Let’s assemble the best possible Angels team by letter of the alphabet to begin a player’s last name. Today is D. 53 men whose last name started with “D” played major league baseball in an Angels uniform.
C – Tom Donohue
1B – Charlie Dees
2B – Denny Doyle
3B – Doug DeCinces
SS – Gary DiSarcina
OF – Brian Downing
OF – Jeff Davanon
OF – Vic Davalillo
DH – Chii Davis
I initially put Brian Downing as a catcher as he started there for a dew seasons here in the 1970s but there was no serviceable outfielder among the D list after Davanon and Davalillo and you cannot (if you have a brain) put Chili “No Glove” Davis in the field, so the 122 games behind the plate with a 41 OPS+ delivers Tom Donohue to the team.
SP – Reid Detmers
SP – Jason Dickson
SP – Ryne Duren
RP – Scott Downs
RP – Brendan Donnelly
One of the newest Angels, Detmers is the ace of the staff while an original 1961 Angel, Duren, rounds it out. The ERA+ of the pen (181 and 154 respectively) is imposing.
Pretty nice bullpen tandem there. And I will always love Chili Davis.
Charlie Dees? Rick’s half brother?
Downing was one of my all-time favorite players. He played hard (as DG notes), and knowing he did that in LF because his knees were more or less shot from playing C, and he did so well for so very long. I think we would all be happy with that LF production moving forward.
Do we think The D Team could beat the C Team? The D team offense is better ( Chili, Downing & Decinces but that C team starting pitching still looks pretty dominating.
Downing is one of my all-time favorites. Drysdale once said about him, “I bet he cuts the lawn hard.”
He was derided often for his outfield defense but Clark Kent held the American League record for many years for most consecutive games without an error at 244.
Haha…that’s a good quote.
Thanks Rev for these teams. It is a lot of fun.
I am from Idaho and Tom Donahue is the only Angel to attend an Idaho university. I saw him play football for Idaho State University in the early 70s and then followed him a few years later as an Angel. I have somehow always liked back up, low hitting catchers (I am waiting for Ike Hampton is be the starting catcher for the H team!).
Donohue is now a funeral director.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Donohue
There is another. Bill Stoneman graduated from Idaho University almost pitching the Vandals to the CWS his senior year
I did not know that about Stoneman. Thanks.
That must have been some other stiff because Donohue never played in the outfield. He backed up Brian Downing at Catcher in 1979 and 1980 until Downing broke his leg early in the 1980 Season. Unfortunately, Donohue rewarded the Angels with his promotion to full time catcher by logging a .459 OPS in 230 PA’s in that season. Thats even more premium than Premium.
Lol stiff.
Okay just switch CF w Catcher.
Yes, Donahue was always a catcher not an outfielder.
Rewritten
Former Angel is a funeral director. Seems appropriate. I’ll bet he was dying to get on this list.
He always seemed a bit embalmed behind the plate.
Rim shot