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Larry Lambert’s All Los Angles Angels Team, Position Players
It’s Mike Trout and a bunch of guys from years gone by.
For a team with the resources the Angels have had in recent years, the product on the field isn’t what you expect. Of course, there are exceptions. Mike Trout is one of the greatest players in this or any generation. Beyond that, the cupboard still hasn’t been completely bare. Here we go.
Catcher: Bob Boone
Boone was an excellent defensive catcher, a good handler of pitchers, and not much of a hitter. Not to knock Bob, but for him to be an organization’s best player at a position in the last 50+ seasons is an indicator that position isn’t one of strength. Bob played 7 seasons for the Angels and complied a defensive WAR of 14.5 which is just outstanding. It is negated somewhat by weak overall offensive factors which drag his total WAR for his years with the Angels to 12.1. Boone gets the edge over bat first guy, Mike Napoli.
First base: Wally Joyner
First base also hasn’t been a position of particular strength over the years. Rod Carew played the position for a number of years for the Angels, but he was on the back side of his career, lacked power, and wasn’t a great glove at the position. Those qualities tended to negate his ability to hit for average…
