Garret Anderson

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Garret Anderson

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — No. 16
Left Fielder / Designated Hitter
Born: June 30, 1972 (1972-06-30) (age 35) Los Angeles, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
July 27, 1994 for the California Angels
Selected MLB statistics (through October 5, 2007)
AVG	.296
HR	262
RBIs	1233
OPS	.798
Hits	2,224
Runs	980
Teams
Los Angeles Angels (1994-present)* *California Angels (1994-1996), Anaheim Angels (1997-2004)
Highlights and awards
2002, 2003, and 2005 All-Star 2003 All-Star Game MVP 2003 Home Run Derby Champion 2002 and 2003 AL Silver Slugger (OF) 2002 World Series Champion

Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) is a Major League Baseball left fielder and designated hitter who has played his entire career for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is the franchise leader in games played, at-bats, hits, total bases, singles, doubles, grand slams, extra-base hits, career RBI, single-game RBI, and consecutive games (12) with an RBI.

[edit] High school career

Garret Anderson attended Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California. While there, he was a three sport star in baseball, football, and basketball. In baseball, he won two All-Los Angeles City honors and two All-League Honors, and as a junior, helped his team win the Los Angeles City Championship. In basketball, as a senior, he won All-Los Angeles City honors and All-League honors.

[edit] Career with the Angels

Since entering the major leagues with the California Angels in 1994, Garret Anderson has emerged as one of the greatest players in the franchise's history. After finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1995 to Marty Cordova of the Minnesota Twins, Anderson became a mainstay in the Angels' lineup. Over the next eight seasons, he accumulated at least 600 at bats every year, breaking 90 RBIs and 20 Home Runs five times while compiling a batting average near .300. In 2002, when the Angels won their first World Series championship, Garret finished fourth in the MVP voting after compiling a .306 average with 29 home runs and 123 runs batted in. Garret Anderson had a similarly strong performance in 2003, he became an American League all star. That all star weekend, he stole the show by becoming the Home Run Champion and voted the most valuable player in the all star game. Anderson began experiencing chronic ailments in 2004 that limited his playing time and production, including an arthritic condition and plantar fasciitis in his feet. In 2005, he began to see more regular time as a designated hitter to ease the wear and tear off of his body. Anderson's production in 2006 was roughly on par with his 2005 production, with both seasons seeing him hit 17 home runs and drive in at least 85 runs. On August 21, 2007, he drove in a team-record 10 runs, including a grand slam and a three-run homer, in the Los Angeles Angels' 18-9 win over the New York Yankees. Anderson became the 13th player in Major League history to have 10 RBIs in a game. Anderson now holds the team record for grand slams with eight and RBIs in a game with ten. This performance has been part of a general resurgence in the second half of the 2007 season, a relief to Angels fans who may have wondered if Anderson's career was near its end after a mediocre, injury-plagued first half. Instead, Anderson has led the Majors in RBI in the latter part of '07. On September 7,2007, Anderson drove in a run on an RBI single, to set a franchise record for most consecutive games with an RBI, with 11. The streak lasted for 12 games, during which time he drove in 22 runs.

[edit] Highlights

[edit] Awards

• Three-time All-Star (2002-03, 2005)
• All-Star Game MVP (2003)
• The Sporting News Rookie of the Year (1995)
• Two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2002-03)
• Top 10 in voting for MVP (2002, 4th)

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

• On the 2002 World Series championship team
• Won the Home Run Derby in 2003
• Led the American League in doubles in 2002 and 2003
• Holds the club record for RBIs (broke the old mark held by Tim Salmon in 2005)
• Holds the club-record for most RBI in a single game, 10 (August 21, 2007)
• Holds the club-record for most consecutive games with an RBI, 12 (September 7, 2007)
• Collected his 2,000th career hit on July 1, 2006.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of Major League Baseball doubles records
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube