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Nicknamed “Kingfish”, Tim Salmon enjoyed a long and prosperous big league career from 1992 to 2006. The strong-armed right fielder played all 14 of his seasons for the Anaheim Angels.

His career started in style. In 1993 he became the fourth player unanimously selected as the American League Rookie of the Year.

Two seasons later Salmon enjoyed a career year. In that 1995 campaign he slashed .330/.429/.594 – all career high marks. He also posted career-bests in runs (111) and total bases (319) to go along with his 34 homers and 105 runs batted in. His efforts earned the Silver Slugger Award and a 7th-place finish in MVP balloting.

From ’93 through 2003, the native of Long Beach, California was solid. In those 11 years he hit .285 with a .390 on-base percentage and a .510 slugging mark. He averaged 29 doubles, 26 homers per season and had a 132 OPS+ during the run.

Salmon was key in bringing the first World Series title in Angels franchise history. That 2002 regular season he slashed 27 doubles, slammed 22 homers, and slugged .503. In the Fall Classic he hit .346. His performance in the 7-game thriller against the Giants included 9 hits, 4 walks, a double, 2 homers, 5 RBI, and 16 total bases.

In 2003 Angels manager Mike Scioscia made Salmon a platoon player. Still productive, he hit 19 homers with 72 RBI in a limited role. The following season Salmon appeared primarily as a DH and pinch hitter. In August he was shut down due to issues with his rotator cuff and bicep tendon. Surgery and recovery caused him to miss all of 2005.

Salmon returned for one final season came in 2006 when he played 76 games before retiring.

At the conclusion of his career, Salmon had 299 career home runs, the most in baseball history among players without an All Star selection. He retired with the Angels highest career offensive WAR (44.6) and the most homers in franchise history. In 2015, Salmon was inducted into the Angels team Hall of Fame.

In the collection is this Strat-O-Matic card autographed by Salmon from his Rookie of the Year season of 1993.

Bucknell University math major Hal Richman originated the Strat-O-Matic game in 1961. Advertised in Sports Illustrated and sold out of Richman’s basement, Strat-O-Matic gave its players the ability to make managerial decisions based on MLB statistics.