Tim Salmon (born August 24, 1968 in Long Beach, California) is a right fielder/designated hitter in Major League Baseball who has played his entire career, beginning in 1992, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise. He bats and throws right handed. Since being named the American League's Rookie of the Year in 1993, Salmon has become a favorite of the Angels organization and a household name among the team's fans. An Angel legend, Salmon was a crucial part of the Angels' playoff and World Series run in 2002, hitting a key home run in Game Two of the World Series against the San Francisco Giants.
Salmon, who was sidelined for all of the 2005 season, is recovering from left knee and right rotator cuff surgery. He had also appeared in only 60 games for the Angels in 2004.
Not wishing for his career to end on those terms, Salmon dedicated himself in 2005 to becoming healthy enough to play one final season in 2006. On December 2, 2005, the Angels announced that they had agreed to terms on a minor league contract with Salmon, making him a non-roster invitee to the team's 2006 spring training. Though he preferred to return to the Angels, Salmon was aware that he was considered unlikely to make the team's roster. But he saw the opportunity to play with the team during the exhibition season as a chance to potentially audition for other teams.
However, Salmon turned in a surprisingly strong performance during spring training and in fact secured a role for himself with the Angels. At the end of the exhibition the team announced that Salmon had made their roster, meaning he will earn a $400,000 salary for the 2006 season. Salmon is expected to spend time as a designated hitter and reserve outfielder. He has indicated that making it through the this season successfully will mean he has accomplished his goal of being able to end his career on his own terms, and thus he expects 2006 to be his final season before retiring.
As of the end of the 2005 season, Salmon is the Angels' all-time leader in home runs (290), runs scored (956), walks (941) and slugging percentage (.500). He is second in franchise history with 989 RBIs, behind only Garret Anderson.
Interestingly, despite his highly above average career numbers and impressive single season accomplishments, Salmon has never been selected as an All-Star.
