Criminally underrated. HoVG, and would have been a serious HoM candidate for me if he had lasted longer. My 1995 AL MVP. Big disagreement between Dial's RSpt and TotalZone on his fielding--Dial shows +50, TZ -38. His rep was pretty good out there, right?

One of my favorite players for a long time. What might have been ...

One of my favorites. Came up a little too late to start a HOF career, and having old player skills faded pretty quick. Salmon pretty much defines what a HOVG career should look like.

I turns out I've mentioned Salmon once before here: see post #11 on the Lankford thread. Pairing him with Lankford just emphasizes what the posters above me are saying - as Dan said, "Criminally underrated. HoVG."

One oddity of Salmon's career was his career-long first half/second half split, which is part of what kept him out of the All-Star Game.

I don't, however, miss Rex Hudler calling him "Kingfish" or talking about "Going upstream."

Still the best player to never be an All Star (since they started having All Stars).

Still the best player to never be an All Star (since they started having All Stars).

There's not enough of a difference between him and Kirk Gibson to declare definitively one way or the other.

Probably not definitively, but Salmon has a bit of an edge in both ops+ and in career length. Gibson was much better on the bases and fielding range. Salmon a much better arm.

Salmon was one of my favourites too. I grew up in Edmonton, so I remember when Salmon won the PCL triple crown with the Trappers. A couple of years later I moved to Orange County, so I got to follow the rest of Salmon's career from there. As such, I'd love to find a way to get him on my ballot. My first look ends up like the consensus of this thread - he's very good, and he'll hang out comfortably in my consideration set, but I don't think he makes my ballot. If I find a way to change that, though, I'll let you guys know.

I remember Rex Hudler screaming " The King Fish goes upstream!" Yeah, it got real old after awhile.

I really appreciated Salmon when he was in his prime in Anaheim. He WAS a good fielder until the last 5 years and his arm was legit. The best part of 2002 was Salmon producing Big Time in the WS. Game 2 was so, so sweet to witness. He was genuinely moved by the ovations he received.

Also, in 1998 he played through plantar fasciatis (sp) to have a good season as the primary DH.

Wish the team would develop more like him and Jimmy Edmonds. Power bats with patience.

He was definitely a top fielder in his physical prime. He was never the best at going back on the ball, but he came in well (superb at making sliding catches on sinking balls in front of him) and was solid laterally. Excellent arm, accurate, good fundamentals on his release, and probably lost a handful of assists to Jorge Fabregas being unable to catch the baseball.

He was a savvy baserunner when younger, too. Well, and also when he was older -- he was savvy enough to know he couldn't run.

One oddity of Salmon's career was his career-long first half/second half split, which is part of what kept him out of the All-Star Game.

Eric Chavez was the same way. I always wonder if those guys should've ramped up more atbats in spring training or something, it seemed to take so long to get their bearings.

Salmon was one of my favourites too. I grew up in Edmonton, so I remember when Salmon won the PCL triple crown with the Trappers.

Pretty sure that Troy Neel took the batting title that year, while Salmon led in Homers and RBI.

I remember looking at his 1991 year-end stats and thinking that he had a lot of potential - if he could just draw a few more walks and reduce the strikeouts, he'd be a hell of a player. Well, 1991 he had a 89-166 walk-strikeout ratio, which improved to 90-103 in 1992. His batting average increased 100 points - from .245 to .347. I felt like I had "scouted" him and followed him all throughout his careers in the majors.

Hall of Very Good ballplayer, Hall of Fame human being.

I always wonder if those guys should've ramped up more atbats in spring training or something, it seemed to take so long to get their bearings.

They did that with Salmon one year. They sent him to the B games and everything. And it worked.

I can't remember what year it was. In 1999, he tore it up for a couple of months and then got hurt.

The odd thing is that his OPS is essentially identical in the first half and the second half when you look at his career splits.

The odd thing is that his OPS is essentially identical in the first half and the second half when you look at his career splits.

He did have a few years -- 1996, 1999 and 2003 -- when he was much better in the first half than the second half; also, 1994 was a good year that essentially all first half. So those factors helped even out his tendency (in 1995, 1997-98, 2000-02) to have better second halves.

He did have a few years -- 1996, 1999 and 2003 -- when he was much better in the first half than the second half; also, 1994 was a good year that essentially all first half. So those factors helped even out his tendency (in 1995, 1997-98, 2000-02) to have better second halves.

Four years wiped out the "tendency" established by another five years? Sounds like he was better in the first half about 50% of the time -- call me shocked.