Salmon, Timothy J.
Baseball
b. Aug. 24, 1968, Long Beach, CA
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound outfielder, Salmon was chosen by the AL's California Angels in the 1989 free agent draft, while a student at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. After being named MVP of the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Player of the year, he joined the Angels for 23 games at the end of the 1992 season, batting only .177.
He became a starter in 1993 and won the league's rookie of the year award after batting .283 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI. The Angels rewarded Salmon with a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract.
He has been a steady, though not exactly spectacular performer, for the Angels. In 1995, he became the franchise's first player to hit over .300 with more than 30 home runs and more than 100 RBI. Salmon is now the franchise leader in career home runs and RBI.
After a shoulder injury limited him to 98 games in 1999, he hit .290 in 2000 but then dropped all the way down to .227 the following season. Salmon then won the Comeback Player of the Year Award for hitting .286 with 22 home runs in 2002.
The shoulder began to bother Salmon again in 2004, along with a knee, and he had operations on both in September. He hoped to return to the team's lineup by September of 2005, but there were doubts about that timetable. Salmon's contract with the Angels runs out after the 2005 season, and he has hinted that he might retire. He has said that he will not play for another major league team.