6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

T.R. Bryden CAL b. 1959, played 1986

Chili Davis CAL b. 1960, played 1988-1990, 1993-1996, All-Star: 1984, 1986, 1994. A terrible defensive outfielder who learned how to really hit late in his career, unshackled from the bonds of the glove in the AL, this Top 100 Angel came up with the Giants and played seven of the remaining 12 years of his career in an Angels uniform, in two stints. He owns three World Series rings by virtue of his appearance on the 1991 Twins and 1998 and 1999 Yankees. He's one of the best DH's in Angels history, ranking alongside Don Baylor, and, measured in an Angels uniform only, Reggie Jackson. Davis was finally traded for infamous bust Mark Gubicza in 1996, ending his career in Anaheim; he held on for three more productive seasons with the Royals and Yankees before retiring in 1999.

Denny Doyle CAL b. 1944, played 1974-1975

Brad Fullmer ANA b. 1975, played 2002-2003. Hey, it's Top 100 Angel DH day today! Chased out of Toronto because of feuds over playing time against lefties, he became the Angels' full-time DH (and part-time first baseman) hitting primarily against right-handed pitching. His .531 SLG with the 2002 club was the second best of his career in any non-trivial number of at-bats, but injuries and more playing time complaints in 2003 made him expendable, and the Angels released him in October, 2003. He hung on for another year with the Rangers, but has been out of the majors since despite having been signed by the Chisox in 2005.

Tyler Houston LAN b. 1971, played 2002. Dave Hansen. Jolbert Cabrera. Ron Coomer. Robin Ventura. Tyler Houston. All were brought in at one time or another during Adrian Beltre's tenure as a Dodger to either replace him following his botched appendectomy or else to, uh, supplement his anemic bat over time. None of them really worked.

In 2002, the Dodgers had traded Gary Sheffield before the season started. As a testament to allowing players to dictate the terms of their employment once signed, the Dodger attack suffered, and not least because Beltre was posting yet another slow start — that lasted to the All Star break (.238/.289/.356). A monster June (.464/.500/.754) with the Brewers had convinced the Dodgers to package a couple fringe players for Houston — who came to the Dodgers just in time for Beltre to heat up again. Beltre slammed a .320/.366/.524 line in August, at least temporarily fulfilling the kind of promise that Dodger fans had been hoping for for years. Beltre fell back to earth the next month, their "third baseman of the future" looking a lot more like an albatross, hitting .214/.260/.378 in September and October. Houston, unable to get regular playing time, collapsed into a .200/.224/.308 slump with the Dodgers that year. He ended up with the Phils the next year, posting respectable numbers as a reserve; he's now out of baseball.

Scott Mullen LAN b. 1975, played 2003

Harry Pattee BRO b. 1882, played 1908, d. 1971-07-17

Don Zimmer LAN,BRO b. 1931, played 1954-1959, 1963, All-Star: 1961. Nicknamed "Popeye" because of his impressive forearms and fireplug build, Zimmer could play any of the three hard infield positions, and did so regularly for the mid-50's Dodgers. Along with newcomer Jim Gilliam, both men replaced Jackie Robinson at second, as Robinson had become a full-time third baseman late in his career. Shipped to the Cubs for Ron Perranoski (who later became the Dodgers' pitching coach), he returned in 1963.

Zimmer is probably most famous for his managerial career, winning the NL Manager of the Year for the division-winning 1989 Cubs team, affectionately known among Cubs fans as "the Boys of Zimmer" club. He has a career 885-858 record, managing the Padres, Red Sox, Rangers, and Cubs; most recently, he was the Yankees' bench coach up through 2004.