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LA Angels retired numbers

By Evan Desai |
Rod Carew, LA Angels
Rod Carew, LA Angels / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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In the LA Angels' 61-year history, they have retired five numbers. Well, they have retired six numbers including Jackie Robinson's 42, as every team has retired the trailblazer's number. Five of their retired numbers, however, come from members of the Angels.

The Halos are admittedly not one of the most storied franchises in baseball, but they certainly have had some truly historic players come through Anaheim. They have two historic players on their roster right now, and will look to continue adding to their list of retired numbers.

For now, this article dives into what they have currently--taking a look at some of the most dominant Angels of the past. Starting with the first owner of this franchise, here's a breakdown of the top five legends of the Angels' past:

No. 26: Gene Autry--LA Angels Owner

Gene Autry was quite the success as a musician during his storied lifetime, but he was also the first owner in LA Angels history. This was of course in 1961 when the league decided to bring two expansion teams into the game with one being the Angels. Autry owned the Halos for 36 years.

Very few mean more to baseball than Autry, who was the VP of the American League for 15 years. Autry passed 24 years ago, and when he did, the players requested that the No. 26 be retired for him. It's not just players that the Halos have recognized in this manner, but a man in Autry who is just as important to Angel history as anyone.

No. 50: Jimmie Reese--LA Angels Conditioning Coach

Jimmie Reese was a conditioning coach of the LA Angels for 23 seasons. He started in 1972 and did the job until he unfortunately passed in 1994 (he was 92 years old). To do the job he did at as old of an age as he did, it showed his dedication to this Angels franchise.

Reese had quite a fulfilling baseball career, playing in the Majors for a few years as well. He played second base for the Yankees for two seasons and he played with the Cardinals for a year too. He batted .346 in his first Big League season with the Yanks, adding an .871 OPS to go along with it.

This was not the only prestigious honor that Reese achieved with the Angels. He threw out the first pitch of the 1989 All-Star Game (which was in Anaheim). Speaking of All-Star Games, Reese was named an honorary captain for the American League team during the 1992 All-Star Game.

Clearly, Reese's impact on the game was surely felt, and not even just by the Angels. His number deserved to be retired by the team he topped off his legendary life in baseball with.

No. 11: Jim Fregosi--LA Angels Infielder

Jim Fregosi's No. 11 was retired by the LA Angels, and it was for good reason. He was a six-time All-Star, and had a 116 OPS+ with the Halos. A durable player, he played in at least 147 games for the Angels from 1963 to 1970. He played with the team in general from 1961 to 1971.

He once had 13 triples in a season with Anaheim, which happened back in 1968. That led the American League. His best year, however, was in 1970. He hit .278/.353/.459 (.812 OPS) with a career-high 127 OPS+. He had career-highs in home runs (22), RBIs (82), and runs scored (95).

The best part about Fregosi is that even in years where he wasn't known as one of the most productive players in the game at his position, he still found ways to contribute.

For instance, in 1965 Fregosi was not an All-Star and also had just a .744 OPS. He still, however, led the A.L. in sacrifice bunts with 15. He always found ways to help manufacture runs. It's also important to remember who he was defensively for the Halos too, as he even won a Gold Glove with the Angels in 1967.

No. 29: Rod Carew--LA Angels First Baseman

Rod Carew is one of the most memorable pure hitters in American League history. Very few have been able to sit back and achieve base hits on a consistent basis the way Carew did in his career, and they certainly couldn't make it look as easy as Carew made it look.

Carew hit .314 in seven years with the Halos, making the All-Star team in all but just his last year with the squad. Even in that year (1985), Carew still got on base quite a bit--recording a .371 on-base percentage.

He had a .393 on-base percentage throughout his Angels tenure, being a player that the team could always count on to have quality at-bats every game. He got his 3,000th hit with the Angels, a feat very few can ever say they achieved.

Carew is a Hall of Famer. To have one of his most iconic moments like his 3,000th hit come in an Angels uniform means everything to this organization. Unfortunately, Carew and the team don't seem to be on the best of terms these days. It is unclear why, but hopefully the relationship between the Halos and one of their greatest players ever gets repaired very soon.

No. 30: Nolan Ryan--LA Angels Starting Pitcher

The best retired player in LA Angels history is of course Nolan Ryan. Retiring his number was likely the easiest decision Anaheim has ever had to make in its entire history. Ryan played for the Angels for eight years. He was truly sensational in his time here.

Ryan won 138 of his 324 wins while with the Halos. He only lost 121. He posted a 3.07 ERA with the Halos, which was a career-best mark. That 138 wins with the Angels were a career-best with any team too. Ryan had a 115 ERA+, and struck out 10 batters per nine innings with the Halos. In those times, that was absolutely absurd.

He had a career-high 2,416 strikeouts with the Halos out of his 5,714 Ks in his career. Nobody has ever struck out as many batters as Ryan in MLB history. Very few pitchers in history have been more influential to the game and as recognizable as Ryan. To have him representing the Angels was and will always be something the fans appreciate to the fullest.

Next. Which Angels pitching prospect will debut next?. dark

Halo fans will have to wait a bit before Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani see their numbers retired, but it's always worth looking back at the past legends and what they mean to this organization.

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