"53 is too young."
Garrett Anderson, the "power hitter" who led the 2002 Los Angeles Angels to their only World Series title, has died at 53. ESPN, citing the family, said the cause was a sudden heart attack. The Angels observed a moment of silence before their home game against the San Diego Padres and said they will wear memorial patches engraved with Anderson's initials, "GA," for the remainder of the season.
A left-handed thrower and batter who debuted with the California Angels in 1994, Anderson played 17 major league seasons, appearing in 2,228 games and compiling a .293 batting average (8,640 at-bats, 2,529 hits) with 287 home runs, 1,365 RBIs and an OPS of .785 before retiring with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010. He was a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner, All-Star Game MVP and Home Run Derby champion.
He spent 15 years with the Angels through 2008 and enjoyed his prime there. In 2002 he hit a league-high 56 doubles and led the Angels to the franchise's first World Series title. He still holds Angels franchise records for games (2,103), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), slugging (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8). He was not flashy but was a steady, hardworking leader for the team.
According to MLB.com, Angels star Mike Trout said, "Anderson means a lot to this organization. I've never heard anything bad about him. This is a tremendous loss," expressing his sorrow. Outfielder Tim Salmon, who helped lead the Angels' lineup alongside Anderson, said, "We played together throughout our baseball lives, and this is worse than anything. Anderson was a great friend with diligence, character and humility," and grieved.
One player who is as shocked and saddened as the Angels' people is Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. In an interview with the California Post, Freeman said, "When I was young my father told me to 'hit the ball to the left.' Anderson, a left-handed hitter who could, whenever he wanted, drive line drives to the left, made me love watching baseball when I was a child."
A native of Orange County, California, who grew up watching Angels baseball, Anderson was an idol to Freeman. Anderson's soft push hits that produced line drives over shortstops' heads were Freeman's ideal of hitting.
After being drafted into the major leagues, Freeman had the fortune of meeting his idol in person. In 2009, when Anderson left the Angels for the Atlanta Braves after failing to re-sign with the Angels, Freeman, then a minor leaguer, attended spring training with the team. Though brief, Freeman still remembers stretching with Anderson.
Freeman said, "People tell you 'don't meet your heroes,' but I'm glad I met Anderson. He was a truly wonderful person. I wish he were still alive. He meant so much to so many people… I'm at a loss for words," and could not continue.
The two grew closer in 2019. One of Freeman's uncles worked at a high school in Orange County attended by Anderson's children, and the Anderson family naturally became friends with Freeman's family. Their relationship developed to the point of playing golf together. After Freeman signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 2022, whenever he visited Angel Stadium Anderson, who worked as an analyst for the Angels' broadcast team, would call the Dodgers team photographer and have a two-shot photo taken with Freeman, saying, "He's my favorite player."
Having grown so close to his idol, the sudden death is unbearably shocking. Receiving the news while on a road trip to Colorado, Freeman said, "53 is too young. Thinking about meeting Anderson and how kind, sincere and wonderful he was… it's unbelievable," choking up, then added, "It's heartbreaking to say he was my favorite player. But I don't want to dwell on sad stories. He brought a lot of joy to many people," and tried to compose himself.
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