Garret Anderson, a World Series hero and one of the great Angels players of all time, passed away suddenly at the age of 53, the club announced on Friday.
“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” said Angels owner Arte Moreno in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship.
"Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable. We extend our deepest condolences to Garret’s wife Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, son Garret ‘Trey’ Anderson III, and his entire family.”
The Angels will honor Anderson for the remainder of the season by wearing a memorial patch on their jerseys, beginning with Friday's homestand. Additionally, prior to this evening’s game, the club will host a moment of silence and run a special tribute video to honor the franchise great.
When he retired in 2011, Anderson said, “It was truly a privilege to play this wonderful game.”
And to be sure, he had a wonderful, dynamic career that made his unexpected death all the more difficult to process.
A native of Los Angeles, Anderson went on to star in Anaheim for the franchise that selected him in the fourth round of the 1990 Draft. The power-hitting outfielder became the Angels’ all-time leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), doubles (489), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796) and grand slams (eight), and he was instrumental in the franchise’s 2002 World Series triumph over the Giants.
In a career that spanned from 1994-2010, Anderson played 15 seasons for the Angels before spending one each with the Braves and Dodgers. He was an All-Star in 2002, '03 and '05.
Reflecting on his own career in 2016, when he was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame, Anderson made his priorities clear.
“I was a good teammate,” he said. “And being a good teammate goes a long way with a lot of people. If you go out and respect your teammates and pull for ‘em and give ‘em tough love when you have to, it goes a long way. … So that was the biggest compliment for me, people saying I was a good teammate.”
He was also one heck of a hitter.
Anderson was the American League Rookie of the Year runner-up to the Twins’ Marty Cordova in 1995, when he slashed .321/.352/.505 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs in 106 games. He went on to get down-ballot MVP support in three straight seasons from 2001-03, finishing as high as fourth. He led the Majors in doubles with 56 in 2002 and the AL with 49 in 2003, earning him the Silver Slugger honor in left field both years.
In 2003, Anderson became just the second player -- joining Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) -- to win the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP honor in the same year. He outslugged Albert Pujols in the final round of the Derby at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field.
For all his regular-season successes, which included a 10-RBI game on Aug. 21, 2007, against the Yankees (Anderson was one of only 16 players all-time to have 10-plus RBIs in a single game), Anderson will be remembered most among Angels fans for his role in the franchise’s first and thus far only World Series title.
Anderson’s imprint was all over the Series against San Francisco. He went 9-for-32 in the seven-game thriller, driving in six runs, including the third-inning, three-run double off Livan Hernandez that broke a 1-1 tie and was the difference-maker in the Halos’ 4-1 win in Game 7 over the Giants.
“The story that people don’t really know about is, ‘Why would he throw you a fastball there?’” Anderson once said. “The first at-bat, he threw me a curveball, and I killed it in center field. There was a good catch in the outfield. So I knew he was coming fastball in that at-bat.”
Anderson also had a game-tying RBI single that was pivotal in the Angels’ 11-10 triumph in an epic Game 2, and he scored the go-ahead run in the Game 6 victory that forced the winner-take-all.
“Garret played hard, he wanted to win,” then-Angels manager Mike Scioscia once said. "He's got that internal competitive nature that every great player has to have, and he was really the foundation of our championship run back in 2002 and for many other years. He just was a terrific talent and a terrific person."
Anderson finished his career with 2,529 hits and 287 home runs. He announced his retirement, via the Angels, in March 2011, and served as an Angels broadcaster during his retirement years.