AngelsWin.com Today: #36 – 1993: Salmon named Rookie of the Year | Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball

[AngelsWin.com]

A year after putting some hurtin’ on Pacific Coast League pitchers, hitting .347 with 29 home runs, 105 RBI and a ridiculous 1.141 OPS for the Edmonton Trappers, the Kingfish headed upstream to Anaheim and won a unanimous vote for the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 .

Salmon, a notorious slow starter who holds the unique distinction of having the most home runs of any player never selected to an All-Star team, was no different during his rookie campaign as he started the ’93 season in the shadow of rookie sensation J.T. Snow, who got off to a tremendous start. The second half was always much kinder to Salmon, as it seemed that his bat heated up with the weather and, boy, did he put a pounding on the Texas Rangers.

Salmon, not Snow, wound up winning the award, representing a first for the California Angels. He batted .283 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI, along with 35 doubles, 93 runs scored and a slugging percentage of .536. He was also tied in A.L. outfield assists with 12. Snow started the 1994 season in the minors after struggling badly in the second half of Salmon’s ROY campaign.

Salmon quickly became a favorite of the Angels organization and a household name among the team’s fans thereafter. Timmy played a crucial role in the Angels’ playoff and World Series run in 2002, hitting two key home runs in Game 2 of the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, a moment in Angels history that fans will never forget.

The King Fish was hampered by injuries late in his career and was forced to retire in 2006. Salmon played his final game on Oct. 1, 2006, against the Oakland Athletics. He is the Angels’ all-time leader in home runs (299), runs scored (983), walks (965) and slugging percentage (.499). He finished his career second in franchise history with 1,012 RBI, behind only Garret Anderson.

Until 2012 when Mike Trout won the rookie of the year award, Tim Salmon held the honor of winning this prestigious award since the birth of the organization.

All of that said when Angels fans remember King Fish, it won’t be just the stats, the big home runs or all of his accolades, no, they will recall the type of man that Tim Salmon the person was both on and off the field. Tim Salmon was the quintessential gentleman of the game of Baseball.

Salmon played his entire career with the Angels and one day the organization will retire #15, Even today, Tim Salmon is regarded as many fans' all-time favorite player.

Career Highlights, Awards, and Accolades:
* Named 1992 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America
* Named 1992 Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named 1993 AL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Writers of America
* Named 1993 AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named 2002 AL Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named outfielder on The Sporting News AL All-Star Team in 1995 and 1997
* Named outfielder on The Sporting News AL Silver Slugger Team in 1995
* Member of the World Series Champion Anaheim Angels in 2002
* Hit 30 or more home runs in five seasons
* Compiled a lifetime .883 OPS

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[JustATroutFan]

One of the best players ever to NOT make an All Star team after the All Star Game existed. Dude could hit for power, average, and draw a ton of walks.

[Chuck]

24 minutes ago, JustATroutFan said:

One of the best players ever to NOT make an All Star team after the All Star Game existed. Dude could hit for power, average, and draw a ton of walks.

Still my favorite Angels' player of all time. Trout is a close second though. 

[Chuck]

Check out these old school pics of our Angels in the outfield. 

 

[JAHV76]

One of the greatest Angels ever and an all around great dude to the fans

[John Taylor]

I still can't believe his number hasn't been retired. The good news is that Scioscia hasn't issued #15 since he retired (I believe.)

[aznhockeyguy]

Didn't Trout win the rookie of the year?

[Chuck]

3 hours ago, aznhockeyguy said:

Didn't Trout win the rookie of the year?

Yes. Trout's rookie season and ROY is an upcoming Greatest Moment in Angels Baseball. 

[JustATroutFan]

7 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Still my favorite Angels' player of all time. Trout is a close second though. 

The Fish Boys!

[Sully151]

15 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yes. Trout's rookie season and ROY is an upcoming Greatest Moment in Angels Baseball. 

The article says Salmon is the only Angel to win ROTY. 

[Chuck]

4 minutes ago, Sully151 said:

The article says Salmon is the only Angel to win ROTY. 

When this was written, he was. 

I guess I should edit that. These were the originals that we're flashing back to until the start of the regular season. 

We're also introducing two new ones along the way.

Thank you for reading.

[Chuck]

9 hours ago, Sully151 said:

The article says Salmon is the only Angel to win ROTY. 

Thanks for pointing that out earlier. I went ahead and edited the article here and on our blog.

[Erstad Grit]

Some here still call him overated.  

[Chuck]

22 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

Some here still call him overated.  

I don't recall anyone saying Salmon was overrated. But if they did, I'm looking at your weirdo!