3 greatest LA Angels First Basemen of all-time

LA Angels fans have had a lot of first basemen to cheer for.

Starting at the beginning, big Ted Kluszewski hit the first home run in LA Angels history. Since then there has been a non-stop parade of the great to not-that-great. 

The first base position is traditionally a spot for a power hitter. The right corner post of the infield is also a leadership position. Whenever a pitcher is having trouble, the first baseman will strategically wander to the mound, pick up the rosin bag, and try to calm the pitcher down. 

Since it’s not counted as a mound visit, the LA Angels manager uses the first baseman as a sort of captain of the infield. Here are the three that best exemplify those traits in LA Angels history.

Number 3 greatest LA Angels first baseman of all-time: Darin Erstad 

Darin Erstad had his best seasons as an outfielder. He won a Gold Glove award as a center fielder in 2000 and 2002, but also won a Gold Glove as a first baseman in 2004. The feat made Erstad the only player in Major League Baseball history to win the award as an outfielder and infielder. 

His best year came as an outfielder in 2000 when he had 240 hits and had a slash mark of .355/.409/.541 and finished in the top ten of MVP finalists. 

Erstad excelled in the postseason and was memorably clutch when he hit .352 with two home runs and seven runs batted in during 16 games in 2002, helping the LA Angels to their only World Series title.