 13 home runs and drove in 43 RBI. Scoring 39 runs, Tex was truly dominant when he was with our team.
Not only was he one of the most feared hitters in the American League, but he was one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. He always was, and already had a couple of Gold Glove awards on his resume.
He went on to play for the New York Yankees after that 2008 year, where he won a few more Gold Gloves, but his run with the Angels shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s what earned him that massive payday from New York the following offseason.
I mean, how can anyone forget how amazing Tex played for us in the playoffs? He went 7 for 15 and scored four runs in four games.
Regardless of whether Mark Teixeira gets in the Hall or not, he was one of the best switch hitters to ever play this game.
His run with the Angels was part of his story, and I’m glad we were able to claim the slugger as one of our own. Even if it was short lived.