What else can be said? Mike Trout has reached 7.9 WAR in each of his four full seasons and is on pace for 10 this year. He’s been MVP or runner-up in each season, starting at age 20. He’s still just 24, meaning he shouldn’t even hit his prime for about two more years. What a treat to watch. The Express: In eight years with the Angels Nolan Ryan led the AL in strikeouts seven times, averaging 302. He also averaged 163 walks and completed more than half of his starts (with 40 shutouts). Any pitch-limit rules obviously didn’t apply to him. Lost in the shuffle: Among the best Angels – and one most identified with the franchise – not on the list was Garrett Anderson (3.47), who played 15 years with the team and finished fourth in AL MVP voting the year the club won its lone World Series title.
What else can be said? Mike Trout has reached 7.9 WAR in each of his four full seasons and is on pace for 10 this year. He’s been MVP or runner-up in each season, starting at age 20. He’s still just 24, meaning he shouldn’t even hit his prime for about two more years. What a treat to watch. The Express: In eight years with the Angels Nolan Ryan led the AL in strikeouts seven times, averaging 302. He also averaged 163 walks and completed more than half of his starts (with 40 shutouts). Any pitch-limit rules obviously didn’t apply to him. Lost in the shuffle: Among the best Angels – and one most identified with the franchise – not on the list was Garrett Anderson (3.47), who played 15 years with the team and finished fourth in AL MVP voting the year the club won its lone World Series title.Mack pack: Of the eight position players on the team, five (Cochrane, Foxx, Baker, Collins Simmons) played under legendary manager/owner Connie Mack when the franchise was in Philadelphia. Some of the more well-known modern players for the club include Mark McGwire (5.45), Jason Giambi (4.46), Jose Canseco (3.9) and Miguel Tejada (3.7). Home run: Baker, who led the league in home runs four straight years from 1911 through 1914 with a whopping 42 total homers, was able to edge Sal Bando (6.45) at third base in something of an upset. His real name is John Franklin Baker, but he was known as Home Run after winning two games in the 1911 World Series with homers. Out of place: On a team of Hall of Famers, Cust at DH stands out as the obvious outlier. But of the five hitters who have logged at least 270 games at that spot for the franchise, he has been the best. The others were late-career versions of Dave Kingman and Harold Baines, Mitchell Paige and Erubiel Durazo. Others who have filled that role, typically briefly, included Frank Thomas, Jonny Gomes, Billy Butler, Mike Piazza, Geronimo Berroa and John Jaha. Cust essentially wins by default.No Biggio deal: The concern over Biggio was figuring out where to place him, since he moved from catcher to second base to centerfield in his Hall of Fame career. Wasn’t an issue, as his six most productive seasons were each spent primarily as a second baseman. Second to none: Between Biggio, Joe Morgan (5.12) and Bill Doran (4.20), three of Houston’s top eight players in WAR are second basemen. Jose Altuve (3.71) is rapidly climbing that list, and is currently 12th. By comparison, a third baseman (Rader) doesn’t show up until No. 13, and Thon (tied for 17th) is the top shortstop. Tragic ending: Don Wilson (4.13) was the No. 4 Astros pitcher (behind Oswalt, Dierker and Mike Scott) despite a career and life that were cut short at age 29 when he was found in the passenger seat of his running car inside a garage. Wilson threw two no-hitters and struck out 18 in a game. His last game was a two-hit shutout in 1974.Texas three step: Rodriguez owns three of the four single-season WAR years in team history, accounting for all three seasons he spent there. Divided by six years, however, his 25.5 WAR didn’t catch that built up by Toby Harrah. Caught the Express too late: Nolan Ryan didn’t join the Rangers until he was 42, yet it was in a Texas uniform that he tossed his final two no-hitters, struck out 300 in a season and registered the 5,000th strikeout in his career. The four-and-a-half seasons he spent there earned 15.3 WAR and nearly put him on this list. Close call: Buddy Bell (6.02) finished with the second-highest per-year WAR in team history, but was edged at 3B by Beltre. Jim Sundberg (4.2) is No. 5 in total WAR in franchise history but couldn’t catch Rodriguez at catcher.The Kid: In 11 years with Seattle, Griffey was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, finished in the top 10 in MVP voting seven times (winning once) and led the league in home runs four times. And that doesn’t even begin to tough on his popularity, which transcended baseball. Buhner? Buhner? Jay Buhner’s defense cost him dearly in WAR, as his glove cost the team an estimated 13.1 runs in his career. The offensive production easily would have put him on this list, but the complete picture didn’t add up (2.85) to what the others accomplished. Life after baseball: Harold Reynolds (2.9) narrowly missed out at 2B, despite a career that included three Gold Gloves. He’s done OK for himself after baseball, however, as an ever-present commentator on the sport.
