1980 California Angels – From First to Worst – 65-95

After winning the AL West in 1979 and making the post-season for the first time in franchise history, it took only one season for the roof to cave in on the team.

The collapse began soon after the end of the 1979 season:

• Nolan Ryan, the staff ace for 8 seasons, left the club to become MLB’s first $1 million free-agent, signing with Houston.
• Dan Ford (‘79: 21 HR, 101 RBI) had knee surgery during the winter to remove torn cartilage, and never fully recovered (’80: 7 HR. 26 RBI).
• Don Baylor, the 1979 AL MVP (.297 AVG, 36 HR, 139 RBI, 22 SB) fractured his wrist in the first game of the 1980 season and later dislocated a toe on his foot. He managed only 340 ABs for the season and was only a shadow of his former self at the plate and on the field (.250 AVG, 5 HR, 51 RBI, 6 SB).
• Dave Frost, who led the pitching staff with 16 wins, 239 IP and a 3.57 ERA in 1979, suffered from lower back spasms and right elbow problems throughout 1980. He finished the season with 4 wins, 78 IP, and a 5.29 ERA.
• Brian Downing, the top AL right-handed hitter in 1979 (.326 AVG), appeared in only 10 games in 1980 before sustaining a fractured ankle in a collision at the plate on an attempted steal of home by Rickey Henderson. He missed almost the entire season, and finished with only 93 ABs. His 4 replacements behind the plate all struggled to stay north of the Mendoza line.
• Bobby Grich hit 30 HRs in 1979 and would tie for the American League HR title in the strike-shortened 1981 season. But in between those two seasons, he became over-aggressive at the plate, and finished 1980 with only 14 HRs and 40 fewer RBIs than in 1979.
• The pitching staff in general suffered from ineptitude, especially the starting pitching which manages on 22 complete games. The team ERA of 4.52 was the worst in club history.

The only bright spots for the seasons were Rod Carew’s .331 AVG   (all-time franchise best), Jason Thompson’s 17 HRs in only 312 ABs, and reliever Mark Clear who appeared in 58 games (all in relief), pitched 106 innings and tied for the staff lead in wins with 11.

But positive influences were all too little to have any real impact. The startling number of injuries to key personnel (51) forced Manager Jim Fregosi to juggle the line-up until he used 112 different permutations. The results were the worst in club history, as the Angels managed on 65 victories and finished a distant 31 games behind division winner Kansas City. It was truly a season worth forgetting.

--submitted by Douglas Zaner--