Jim Spencer, 54; Former Angel Baseball Player

Jim Spencer, a two-time Gold Glove winner who was a first-round draft pick for the Angels and the 11th overall selection in baseball’s first amateur draft in 1965, died Sunday of an apparent heart attack. He was 54.

Spencer, whose winter home was in Sarasota, Fla., died in Ft. Lauderdale. He had played in a charity baseball game Saturday.

Spencer made it to the major leagues in 1969 and spent four years with the Angels, fulfilling a dream he had fostered since he was 3.

“I decided then that my life’s work would be baseball,” he told The Times in 1970. “And after that, it was all I thought about for every moment of every day.”

His goal led to a mild form of insomnia when he was 11, leaving him tossing and turning at night as he worried about making the big leagues.

“When you live your life with one goal, then that is the way it is,” he said at age 22.

Spencer also played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s during his 15-year career.

The left-hander had a career batting average of .250 and hit 146 home runs, though he was best known for his defensive prowess, snaring Gold Glove awards in 1970 and 1977.

After being traded to the Rangers in 1973, Spencer played in his only All-Star game, replacing injured Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski for the American League team.

His manager at the time, Whitey Herzog, informed him as he was dressing for a game.

“You’re kidding,” Spencer gasped, before realizing Herzog wasn’t.

“It just goes to show that you should never give up on yourself,” Spencer said later that year.

He remained active in the sport after retiring, serving as a scout for the Yankees and as an assistant coach for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Spencer also worked in promotions for the Yankees and took part in charity events, including the appearance Saturday at a children’s hospital benefit game in Hollywood, Fla.

Spencer, who also had a home in Sykesville, Md., is survived by his wife, Susie; daughters, Jessica and Jaime; parents, Lloyd and Helen Spencer; and sister, Debbie DuVall of North Carolina.

Funeral services are pending.