25 years ago today: Angels rookie Wally Joyner hits 11th, 12th homers - MLB

A brief trip back to “Wally World.”

23-year-old first baseman Wally Joyner was probably the biggest story of the early part of the 1986 season, hitting homer after homer on his way to becoming the first rookie voted into the All-Star Game.

And it was a big surprise. Joyner was well regarded as a prospect after being taken in the third round in the 1983 draft, but he hit exactly 12 homers in both of his full seasons in the minors. In the PCL in 1985, he finished with a modest .283/.363/.440 line and 73 RBI in 477 at-bats.

That kind of line probably wouldn’t have gotten him a gig in 2011. The Angels, though, believed the power spike he experienced in Puerto Rico over the winter was for real and chose to have him replace future Hall of Famer Rod Carew as their first baseman headed into the 1986 season.

Joyner was a star from day one. He homered in his second game as a major leaguer, and he ended April with a .333-6-16 line. The first half of May proved even better: he followed his two-homer game against the Red Sox on May 12 with another one four days later. 36 games into his rookie season, he was hitting .316/.361/.645 and leading the majors with 15 homers and 37 RBI.

Joyner, though, was unable to maintain the pace. He hit just seven homers over the rest of the season and finished second to Jose Canseco in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. Worse, after a great start in the ALCS against Boston, he went down with a leg infection, preventing him from playing in the final four games as the Angels were eliminated. He was 5-for-11 with a homer and two doubles in the first three games.

Joyner went on to have his best season as a sophomore in 1987, finishing with 34 homers and 117 RBI. He remained a valuable player in subsequent seasons, particularly in 1991, his last year with the Angels before he signed with the Royals, and in 1997, when he hit .327 for the Padres. However, he never went to a second All-Star Game.

Also, while Joyner was thought of very highly as a defensive first baseman, he failed to win a Gold Glove. The Yankees’ Don Mattingly had a stranglehold on the award at the time.

In 2001, Joyner returned to the Angels for a farewell tour and hit .243 in 161 at-bats. He ended his career with a .289/.362/.440 line, 204 homers and 1,106 RBI in 16 seasons.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.