the following season. From to , he played in at least 145 games and got at least 140 hits each season. California Angels Burleson was traded along with Butch Hobson from the Red Sox to the Angels for Carney Lansford, Rick Miller and Mark Clear on December 10, 1980. His first season with the Angels, he batted .293 with 33 RBIs and 53 runs scored while playing 109 of the Angels' 110 games during the strike shortened season. He won the Silver Slugger Award as the best hitting shortstop in the American League and the Gene Autry Award as the MVP of the California Angels. A year later he injured his throwing arm, appearing in only 51 games over the next three seasons, and missing the entire season. He returned in to bat .284 with five home runs, 29 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 93 games for the American League Western division winning Angels. Along with backing up Dick Schofield at short, he appeared in 38 games as a designated hitter, and played second and third base for the first time since his rookie season. Following the season, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. He batted .209 in 55 games as a second baseman for the Orioles in before he was released during the All-Star break. Coaching and managerial career Following his playing career, shortstop Rick Burleson was an Oakland Athletics Minor league infield instructor in and scout in . He was an A's coach in and a member of the Boston Red Sox staff the next two seasons, (–). He was a California Angels Minor league Baserunning Instructor in and a coach for the California Angels (–). Since the season, he has managed in the minors for the Lancaster JetHawks (1997-), San Bernardino Stampede (), where he won the California League championship, San Antonio Missions (), Billings Mustangs (-), where he won Pioneer League championships in and , and Louisville Bats (-), before returning to Billings for two seasons (-). In , he replaced Pat Kelly as manager of the GCL Reds, after Kelly was named bench coach by the Cincinnati Reds. In , Burleson switched to the Arizona Diamondbacks system and worked as a coach for the Visalia Oaks. From 2009 to 2012, Burleson served as hitting coach and first base coach for the Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League, the triple-A