Short Term Stops: The All-Angels Team (Pt. 2)

Shortstop

1981 Fleer #280 Bert Campaneris

"Short Term Stops" Angels Accolades:

Bert Campaneris (1979-81 California Angels, 217 games)

Continuing from Part 1 of the All-Time Angels "Short Term Stops" squad, we kick off tonight's post with a fairly weak roster nominee.

For most fans, I'm sure "Campy" is first and foremost an Oakland A. But, while his tenure as an Angel is definitely unfamiliar, calling it a "short term stop" is stretching it a bit.

The guy spent two whole seasons (and part of a third) in California, which is much longer than most of the roster nominees you'll see in this theme.

Still, I didn't have a better "binder guy" at shortstop for the Angels.

So, as a result, Campaneris gets the nod by default.

Third Base

2006 Topps Heritage #208 Edgardo Alfonzo

Angels Accolades:

Edgardo Alfonzo (2006 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 18 games, "half-year" stint, "sunset" season)

Now those are some serious "Short Term Stops" accolades right there.

Former Mets and Giants standout Edgardo Alfonzo played just 30 games in 2006, his final season in the bigs. Eighteen of those would come with the Angels, while the other 12 came in an even shorter stint in Toronto.

This is one of just two issues I own of Alfonzo in Angels garb. (I don't think he ever had a card with the Blue Jays.)

After posting a paltry .100 batting average in his 18 games with the franchise, the Angels released him.

Since there wasn't much time to snap (or photoshop) a shot of Alfonso in Angels gear, he earned the nod on this roster.

Honorable Mention:

Bill Melton (1976 California Angels, 118 games)

Outfielders

1971 Topps #105 Tony Conigliaro

Angels Accolades:

Tony Conigliaro (1971 California Angels, 74 games)

The story of "Tony C" has been told over and over again.

An up-and-coming Boston star bound for sure greatness, Conigliaro suffered a violent beaning in 1967, an injury that kept him out for the remainder of that season and all of the next.

Though he did come back and post moderately nice seasons with the Red Sox in 1969 and '70, he was never quite the same player. Eye troubles stemming from the beaning cut his career short, forcing him to retire after a stint with the Angels in '71.

Although he did enjoy a brief 21-game comeback with the Red Sox in 1975, Topps passed at the chance of including Conigliaro in their '76 checklist. As a result, his '71 Topps issue will forever be his "sunset" card.

It's one of my personal favorites in the "unfamiliar uniform" department as well.

1978 Topps #655 Lyman Bostock

Angels Accolades:

Lyman Bostock (1978 California Angels, 147 games, "sunset" season)

Lyman Bostock is at the center of probably the most tragic "Short Term Stops" tale in history.

After three stellar seasons in Minnesota, Bostock signed with the Angels as a free agent in 1978. In a famous account, he tried to return his paycheck to Angels management after a miserable first month with the franchise, saying that he hadn't earned it.

When they refused, Bostock ended up donating his paycheck to charity. He'd recover from his slow start, though, as he was hitting .296 with 71 RBIs in late September of '78.

In a case of mistaken identity, Bostock was tragically shot and killed on September 23rd, 1978. The saddening event put an end to what could have been an illustrious baseball career and, more importantly, it ended the life of a great man.

We tip our caps to you, Mr. Bostock.

1998 Leaf #34 Rickey Henderson

Angels Accolades:

Rickey Henderson (1997 Anaheim Angels, 32 games, "half-year" stint)

Let's move away from the tragic side of things and talk about Rickey Henderson for a while.

Most baseball fans would agree that he was one of the all-time greats.

Some fans might remember that the stolen base king was one of the more well-traveled players in baseball history as well. "Rickey" donned nine different jerseys during his 25-year career. (Including three separate stints with the A's.)

The most forgettable of those stops, however, has to be his brief 32-game stint with the Angels in 1997. Having been dealt from the Padres in August of that year, Anaheim was hoping Henderson would give them a bit of a boost for the stretch run.

He didn't, and the Angels finished second in their division. The future Hall of Famer hit just .183 (though posting a notable .343 OBP) during his time in Anaheim, racking up 16 of his mind-boggling 1,406 career swipes in the process.

It was a stint I'm sure "Rickey" would like to forget.

Honorable Mentions:

Frank Robinson (1973-74 California Angels, 276 games)
Bo Jackson (1994 California Angels, 75 games, "sunset" season)
Ron Gant (2000 Anaheim Angels, 34 games, "half-year" stint)

Designated Hitter

1997 Collector's Choice #250 Eddie Murray

Angels Accolades:

Eddie Murray (1997 Anaheim Angels, 46 games, "half-year" stint, "sunset" season)

The Angels had quite a few good "Short Term Stops" nominees at the DH position.

In the end, though, I had to go with Eddie Murray. Because of his dominant years with the Orioles in the late '70s and '80s, seeing that odd futuristic Angels jersey on him looks downright odd.

The folks at Collector's Choice gave Murray a memorable "bat barrel" card in their '97 checklist. His tenure in Anaheim, however, was anything but.

He hit just .219 in 46 games with the Angels that year, slamming the final three of his 504 total dingers in the process. He'd be released in August of '97, signing with the Dodgers for the last nine games of his Hall of Fame career.

Somehow, I've managed to snap up 15 different cards of Murray as an Anaheim Angel.

And, knowing the craziness of the mid-'90s, I'm sure there's quite a few more I have yet to discover.

Honorable Mentions:

Dave Parker (1991 California Angels, 119 games, "half-year" stint, "sunset" season)
Cecil Fielder (1998 Anaheim Angels, 103 games, "half-year" stint, "sunset" season)
Glenallen Hill (2001 Anaheim Angels, 16 games, "sunset" season)

The first official "Short Term Stops" roster is in the books. Between Tiant, "Tex", and "Tony C", I think they had their fair share of awesome inductees.

Next time, we'll be taking a look at some of the more obscure big leaguers who played for the A's.

I'm excited to finally have this theme up and going.

It looks to be a ton of fun.