Farewell Figgy: Fret Not Angel Fan

There are a few things in life that are inevitable but we must endure.  Tax time, a flat tire, having to go to the DMV and watching your favorite team fall apart.

The last one stinging worst of all.

I remember watching the Steve Garvey news conference when he signed with the San Diego Padres.  The banner read "Out of the Blue."

Ouch. 

My beloved Dodgers were crumbling.  They still haven't found their way home.

Is this the end of the Halo run?  No, of course not; but, its hard to watch Figgy go.

The Dodgers of Garvey, Cey, Lopes, Russell, etc. were amazing because they were homegrown.  We watched them develop and enjoyed their success.

Same thing with Figgy.

We first noticed him in 2002, as a pinch runner.

From there he began to be the Angels equivalent of Waldo.  Every game—a new position.  Sometimes within a game—multiple positions.  "Finding Figgy" was a game within a game.

Watching him excel no matter where they put him was a baseball fan's dream.

Left fielders would talk about the "challenges" of switching to right.  The balls comes off the bat different and its so demanding to make that switch, they would say.  Figgy would go from left field to second then end up at center.  Talk about demanding!

In addition to being a solid player, he developed into a pretty darn good hitter.

Add his speed and infectious smile and you had a pretty good all around stud.

A stud who plays for the Mariners now.

Like Garvey, Figgy is going to a division rival.  Unlike the Dodgers, who crumbled after dismantling that team, the Angels will be fine.

I, like Angel management, don't have a lot of confidence in Brandon Wood however.  Remember when the Halos signed Teixeira and quickly proclaimed that if he didn't re-sign, they were confident Kendry Morales was ready.

Tex didn't re-sign, Morales was ready.

Where is the statement about Wood being ready, Angel management?



Wood will get his shot because he has to.  He is out of options and the Angels will lose him otherwise.  Who knows, he might surprise us all.  I hope so.

My feeling is that the Angels will look to replace Figgy somewhere other than at third.  With Vlady likely gone as well and Abreu moving to DH, there is an outfield position open.

Fans regularly complained last year about the Angels having too much SNAP and CRACKLE (i.e. speed and punch-and-judy hitters in Izturis, Figgy and Aybar) and not enough POP.  They won't replace Figgy with a Figgy-like player; they are looking for some POP.

Add a power arm along with the POP and the Angels have retooled.  I have confidence in this team, this owner and this GM.

For now, however, its farewell Figgy.  Hello POP?