Garret was drafted by the Angels in the 1990 amateur draft, and made his debut at the end of the 1994 season. “G.A.” was the first ML rookie to ever win Player of the Month honors (7/95). He finished 2nd in the ROY balloting with a .321 BA, 16 HR, and 69 RBI. He was an All-Star in ’02, ’03, and ’05, winning the HR derby and All-Star MVP honors at the ’03 summer classic. He won Silver Slugger Awards in ’02 and ’03. On Sept. 27, 1996 , he set an Angel record for most hits in a game with 6. In 1998, his 28-game hitting streak is the best in team history. On June 4, 2003 , he tied another team record with 3 HRs as the team set a team record with 7 HR in a game. In 2007, he set a pair of Angels’ records with 10 RBIs in one game, and a 12-game RBI streak. He was also a much better defensive outfielder than most fans give him credit for. He led all AL
G.A. was a major contributor in helping the team win the AL West in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. In 2005, he hit two HR with 7 RBI (T9th, single LDS) in the ALDS victory over the Yankees. But the highlight of Garret’s career was when he delivered the winning hit in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series, driving in three runs with a bases loaded double in the third inning.
Garret left the Angels as a Free Agent after the 2008 season. In a team record 15 seasons as an Angel, G.A. never batted under .280. The Angels’ Co-Player of the 2000’s is the team’s career leader with:
- 2,013 games
- 7,989 AB
- 1,024 runs
- 2,368 hits
- 1,572 singles
- 489 doubles
- 3,743 total bases
- 1,292 RBI
- 76 sacrifice flies
- 796 extra base hits
- 2,771 times on base
- 1,236 games in LF
- 36 postseason games
- 154 postseason PA
- 2 postseason SF (T1st)
- 22 postseason RBI
G.A. also ranks among the Angels’ all-time career Top Ten with:
- a 28.6 WAR (5th)
- a .296 BA (4th)
- a .469 SLG% (8th)
- 35 triples (3rd)
- 272 HR (2nd)
- 397 walks (10th)
- 1,117 strikeouts (2nd)
- 101 IBB (2nd)
- 3,821 putouts (9th)
- 17 postseason runs (3rd)
- 36 postseason hits (2nd)
- 5 postseason doubles (T2nd)
- 1 postseason triple (T2nd)
- 5 postseason HR (2nd)
- 5 postseason walks (T9th)
- 58 postseason TB (T2nd)
- a .395 postseason SLG% (10th)
Garret hold the Angels’ single season records of 56 doubles (’02) and 88 extra base hits (’02). He put up Top Ten season marks in:
- WAR (once – ‘03)
- Games (once – ‘01)
- At bats (4x – ’00, ’01, ’02, ‘03)
- Hits (5x – ’97, ’99, ’01, ’02, ‘03)
- Total bases (4x - ’00, ’01, ’02, ‘03)
- Doubles (3x – ’98, ’02, ‘03)
- Home runs (once – ‘00)
- RBI (4x - ’00, ’01, ’02, ‘03)
- Singles (once – ‘97)
- Extra base hits (3x – ’00, ’02, ‘03)
* League leader years highlighted
Some will say that Garret is the greatest Angel of all-time, as evidenced by the sheer number of career records he holds. While that is true, most of those records can be attributed to the fact that he played under the halo longer than any other player in team history. Longevity doesn’t necessarily equate to greatness. Others will say that Garret should be ranked lower since his rate stats weren’t as high as other Angel greats such as Guerrero. I’ve taken the view that both counting stats and rate stats need to be considered when ranking the greatest Angels of all-time. Although Vladi may have gotten more bang for his buck, Garret put up great numbers too – and he did it for much longer. Plus, Garret earned a ring as one of the key contributors of the 2002 world championship team – something most other Angel greats can only dream about.
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