Remembering LA Angels forgotten star Bryan Harvey

In LA Angels history, Bryan Harvey was one of the high points during some of the lowest days of the franchise. 

While this consarned lockout continues unabated, it gives me time to get creative. 

I’ve been an LA Angels fan since 1975. 

That was the year I really discovered baseball and the LA Angels were the closest team to the house. I went to my first game at Anaheim Stadium the following year. 

There have been lots of players that have come and gone and lots of transactions that didn’t make sense at the time. I'll be writing about some of those soon.

One of them was when they left Harvey exposed to the 1993 expansion draft. It was thought at the time that his monster contract would be avoided by the first-time clubs. 

The Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins were foraging for players, but the Marlins took Harvey with the 12th pick. 

Harvey was the team's lights-out closer during a down period from 1988 to 1992 for the squad. After the gut-wrenching collapse of 1986 and a string of lousy seasons along with the hated Dodgers winning it all in 1988, the LA Angels seemed to be settling into mid-market malaise. 

If the wild card had been around in 1989 the LA Angels would’ve qualified. It’s too bad Harvey didn’t pitch in the postseason, but he carried the torch through the rough patch. 

The LA Angels letting Bryan Harvey go did have its positives.

It kept the expansion teams from drafting such LA Angels minor leaguers such as Troy Precival from being whisked away. 

Whenever I hear an LA Angels broadcaster exclaim ‘Splitter got him swinging!’ when Shohei Ohtani strikes out an opposing batter I sometimes think of Bryan Harvey.  

I’m hoping this latest rough patch will be over soon so that the legendary Mike Trout gets back into the postseason.  Too many LA Angels greats have missed the playoffs too often.