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Chone Figgins 2002 Bowman Chrome #249 - A Rookie Card Review

11/19/2019

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by     Phoenix Desertsong, Sports Fanatic
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When Chone Figgins was announced for the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot, his name immediately trended on Twitter. Of course, Figgins was a popular player for the then Anaheim Angels, who he won the World Series with in 2002. But, no one has really ever thought of Figgins as a Hall of Fame player, and it will be quite funny if he gets even one vote from a Baseball Writers Association of America member.

Still, despite probably not being a so-called “Mariners legend” - outside of the obvious overpay the Seattle Mariners made for his services - Chone Figgins was a good ballplayer. It should be noted that Figgins hit for the cycle on September 16, 2006 - hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game - making him forever a part of the PSA “Hit for the Cycle Club” Set Registry.

The Chone Figgins rookie card mentioned in that registry is the key focus of this Rookie Card Review, 2002 Bowman Chrome #249. Considering that a mere 11 examples of the base card and 9 examples of the refractor have been graded by PSA, it’s safe to say that hobbyists didn’t think of him as a future Hall of Fame “hopeful.” But since the announcement of him simply appearing on the ballot, interest has spiked in this rookie card and its refractor. It’s a nice looking card, featuring Figgins in an old style Anaheim Angels uniform in the follow-through of a successful swing, watching the ball likely hitting a gap somewhere.


Chone Figgins’ Angels Success

The 5-foot-8 switch-hitting utility player hit a lot of gaps, hitting .291/.363/.388 for a 99 OPS+ in his 8 years with the Angels, being an above-league average hitter 4 out of 8 seasons. His offensive value was boosted by his stolen base ability, averaging over 40 plus steals a season. Figgins also played second base, third base, shortstop, center field, right field, and left field in his career. Defensive Runs Saved sees Figgins as a disaster in the outfield, below average at second base, and significantly below average at shortstop. But at third base, which became Figgins’ best position, Figgins was above average.

In fact, Figgins had one of the best contract walk years you could imagine in 2009. Not only did he have a solid .298/.395/.393 slash line (110 OPS+) with 42 steals, he had a career high 101 walks and an absurd 29 Defensive Runs Saved at third base. These numbers helped Figgins secure a 4-year, $36 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. That contract would turn out to be a disaster.


The “Mariners Legend” Chone Figgins...

Seattle didn’t treat Figgins well. Not only did he get moved to second base full-time where he was below average (-10 DRS in 2010 alone), but his bat just never really got going. He played in 161 games, but mustered only a pitiful .259/.340/.306 slash line. His only saving grace was 42 stolen bases against only 15 times caught.

The 2011 and 2012 seasons were even worse. Not only did Figgins suddenly become extremely injury prone, but when he did play, he couldn’t even hit .200. After hitting around .180 - .190 in limited action in those years, the Mariners released him after the 2012 season, eating his $8 million salary for 2013. 

Figgins wouldn’t even make his way back to the Major Leagues in 2013, although he catch on as a bench player with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. It wasn’t a great final stint in 38 games, and he was released by the Dodgers in mid-August. He did manage 0.7 WAR though, so he wasn’t a total negative. While Figgins retired a rich man, and did sign a one-day contract to retire as an Angel, I’m sure that’s not the way he wanted to spend the second half of his career.

But, to be fair to Figgins, he was an All-Star caliber player for several years. He could steal bases with the best of them and had great on-base percentages. If there was any knock against him, it was his misadventures in the outfield - not entirely his fault. While Figgins is never going to be more hobby relevant than in the wake of this news, his Angels career and his rookie card are worth remembering.


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MLB - Angels Trade Minor League Pitcher for Cameron Maybin

11/3/2016

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by Richard Rowell, Sports Break
Cameron Maybin

Cameron Maybin in 2015 with the Atlanta Braves before being traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2016.

The Los Angeles Angels definitely didn't waste time in beginning their 2016-2017 offseason! They traded minor league pitcher Victor Alcantara to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Cameron Maybin.

While Maybin had some injury issues in 2016, he actually put up some strong numbers in 94 games. He had a .315/.383/.418 batting line with 4 HR and 43 RBI. He also had 15 stolen bases. While he wasn't an asset defensively, he was still a very useful player.

Alcantara had a pedestrian season in Double-A, so on the surface this trade doesn't look very good for the Tigers. Apparently, their scouts believe in him and the Angels definitely could Maybin in left field. This isn't exactly selling high, though. It looks like the Angels made a really good deal here, although they will be paying him $9 million. The Tigers really were just looking to clear payroll here and get an arm with upside. If he provides the same kind of value in 2017, though, he'll be well worth that paycheck.
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Atlanta Braves Trade Andrelton Simmons to Angels

11/13/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
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Andrelton Simmons. (Image © Thomson200, available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
It's been known that the Atlanta Braves were shopping their Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons. But the return that they ended up with is seemingly less than anticipated. Last night, the Los Angeles Angels acquired Simmons for their own shortstop Erick Aybar (who's a free agent after the 2016 season), their top pitching prospect in Sean Newcomb, and another potential starter in Chris Ellis. The Angels also get a low-minors catcher in the deal for organizational depth.

Obviously, the Braves thought it was a good time to sell high on the best defensive shortstop in the game. While lefty Sean Newcomb has potential to be a top-line starting pitcher and Chris Ellis could be a decent rotation piece, this seems like an underwhelming return. The Braves do get Erick Aybar coming off a down year and going into a contract year, so they get an obvious replacement for at least 2016.

The primary motivation for the Braves here seems to be saving money. Simmons is due $53 million over the next five years, which if his defensive value continues to remain so extraordinary, isn't all that bad. The issue is more with his offense, and if his bat will start to take too much away from his overall value to keep him an above-average regular. The Braves figure that they'll move on and get a couple of arms to add to the stockpile. While I feel like this is a move that could come back to haunt the Braves, it's obvious that the Angels really, really love Simmons' glove and with their own shortstop a free agent after 2016, you're not going to find a better option on the free agent market.
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MLB - Red Sox Begin Fire Sale by Trading Shane Victorino to Angels

7/27/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons author Matthew Crowne
The "Thrill of Victorino" has definitely become a distant memory for Red Sox Nation. Shane Victorino was a huge part of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox team, but since then, he's been plagued by injuries. It's not like prognosticators didn't see this coming. So for the Red Sox to acquire anything for Victorino was going to be a win at this point. The Sox found a taker, the Los Angeles Angels. In exchange for him and about $3-4 million to cover the $4.5 million or so remaining on Victorino's contract, the Red Sox will acquire infielder Josh Rutledge.

Victorino probably isn't going to be much more than a bench bat for the Angels, probably to platoon with current Angels' left fielder Matt Joyce. It's good for him, though, as the Sox have had the hot Alejandro De Aza playing right field lately, and the Sox needed to make room for Rusney Castillo, who's been stuck at AAA Pawtucket for most of the season. Shane gets to go to a contender rather than be mired in last place.

The Sox receive only minimal salary relief, but really, what they were really after was Rutledge. While the infielder had a nice offensive showing in 2012 with the Rockies, he's a bat-first player. He's a career -11 DRS second baseman and -20 DRS shortstop. Perhaps the Sox are hoping they can fix his defensive woes; they did it with Xander Bogaerts, after all. If Rutledge becomes just passable on defense, he could be a very useful player. While Rutledge is arbitration eligible after this season, it's doubtful he'll get much of a raise his first time through as he's spent the 2015 season so far in AAA. To his credit, he's performed fairly (.727 OPS).

Really, what this comes down to is the Sox getting future value while giving up a short-term asset. Rutledge probably would have been a non-tender candidate for the Angels this off-season anyway. This way, the Sox can see if he can live up to his offensive potential while helping him to be a better infielder. There's really nothing to lose on either end of this deal.

Will Rutledge be more Brock Holt (utility all-star) or Jonathan Herrera (replacement level disappointment)? Maybe he'll be something in between, but he's worth the shot. Victorino can still play some defense, although he's not what he was, but he's better than what they've had. The Angels needed outfield depth, and Victorino was the most obvious and cheapest upgrade.
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