10 MLB stars you forgot were LA Angels

The LA Angels aren't one of the top franchises in MLB history, but there sure have been a lot of stars that have come their way.

It's even got to the point where there have been a lot of stars that we don't even remember playing for the team.

Some of them were great with the Halos. Some of them not so much. Regardless, there are so many high-profile players, and in many cases legends that we forget wore our uniforms.

It's worth looking deep into our memories and remember some forgotten Angels of the past, who we wish were Angels for longer, or at better times in their careers.

No. 10 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Bo Jackson

It's pretty cool to think about how Bo Jackson was an LA Angel. The NFL/MLB two-sport sensation was an All-Star in baseball and a Pro Bowler in football. He wasn't an All-Star with the Angels, however.

On the diamond, we all remember Bo for his efforts with the Kansas City Royals. If it wasn't for some durability issues, we'd remember him for being an Angel. That's because when he was healthy in Anaheim, he was solid.

Hitting .279/.344/.507 (.851 OPS) with a 117 OPS+, Jackson was not just a freak athlete for the Angels. He produced. It was just that he was only able to play 75 games.

Hitting 13 homers and bringing in 43 RBIs in those 75 games, I would have loved to see what he could have done if he had a full 162.

No. 9 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Tim Lincecum

LA Angels fans are probably glad they tend to forget Tim Lincecum was on our team. He played for us in 2016, where he started nine games and recorded a 9.16 ERA to go along with a 2-6 record.

His 44 ERA+ also sums up how his Angels tenure went. It was a disappointing stretch for a former two-time Cy Young winner. The Halos certainly didn't get that level of production out of the former Ace.

Winning three World Series titles in his career, unfortunately none of them were with Anaheim. Lincecum had four bad years after his last All-Star year in 2011, so the Angels caught him at the wrong time. He went on to have that fifth and final bad year with LA.

His WHIP was somehow 2.374, which is the worst WHIP many of us have seen over a span of nine starts. I don't want to disrespect a great career, which is what Lincecum had. I'm just pointing out why Angels fans forget that he had a stop here.

I'm sure he tries to forget it too. It's a mutual understanding that baseball fans don't count that season when we think back to his career.

No. 7 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu was on the LA Angels for three seasons, and part of a fourth. Unfortunately, only one was unforgettable. It was his first season with this team, where he hit .293/.390/.435 (.825 OPS) and drove in 103 runs.

Abreu then had a poor remainder of his tenure with the Halos, and continued those rough times on the next two teams he played for afterwards (Dodgers and Mets).

Abreu was another former Angel on the Hall of Fame ballot this year, and unlike Lincecum and Teixeira will stay on the ballot. Abreu was a two-time All-Star before he played for Anaheim. He's remembered as a Phillie, and for good reason.

He was better on defense, and had five of his six 30-stolen base seasons there. His sixth did come with the Angels, but it was in that one great year he had. Overall as an Angel, he hit .267/.364/.412 (0.776 OPS). He was much better with the Phillies and Yankees.

The former Silver Slugger and Gold Glover is hardly ever remembered for his play with the Angels.

No. 6 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Bobby Bonds

The LA Angels didn't get Bobby Bonds' best performance until his second year with the team, but it was REALLY nice once they got it. In 1977, he hit .264/.342/.520 (.862 OPS) in that second year, and the one thing we didn't forget were his 37 home runs, 115 RBIs, and 103 runs scored.

He stole 41 bases. That's absurd. Bonds was only with us for those two years, which led to him being more remembered as a Giant--the team he began his career on.

He played seven years there. He was an All-Star there once, and was an All-Star with the New York Yankees another time. He was an AL MVP candidate in both of those years, and had a lifetime OPS of .824, a lifetime on-base percentage of .353, and a lifetime slugging percentage of .471.

The outfielder played for eight teams throughout his career. There's a lot to try to remember him from, and the one that seems to stick is of course San Francisco. He did, however, play the second-most seasons he ever has with the Angels.

Angels fans better at least not forget what he did in that '77 season.

No. 5 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Fernando Valenzuela

Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most electric players the game's ever seen, and it's a shame we didn't see him in his prime on the LA Angels. He went from recording a 3.31 ERA and a 3.28 FIP on the Dodgers to a 12.15 ERA and 8.56 FIP with the Halos.

His 11 years on the Dodgers will certainly never be forgotten, but his two starts weren't the best with the Angels. He played in Mexico the next year, and reurned the following season to the Baltimore Orioles.

He had some ups and downs through the rest of his career, which cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame. The LA community will never forget his impact on the city and the game back when the former Cy Young winner was dealing early in his career.

We all just will unfortunately not remember what he did on the Angels. I'd say we keep it that way, so baseball fans can celebrate his legacy instead of remembering his rougher times with the Angels. It really would have been amazing if he had that early success with this franchise.

No. 4 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke came to the LA Angels via trade in 2012, and he shoved for the team. Posting a 6-2 record, he was a nice boost to our squad and recorded a nice 3.53 ERA to go along with a solid 1.187 WHIP. Greinke had a 108 ERA+ with the Halos, but seems to be remembered for every team he played for other than the Angels.

And I get it. He played for us for just 13 starts, and had so many great moments with other teams. He won a Cy Young early in his career in 2009 with the Royals. He won an ERA title that year, as well as one in 2015 with the Dodgers.

He's never quite got to 20 wins, but he's been an All-Star six times before. He had three of them in Arizona and two of them across the Freeway.

Greinke is still looking for a home for next year, and will be gobbled up once this lockout ends. He won't be an Angel, however, as he wants to go to a National League team. A veteran guy, he'll bring a lot of valuable experience to wherever he goes.

No. 3 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Dave Parker

Dave Parker was an LA Angel because of an awful trade that we should have never done. It was the worst trade in Angels history. We traded Dante Bichette for him.

Bichette went on to make four All-Star teams after his time with the Angels. The issue with us acquiring Parker was that we traded for him at the wrong time. We traded for him at the end of his career, and he didn't have anything left in the tank.

We traded him after just 119 games. He finished his Angels tenure with a .232/.279/.358 (.638 OPS) slash line, and hung it up after the season.

Parker had an outstanding career. He was an MVP, he was a seven-time All-Star, and he's got three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards. His time with the Angels, however, was indeed forgettable.

I can't blame people for forgetting he was with Anaheim, as I myself like to forget about it. I'm sure you do too, and I'm sure you're hoping that Perry Minasian never makes catastrophic mistakes like this. On the bright side, it's hard to get much worse.

No. 2 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Dave Winfield

Hall of Famer Dave Winfield is generally remembered as a Yankee, but he did spend a couple of years late in his career with the LA Angels. And...he was quietly a solid player.

He hit.268/.335/.469 (.805 OPS) with a 124 OPS+ with the Halos, and stayed durable throughout his tenure. We just don't remember him because he didn't play with the Angels for too long. We certainly remember his success with the Yankees and Padres, though.

A 12-time All-Star, Winfield also won seven Gold Gloves in his time in the league. Winfield was a winner, and won the World Series right after he left the Angels. He was an MVP candidate that year with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The six-time Silver Slugger really did have a complete career, and averaged triple-digit RBIs per 162 games. Finishing with a .283/.353/.475 (.827 OPS) slash line, there's no denying the type of impact that the outfielder had in this league.

It would have been nice to see him have that type of impact in California for longer, but he gave it to us for every game he was here.

No. 1 MLB star you forgot was an LA Angel: Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson is the type of player any team would want, and the LA Angels wish they would have had him for longer. You probably have no idea why I would say that the Angels would have wished that they had him for longer, because he hit terribly for the Halos. But what I'm getting at is the baserunning that he showed on the Angels.

In the 32 games he played with Anaheim, he somehow stole 16 bases. How is that possible? A steal every other game?

Well, for a guy like Henderson, it's easy money. This is the same guy who's had at least 100 stolen bases three times, and had 130 one year. That's 100 more than what a baserunner has in a great season.

Every team can use those wheels, and while Henderson didn't get on too often for the Halos, he got over VERY often.

The Angels have a couple of superstars on this team, and one who has already had a better career than every player on this list. The mission is to keep them around, so we never forget their Angels legacies. Hopefully we never have to add to this list.