In nearly every hitting statistic, the Angels’ franchise leaders are, in some order, the same three names: Mike Trout, who’s enjoying a career resurgence to begin 2026; Tim Salmon, the original “King Fish”; and Garret Anderson, whose sudden passing was announced by the team Friday. He was 53.
In most cases, it’s Trout, the future Hall of Famer, and Salmon who are looking up at Anderson. The 17-year veteran, 15 of which were spent in Anaheim, is the team’s all-time leader in hits (2,368), doubles (489), RBIs (1,292) and games played (2,013). The peak of his career coincided with the franchise’s glory days: from the Angels’ inception in 1961 to 2001, the team managed three playoff appearances in 41 years, never winning a series. From ‘02 to ‘08, Anderson’s final seven seasons with the club, they made the postseason six times, highlighted by the organization’s only World Series championship in ‘02.
That series, in which the Angels defeated Barry Bonds and the Giants in seven games, swung on Anderson’s third-inning, bases-clearing double in Game 7 that scored three runs in an eventual 4–1 Angels victory.
Before that season, Anderson, like the rest of the Angels, operated in relative anonymity. After getting drafted by Anaheim in 1990 out of Kennedy H.S. in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Granada Hills, the smooth-swinging outfielder made his big-league debut in ’94. He enjoyed a successful rookie season in ’95, batting .321 with 16 homers in 106 games to finish second in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
In 1996, Anderson began a decade-plus run of remarkable consistency, yet for much of that span had little to show for it in the way of team success or individual accolades. Until their 2002 breakthrough, the Angels mostly hovered around .500 during this stretch, never making the postseason. Anderson didn’t make any All-Star teams or get any awards, either, overshadowed by his contemporaries who thrived in an era of unprecedented offensive explosion.
In spite of this—and Anderson’s low-key demeanor—his results spoke for themselves. From 1997 to 2001, he ranked second league-wide in hits, trailing only Derek Jeter. Over those five seasons, he missed just 23 games, giving him the most at-bats of any player. He also ranked fourth in doubles and seventh in games played, delivering productive seasons without the benefit of a big stage.
In some ways, Anderson preferred it that way. Never much of a talker, he often took a back seat publicly to Salmon, his outfield peer and teammate of 13 seasons with a much more outgoing personality. Yet while Anderson’s reticent nature could sometimes be misconstrued as aloofness, those who were closest to him during his playing career said Anderson earned respect through his work ethic and commitment to winning.
“His passion to play this game was very real, and although maybe it didn't manifest itself the way it did with some other players, Garret played hard, he wanted to win,” longtime Angels skipper Mike Scioscia, who managed the team from 2000 to ’18, said when Anderson was inducted into the team Hall of Fame in ‘16.
"He's got that internal competitive nature that every great player has to have, and he was really the foundation of our championship run back in 2002 and for many other years,” he added. “He just was a terrific talent and a terrific person."
Anderson’s profile rose significantly in 2002 when he made his first All-Star team during his age-30 season and led the majors with 56 doubles, hitting .306 with a career-best 123 RBIs. He hit .300 during Anaheim’s postseason run, capped by the biggest hit in franchise history.
Anderson made his second All-Star appearance the following year, finally earning time in the spotlight by winning the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game MVP. He was an All-Star again in 2005, near the tail end of his prime and what was an impressive stretch of dependable results.
Four times, Anderson turned in seasons with 150 games played, 35 or more doubles and a .300 average—more than David Ortiz, Chipper Jones, Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken Jr., all peers of his who are in the Hall of Fame. He’s one of 36 players ever to finish their careers with at least 2,500 hits, 250 home runs and 500 doubles.
Of those 36 players, 27 are in the Hall. Of the nine who aren’t, there are two who will be once eligible (Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera), five who are connected to performance-enhancing drugs (Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Robinson Canó and Manny Ramirez) and then Anderson and Luis Gonzalez, both players whose successful careers were marked by longevity and Game 7 heroics.
When discussing the greats of the era, Anderson’s name rarely comes up outside of Angels circles. He lasted just one year on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2016, garnering a single vote. Even his clutch Game 7 hit is somewhat overlooked among World Series winning moments given that it occurred in the third inning and came one night after the Angels staved off elimination with a five-run comeback in Game 6.
But attention and acclaim were never things Anderson concerned himself with. Instead, his quiet focus made him someone his teammates could depend on—and, time and time again, he delivered.
"Garret was easy to manage," Scioscia once told MLB.com. "He wanted to come and play every day. He came to the ballpark, he played a lot, he played through injuries and produced, and he's the kind of guy you just put his name in the lineup and work around him."
Many fans may be surprised to learn that the Angels’ standard-bearer for hitting is not one of their many superstar figures like Trout, Pujols or Shohei Ohtani. Rather, it’s the reserved Anderson, who, by accident or design, always let his production do the talking for him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Garret Anderson Was Quietly One of the Greatest Angels Ever.
