Baseball's best-kept secret

By Piet Van Leer Sports Central Columnist

He is one of the best-kept secrets in baseball. He is one of the best players you have never heard of. What makes it more implausible, he is the best player on his team, a team that won the World Series last year. And he is one of the top-five outfielders in the game.

He has been an all-star once, although his numbers would make you think it would have been more than that. Over the past three seasons, this man has averaged a .293 BA, with 31 HR, 121 RBI, and a .511 slugging percentage. Other than Barry Bonds, there is no one I would rather have manning left field for me than Garret Anderson of the Anaheim Angels.

Anderson is a 10-year veteran whose anonymity is astounding. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has played his entire career just south of there. I tried to look up his personal web site, but he doesn't have one.

After the 1999 season, Anaheim had a tough decision, deciding whether to trade established star Jim Edmonds or Garret Anderson. When they finally pulled the trigger on the Edmonds deal, the Southern California press was not favorable. But Anderson's performance since the trade has more than paid back the confidence that Bill Stoneman showed in him when he traded the gold glove center fielder for Adam Kennedy and Kent Bottenfield.

When you think of the Anaheim Angels, you think of David Eckstein and his resilient attitude that best exemplifies the Angels spirit. Troy Glaus leaps to mind as their big slugger, Francisco Rodriguez as the young flame-thrower, and Troy Percival who makes K-Rod look slow.

When you think of Anaheim, you think of rally monkeys, those annoying thunder sticks (why haven't these been outlawed yet), Scott Spiezio's band, Ducks and Disney World, although Disney recently sold the squad to Arturo Moreno for $184 million. Can someone explain to me why the team who won the World Series is worth one-fourth of the team playing in the same market that hasn't won a playoff game since the Ronald Reagan administration?

The point is, you don't think about Garret Anderson representing the world champs, and that's if you have heard of him. After signing a four-year, $20 million deal in 2001, he is the seventh-highest paid member of the squad, behind the likes of Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele.

He is the model of consistency. Over the past three years, the left-handed hitting Anderson has a .301 BA vs. lefties, a .301 BA with runners in scoring position, and strikes out once every 14 at bats, or a little less than a K for every three games. In 16 postseason games, he hit .300, with 2 HR and 13 RBI. And defensively, while no one will confuse his arm with Jose Guillen's, he's a solid performer who has made 8 total errors over the past three seasons.

Through 45 games this season, Anderson is hitting .319, with 7 HR and 39 RBI, which project to numbers largely similar to those of his last three seasons. This season, he is hitting .393 vs. lefties, and .340 with RISP. Who knows, maybe he'll even get his second all-star selection this season!

I hate to bring up an East Coast bias, but if Anderson were playing in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, etc., he would be one of the most talked-about players in the game. Even after winning a ring, Anderson still toils in relative obscurity. I can only hope the Angels' fans, if there are any still riding the bandwagon, appreciate Anderson for his ability to play the game properly.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.