Angels 3-Time All-Star, All-Time Hits Leader Tragically Passes Away
Tragic news today for the world of baseball, and in particular, the Los Angeles Angels. 53-year-old three-time All-Star and 2002 World Series champion Garrett Anderson has passed away suddenly at his LA home.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Angels Hall of Famer Garret Anderson.
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 17, 2026
Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to… pic.twitter.com/RyF5qa7OPE
The news comes as a shock, as he suffered a medical emergency at his Newport Beach home.
Anderson suited up for 17 MLB seasons, 15 of them with the Angels.
He was the Rookie of the Year runner-up in the AL in 1995 with a slash line of .321/.352/.505 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs in 106 games.
In 2003, he became just the second player -- along with the legendary Cal Ripken Jr. -- to win the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP honors in the same year.
Anderson went on to hit 287 homers over his career, with 1,385 RBIs, a terrific .293 batting average and a .785 OPS.
The Angels have already announced that they will honor Anderson by wearing a memorial patch on their uniforms for the rest of the 2026 season.
Here’s the patch the #Angels will wear the rest of the season to honor Garret Anderson pic.twitter.com/9L6S0ZlJrU
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 17, 2026
They will also hold a moment of silence prior to this evening’s game, and a special tribute video will be run to honor one of the franchise's all-time great hitters.
His career highlights include driving in 123 runs while batting .306 in 2002, and ripping a three-run double in Game 7 of the World Series that year that would be the deciding runs in a 4-1 Angels triumph over Barry Bonds' San Francisco Giants. He also posted a 10-RBI game in 2007.
He is the Angels' career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8).
