1956 Los Angeles Angels season

Los Angeles Angels 1956 107–61 Pacific Coast League Wrigley Field Los Angeles 1st Bob Scheffing The 1956 Los Angeles Angels season was the 54th season in the history of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. The 1954 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 107–61 record. Bob Scheffing was the team's manager. The team played its home games at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.Wrigley Field (Los Angeles) Society for American Baseball Research Jim Gordon February 16, 2020 https://sabr.org/bioproj/park/3912a666 In 1993, sportswriter John Schulian wrote a feature story in Sports Illustrated about the 1956 Angeles, opining that no minor league club ever played the game better. Gene Mauch, who played second base for the team and later managed in the majors, was interviewed by Schulian and recalled: "I might be prejudiced, but I think it was the best minor league team ever put together. I saw some teams in the big leagues that couldn't play as well. Hell, I managed two of them."Of Stars and Angels: Once Upon a Time, Tinseltown Was a Heavenly Place To Watch Minor League Baseball John Schulian June 21, 1993 https://www.si.com/vault/1993/06/21/128782/of-stars-and-angels-once-upon-a-time-tinseltown-was-a-heavely-place-to-watch-minor-league-baseball First baseman Steve Bilko received the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award and was also named Minor League Baseball's player of the year. He also won the PCL Triple Crown with a .360 batting average, 55 home runs, and 164 RBIs. In addition to Bilko, five other Angels hit 20 or more home runs. Gene Mauch hit .348 with 20 home runs. In his book on the 1956 Angels, Gaylon H. White wrote: "Mauch's greatest value was as a leader. He was a master at devising trick plays, stealing opponents' signs and, if necessary, getting in the face of a teammate."The Bilko Athletic Club: The Story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels Gaylon H. White Rowman & Littlefield 2014 16 978-0810892903 While Dave Hillman won 20 games for the Angels, pitching was the team's weakness. In his history of the Angels, Dick Beverage wrote: "The pitching staff was subpar and, as a result, the 1956 Angels were probably a level below the greatest teams of PCL history."The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957 Richard Beverage McFarland 2011 182 Angels players took eight of 14 spots the PCL All-Star team selected by sports writers in November 1956. The honorees were Steve Bilko at first base, Mauch at second base, Casey Wise at shortstop, Jim Bolger and Bob Speake in the outfield, El Tappe at catcher, Dave Hillman as a pitcher, and Piper Davis as the utility infielder.Eight Angels Make PCL All-Star Club Los Angeles Times November 28, 1956 IV-6 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45206774/eight_angels_make_pcl_allstar_club/ Newspapers.com Statistics Batting Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI SS Casey Wise 168 705 202 .287 7 60 1B Steve Bilko 162 597 215 .360 55 164 RF, CF Jim Bolger 165 592 193 .326 28 147 LF, CF Bob Speake 158 580 174 .300 25 111 2B Gene Mauch 146 566 197 .348 20 84 3B George Freese 137 474 138 .291 22 113 CF Gale "Windy" Wade 101 383 112 .292 20 67 C El Tappe 100 303 81 .267 3 36 C Joe Hannah 93 239 65 .272 1 33 LF Bob Coats 103 237 75 .316 0 29 1B, 3B Piper Davis 64 152 48 .316 6 24 RF, LF Eddie Haas 41 149 41 .275 4 191956 Los Angeles Angels Stats Sports Reference LLC Baseball-Reference.com February 18, 2020 https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=b79ad3f2 Pitching Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; PCT = Win percentage; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L PCT ERA SO Dave Hillman 33 210.1 21 7 .750 3.38 130 Gene Fodge 44 192.0 19 7 .731 4.31 122 Dick Drott 35 196.2 13 10 .565 4.39 184 Bob Anderson 70 105.1 12 4 .750 2.65 61 Marino "Chick" Pieretti 38 156.0 7 9 .439 4.90 68 Bob Thorpe 29 155.2 7 7 .500 4.86 77 References Further reading The Bilko Athletic Club: The Story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels Gaylon H. White Rowman & Littlefield 2014 978-0810892903 "The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957", Richard Beverage (McFarland 2011) "The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957", by Dennis Snelling (McFarland 2011) Category:1956 in sports in California Category:Pacific Coast League seasons Category:1956 in Los Angeles Category:1956 in baseball