Last Updated on October 27, 2023 by Matt Musico
It’s very obvious how near and dear home runs are to my heart. But, do you know what goes hand in hand with dingers? That would be RBI production. With this in mind, I wanted to pair single-season RBI leaderboards with the single-season home run leaderboards that have already been produced. The first one on my list? That would be single-season Angels RBI leaders.
This will also help you with your efforts to crush the next MLB Immaculate Grid whenever this topic appears again. There have been a total of 40 seasons in Angels history where a player has accumulated at least 100 RBI. So, I’ll list out all of those performances after discussing the top six in detail.
Single-Season Angels RBI Leaders: The Top 6
Don Baylor: 139 RBI in 1979
Don Baylor enjoyed a 19-year MLB career and suited up for six different teams. However, he spent 12 seasons with just two squads — six with the Baltimore Orioles and another six with the Angels.
He racked up a total of 1,276 RBI during his time as a big leaguer. That’s a large number, especially for someone who only crested over the 100 RBI mark during a single season once. Baylor posted 90-plus RBI five times, with three of those occasions coming with the Halos.
The right-handed slugger did a little bit of everything in 1979. He slashed .296/.371/.530 with 36 home runs, 139 RBI (which led the league), and 120 runs scored (which also led the league). He added 33 doubles and 22 steals to his ledger, as well. The only time Baylor didn’t post 20-plus RBI in a single month was in July when he collected 11.
Tim Salmon: 129 RBI in 1997
Tim Salmon got himself over the 100 RBI plateau twice in his career, and he slugged 30 homers on both occasions. In fact, he enjoyed a three-year stretch of at least 30 dingers and 90-plus RBI between 1995 and 1997. It was the only time in his 14-year career that he reached both of those numbers in consecutive seasons.
Salmon’s RBI production really picked up in the second half of 1997. He didn’t collect more than 20 RBI in a month between April and June. But from July through September/October, he never finished with fewer than 20 RBI.
He followed the same monthly pattern with this home-run production. Salmon didn’t hit more than six in a month through the end of June before hitting seven in each of July, August, and September/October.
Vladimir Guerrero: 126 RBI in 2004
As you’ll see below, Vladimir Guerrero had an incredibly consistent — and productive — tenure with the Angels. His first four years with the club included four straight 100-RBI seasons, four All-Star Game selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, and four top-10 MVP finishes (he won the award in 2004).
The 39 homers he hit and 126 RBI he collected both ended up being single-season career-best marks. He did a lot of the heavy lifting in the first half, entering the All-Star break with 77 RBI.
Guerrero collected 53 of those RBI over a two-month span between May and June. He also posted an OPS above 1.000 throughout that period.
Vladimir Guerrero: 125 RBI in 2007
Guerrero’s second-to-last 100 RBI season of his career (and last such performance with the Angels) nearly included him setting a new career-high mark. He obviously fell just one RBI short while also placing third in AL MVP Award voting.
The right-handed slugger once again went off in the first half, racking up 75 RBI prior to the All-Star break. Vlad feasted with less than two outs. He accumulated 92 RBI in that situation.
Garret Anderson: 123 RBI in 2001 and 2002
Garret Anderson will always be one of those dudes who is constantly underrated. It’s hard to underrate him when looking at his stat sheet, though. He enjoyed four straight seasons of 100-plus RBI for Anaheim. Obviously, 123 was his high-water mark, which he did in consecutive seasons.
He suited up for 319 games between 2001 and 2002, racking up 1,382 total plate appearances. Anderson slashed .297/.323/.508 with 57 homers, 95 doubles, 246 RBI, and 176 runs scored.
In 2001, Anderson had 27 RBI by the end of May. He proceeded to post 20-plus RBI each month the rest of the way. The outfielder surpassed that number four more times the following year.
Single-Season Angels RBI Leaders: Remainder of the Top 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Jt6xkPrns&t=13s&pp=ygUdc2hvaGVpIG9odGFuaSAyMDIxIGhpZ2hsaWdodHM%3D
Here is the remainder of the top-40 single-season Angels RBI leaders:
- Albert Pujols, 2016: 119 RBI
- Wally Joyner: 1987: 117
- Garret Anderson, 2000: 117
- Mo Vaughn, 2000: 117
- Garret Anderson, 2003: 116
- Vladimir Guerrero, 2006: 116
- Bobby Bonds, 1977: 115
- Chili Davis, 1993: 112
- Troy Glaus, 2002: 111
- Mike Trout, 2014: 111
- Mo Vaughn, 1999: 108
- Troy Glaus, 2001: 108
- Vladimir Guerrero, 2005: 108
- Kendrys Morales, 2009: 108
- Leon Wagner, 1962: 108
- Jim Edmonds, 1995: 107
- Tim Salmon, 1995: 105
- Albert Pujols, 2012 and 2013: 105
- Lee Thomas, 1962: 104
- Jose Guillen, 2004: 104
- Mike Trout, 2019: 104
- Bobby Abreu, 2009: 103
- J.T. Snow, 1995: 102
- Troy Glaus, 2000: 102
- Dan Ford, 1979: 101
- Bobby Grich, 1979: 101
- Reggie Jackson, 1982: 101
- Albert Pujols, 2017: 101
- Wally Joyner, 1986: 100
- Darin Erstad, 2000: 100
- Mark Trumbo, 2013: 100
- Mike Trout, 2016: 100
- Shohei Ohtani, 2021: 100
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