The Hall of Fame Case: Garret Anderson
Sure, there will be plenty who vote for the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell on their National Baseball Hall of Fame player ballots, but there are players on the ballot who require a little more voter-cajoling. Players who may not have the on-field resume, but deserve an impassioned Hall of Fame case nonetheless. Players like …
Garret Joseph Anderson. The longtime Angels outfielder spent 17 years in MLB and enjoyed cameos with the Braves and Dodgers before hangin' 'em up. Anderson finished second in 1995 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting thanks to his .321 average, 16 homers and 120 hits over 106 games that season. His 2,529 career hits, .293 lifetime average and 287 career home runs might leave him a tad short of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but, counterpoint ...
He's the greatest Angel of all time
As of right this second, Anderson is the Angels all-time franchise leader in games, at-bats, hits, RBIs, runs, total bases, singles, doubles, extra-base hits and grand slams. So, until Mike Trout inevitably passes him in all of those categories in, like, May of 2017, Anderson will reign supreme as the greatest Angel of all-time (except maybe for Matthew McConaughey's Ben Williams from "Angels in the Outfield").
He once had 10 RBIs in one game
Only 12 men in the history of MLB have managed to drive in 10 runs in a single game. On Aug. 21, 2007, Anderson went 4-for-6 with two doubles, two homers, 10 RBIs, three runs-scored and a partridge in a pear tree in an 18-7 Angels win over the Yankees.
The 2003 All-Star Weekend
In the history of MLB, only two men have won the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP Award in the same season: First-ballot Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991 and ya boy Garret Anderson in 2003.
And who did Anderson out-slug in the final round of that HRD to win the crown? None other than future probable first-ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. By the transitive property, I hereby declare Anderson a first-ballot HOF-er in his own right.
He's a World Series hero
Anderson's Angels won the '02 Fall Classic when they bested the Giants in seven must-see games. Anderson held his own among the likes of Kenny Lofton, Tim Salmon and Barry Bonds in that series, hitting .281 while striking out just three times in seven games. And, even more importantly, he gave Angels fans a few moments of sheer bliss.
The first came during a raucous slugfest in Game 2, when Anderson came to the plate with two outs and runners at first and second in the sixth inning. He knocked the third pitch of the AB into right field, tying the game at 9 -- the Angels would go on to win the instant classic, 11-10.
In Game 6, the Angels needed to come back once more, this time from a 5-0 deficit heading into the seventh inning. They answered the call, however, scoring three runs in the bottom-half of the frame, and three more in the eighth inning. That final go-ahead run was scored by Anderson, sprinting home on a two-run Troy Glaus double:
But Anderson saved his most heroic feat for Game 7. Coming to the plate with the bases loaded in third inning and the score tied at 1-1, Anderson clobbered a dramatic three-run double that gave rookie starter John Lackey all the offense he would need.
The Angels won the game and the series -- their only appearance in the Fall Classic in franchise history. Like we said: World Series hero.
