Vote: Who is the most exciting Angels player you've ever seen play?

[DCAngelsFan]

30 minutes ago, Lou said:

That was the most exciting stretch of games by any player in team history. . . . by far. I sat behind home plate for a few of those appearances and my friends and I were just laughing at major league hitters flail away. It wasn't just that they couldn't hit Frankie, but they didn't even come close. 

 

I remember reading it described as a "Nintendo slider" or something like - I thought it a perfect description, it was, for a time, practically unhittable - his K/9 rate that year was 20.65, and in facing 21 batters, struck out 13 of them.  

[Vladfan]

I think my screen name says it all.

When Vlad would come to the plate......you would stop and watch because anything could happen with him at the plate. Then that arm.....damn.

Trout is a very close second. I mean who doesn't like to watch the best player in the grand ol' game.

[Dtwncbad]

Wow that's a deep list.  No Gus Polidor?

[stanick88]

To me, Trout is by far the best player to ever don an angels jersey. The way he is so humble and not attention seeking is one of the qualities that make him who he is, and adds to his mystique.  If there is one player in the history of baseball that I would want to start a franchise with,  that would be Mike Nelson Trout. He has the chance to be the greatest player of all time. 

With thay that being said.  BIG DADDY VLADDY is the most exciting player I have ever seen. From his nose to his toes was his strike zone. And when he unleashed that cannon, ohhh man that was a spectacle To see. Vladdy to me is one of the most exciting players in all of baseball history, and one of the greatest. He should have been a first ballot hall of Famer, and I hope he goes in with an Angels Hat on his head. I am just happy to say I got to watch his love for the game almost every night for a few years. Man what a treat it was.  

I only have Two authentic Angels jerseys, and both are #27. One says Guerrero on the back and the other Says Trout. That’s says it all. The two greatest Angels of all time. And my two favorite players of all time. What a treat Angel fans have had in watching #27’s take the field. I can’t wait for the day that #27 Guerrero/Trout get retired and placed in Angels immortality forever. 

[Chuck]

and... Vlad has taken over the lead! 

[Tank]

3 hours ago, the dude abides said:

Have to agree.

Plus he threw me a ball one time at the Big A when I was a kid, so that sways my decision a bit.

during the 2010 all star game i was a volunteer and was working at the hotel where we would escort and then shuttle players to auditorium for their autograph sessions. went to go get some water from the players area and was talking to a bald guy. turned out to be wally joyner and i nearly froze like a mo fo. thought it was pretty darn cool that he took the time to read my name off my lanyard and address me by name. wish i would have recognized him earlier so we could have chatted some more.

[Chuck]

Wally Joyner was so awesome at our Spring Fanfest last year. Wish you guys could have made it. He took questions from the fans, signed autos and took pictures with everyone in attendance. 

[tdawg87]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Wally Joyner was so awesome at our Spring Fanfest last year. Wish you guys could have made it. He took questions from the fans, signed autos and took pictures with everyone in attendance. 

I'm bringing my golf bag in the hopes that GA will be there this year to scorn my autograph attempts. 

[WeatherWonk]

While there's no doubt that Trout is the best player in Angel history, I dont find myself excited by him as much as admiring his abilities so much. He's almost business-like in the way he plays;  even with that smile.

But so much of excitement is contextual. Things like playoffs help generate so much excitement around a player. Trout just hasnt had those opportunities. 

Some of the most exciting moments I have ever experienced in baseball were in this past World Series. Game 2 and game 5 were probably the most exciting moments I have experienced watching a playoff game. Before that it was Game 7 in the 91 WS, Game 6, 02 Series, maybe game 7 of 01 Series. Game 3 of the 2002 ALDS is also way up there, especially when Salmon hit that cherry-on-the-top HR. Wasn't that a first-pitch HR in that at bat?

[Tank]

3 hours ago, WeatherWonk said:

While there's no doubt that Trout is the best player in Angel history, I dont find myself excited by him as much as admiring his abilities so much. He's almost business-like in the way he plays;  even with that smile.

But so much of excitement is contextual. Things like playoffs help generate so much excitement around a player. Trout just hasnt had those opportunities. 

i think you've nailed it.

i love watching him play, but i haven't stopped everything just to watch him hit like i did with vladdy, or watch every pitch of a nolan ryan start.

but man, i'm sure glad he's on our team.

[Angelsfirst]

For me it’s Vlad overall hands down. I can remember watching many of hits or HR’s over and over again. Rewinding and rewinding, just marveling at his amazing ability. He was definitely something to watch. 

I agree with others mentioned such as Frankie (especially during the late season and playoff run in 02’). He was unbelievably dominant and so fun to watch.

Erstad was definitely one of my favorites that I’ve ever watched just because of his sheer will to win and leaving it all out there on the field, putting his body in jeopardy etc. Grit is a cliche term but Darin did indeed have it. Always found a way to get the job done. Wouldn’t mind seeing him get a shot at managing one day. 

Glaus was up there for me as well just based on his knack to come up with the big hit and that sweet right handed swing. 

 

[Angelsfirst]

2 hours ago, Tank said:

i think you've nailed it.

i love watching him play, but i haven't stopped everything just to watch him hit like i did with vladdy, or watch every pitch of a nolan ryan start.

but man, i'm sure glad he's on our team.

Agree as well. That’s exactly how I feel about it. I’m not taking Trout for granted by any stretch of the imagination. But there are just certain players that for some reason are more entertaining to watch. 

[Homebrewer]

On 1/24/2018 at 10:00 PM, The Ghost of Bob Starr said:

Does anyone remember Gary Pettis and Devon White in CF?   That was some exciting defense?  

 

These were the 2 that came to my mind first as "most exciting"

Have to add Figgy mostly because of the joy he played the game with. (But for some reason he always went into sudden slumps in the post season) 

[T.G.]

Every time we go to a game, there's a chance we'll see something we've never seen before.  Guys like Torii Hunter, Jim Edmonds, Andrelton Simmons and others have delivered just that many times - but nobody has done it more often and in a shorter period of time than Mike Trout.  That being said - Vlad Guerrero definitely did that too.  "Exciting" can mean different things to different people too. I was overwhelmingly excited when Trout made his MLB debut - same goes for Jered Weaver.  I was at Weaver's no-hitter that was special.  Erstad catching the final out of game 7 was the ultimate.  Reggie Jackson was one of those guys who you never wanted to miss an at-bat of.  Percy... I could go on and on...

All that being said - no one generates more excitement for me than Trout. Vlad was a close 2nd and Nolan Ryan ranks up there too - although I didn't see him pitch in person very many times. 

[Jay]

Trout for me, and it's not even close.

[disarcina]

lot of great responses.........no wrong answers.

I think the question can be broken down into :  'most exciting over a Halos career span  '(showing some consistency a la Nolan Ryan, Mike Trout)

and 'most exciting player to watch even if for just a season or brief period of time' ( a la that K-Rod playoff run in 2002 -- the kid who came out of nowhere and ended up on the roster because of some late DL designation by the Halos -- I think MLB has changed their rules re playoff eligibility partly over the K-Rod factor of '02 -- I don't think they're calling it 'the K-Rod Amendment' but, perhaps, they should.

[Fish Oil]

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 8:55 AM, stanick88 said:

From his nose to his toes was his strike zone. 

Nope. From bouncing five feet in front of the plate to a foot over his head was his strike zone. He could hammer, and did hammer, everything within reach. Trout is the best, but Vladdy Daddy was the most exciting player to watch ever. And by ever I mean EVER.

[disarcina]

prior post commented on Mickey Rivers (who many who saw him play for the Halos and other teams thought he was a pretty exciting player to watch) and that he had one of the worst throwing arms of any outfielder the Halos have ever had ---   hard to argue with that -- but we had a guy on the roster at the start of the 2017 season who would give Rivers a run for it for that designation -- Cameron Maybin -- and same type of player -- speedster on the base paths.

Where did Maybin wind up this past season?  Earning a World Championship ring with the Houston Astros.  Couldn't throw but sure could run -- they used him to PR in the playoffs - and he did that well.

[Chuck]

23 minutes ago, disarcina said:

lot of great responses.........no wrong answers.

This! 

[Chuck]

I added Simmons, Abbott & Chili Davis, just because Chili used to be a great "clutch" ballplayer, but I always thought it was awesome when he'd break his bat over his leg after a strikeout. Loved the passion he played with. 

[Homebrewer]

26 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I added Simmons, Abbott & Chili Davis, just because Chili used to be a great "clutch" ballplayer, but I always thought it was awesome when he'd break his bat over his leg after a strikeout. Loved the passion he played with. 

"Dawg" is in my top 5 all-time favorite players. Not "exciting" per se, but as a game changer there have been very few better.

[ten ocho recon scout]

On 1/25/2018 at 7:23 AM, Lou said:

 I don't know about exciting, but Aybar sure was fun(ny) to watch. 

I was gonna mention him too. We make jokes about him, but he made a lot of heads up plays along tge way, too

[tdawg87]

I'll say Trout because he's just so fucking good it's absurd. He's fun to watch when you look at the big picture of his career, kinda like Griffey.

Vlad was fun in an almost circus clown kind of way. I don't mean that as an insult either. You just literally had no idea what he was going to do; whether hitting a laser golf shot into the second bullpen, or getting picked off trying to steal first.

[RallyMo]

It didn't last forever, but damn, Frankie was just flat out exciting as heck for a while.

Trout's clearly the best, but Frankie was so much fun.

[Fish Oil]

14 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I added Simmons, Abbott & Chili Davis, just because Chili used to be a great "clutch" ballplayer, but I always thought it was awesome when he'd break his bat over his leg after a strikeout. Loved the passion he played with. 

Chili doing the home run trot with his flap down always made me chuckle.