Angels reeling after unexpected news of Garret Anderson's passing breaks

All baseball franchises take pride in their history and the legends that helped write it. While this often involves players inducted into Cooperstown, it is not exclusively those bound for Cooperstown. In fact, it feels impossible to tell the history of the Los Angeles Angels in the 1990's and 2000's without Garret Anderson.

While Anderson wasn't the greatest player to ever wear an Angels uniform, he is certainly one of the most beloved. The team inducted Anderson into their Hall of Fame thanks to being the all-time franchise leader in hits and games played. Without his top-5 MVP performance in 2002, the odds are pretty low that the Angels win the World Series that year.

Unfortunately, Angels fans were greeted by the shocking news on Friday that Anderson unexpectedly passed away at the age of 53.

Angels icon Garret Anderson passes away at the age of 53

This is just heartbreaking. Anderson not only gave the Angels 15 very strong seasons of his career, but he also served as a broadcaster and reporter during the Angels' home games after retirement. In a lot of ways, he was one of the main faces of the franchise, and that is a void that may be impossible to fill.

During his 17-year career in the majors, Anderson posted a combined .293/.324/.461 line with 287 homers, 2,529 hits, three All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers, and a Home Run Derby win in 2003. To honor his achievements as a player and his importance to the team, the Angels have already announced that they will wear a commemorative patch for the rest of the season.

Details are still sparse as to what happened, although there is some initial reporting out there from Jon Heyman and probably others that a heart attack is suspected. Whatever happened, this is an absolute gut punch to the Angels and their fans. Our thoughts are with Anderson's family, friends, and fans during this extremely difficult time.

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