Former All-Star Needs to (Finally) Give the Angels a Full Season

OK, maybe that’s a bit harsh. Some guys just seem to have bad luck with injuries. Others get injured because they play hard. By all accounts, Rendon, 33, does play hard once the umpire yells, “Play ball!” Rendon won the Washington Nationals Hard and Hustle Award in 2017. However, the fact remains that as of the close of Tuesday’s action, he’s played 205 games for the Angels since his arrival in 2020. That’s the equivalent of less than a season and a half. Rendon played more games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season (52) than he did in either 2022 (47) or 2023 (43). His last hit was nine months ago.

Anthony Rendon Must Avoid a Season-Ending Injury

Rendon’s Dossier

Check out Rendon’s history of injuries that resulted in stays on the injured list since signing the big contract:

• April 12, 2021 – Rendon suffers a strained groin.
• May 5, 2021 – Rendon fouls a pitch off his knee, resulting in a contusion.
• July 6, 2021 – Rendon strains a left hamstring.
• August 4, 2021 – The Angels announce Rendon would need surgery to repair his right hip and would be out for the season.
• June 17, 2022 – Rendon aggravates a right wrist injury and misses the remainder of the season.
• July 4, 2023 – Rendon fouls a pitch off his shin, causing a bone bruise (according to the Angels) or a fractured tibia (according to Rendon), another season-ending injury once again.
• March 3, 2024 – Rendon reports “discomfort” in his groin but was ready for Opening Day.

“It’s a Job”

The latter injury wouldn’t be a big deal except for Rendon’s history and some ill-conceived remarks preceding it. On February 19, he told the assembled media, “(Baseball’s) never been a top priority for me. It’s a job. I do this to make a living. My faith and family come first, before this job.” All teams teach their players about public relations and dealing with the media. Rendon must have been absent that day, too, with an injury. There was nothing wrong with his remarks, per se. Of course, only a fool would put a job before his faith and family. But he could have easily added something to the effect of, I’ll always give this job the maximum effort. My goal is to make the Angels champions again and I won’t rest until it’s achieved.

This didn’t play well with the Angels fans or the local media. Of the groin injury, their feeling was, here we go again. Old quotes where Rendon said baseball was “too long and boring” and the season too long were dug up. Former teammate Jonathan Papelbon criticized him for “hating” baseball and suggested it was hard to get him motivated to play. Whatever the case, when Rendon has played, he’s hit .242/.352/.388 for the Angels after hitting .290/.369/.490 for the Washington Nationals. His rare defenders among Angels fans posit that he’s hit on bad luck, pointing to his xBA based on his exit velocity. At this point, most Angels fans are more concerned about Rendon’s exit velocity out of Anaheim. That’s not likely, however. Not with three more years remaining on the contract at $38.5 million per year. Not with the penchant Rendon has for the annual season-ending injury.

A Fool and His Money . . .

Let’s discuss the Angels’ role in all of this. They should have learned their lesson about long-term contracts for players in their 30s. Let’s reflect on how their deal with Albert Pujols worked out. The former St. Louis Cardinals slugger was signed to a 10-year, $240 million deal by the Angels in December 2011 when he was nearly 32. From 2001-11 with St. Louis, he hit an astonishing .328/.421/.617, with 445 HR, 1,329 RBI, and an OPS+ of 170. He was the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year, a three-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He won a batting title and led the National League in home runs twice. His first four years with the Angels measured up to his production with the Cardinals. However, over 10 seasons with the Angels, he hit .256/.311/.447, 222 HR, 783 RBI, and an OPS+ of 108.

The owner’s sin here has been committed by more teams besides the Angels. It’s paying a player for what he did with his previous team, as opposed to projecting what he’ll do for his current team and paying him accordingly. Pujols’s contract took him to age 41 when he had no chance of producing as he had in his prime. In Rendon’s case, he was paid based on his best season, which he was unlikely to duplicate again. In 2019 while earning a World Series ring with Washington, he hit .319/.412/.598, 34 HR, and an MLB-leading 126 RBI, all career highs by significant margins.

The Last Word

Is it fair for Angels fans to be so rough on Rendon? He’s not trying to get injured and it’s not like he enjoys having surgeries. After all, Mike Trout is also under a lucrative contract for $37 million a year with the Angels through 2030. He’s had his share of injuries, too. Trout played in just 36 games in 2021 and 82 games last year. But he’s well-liked and won’t get booed in his home ballpark.  The difference is that Trout has put up astounding numbers when he’s played, making the All-Star team 11 times, winning a Rookie of the Year Award, three MVP Awards, and nine Silver Sluggers. Not to mention that Trout has more PR sense and represents everything right about baseball.

On the other hand, as noted, Rendon has made some statements that were best kept to himself. He’s brawled with a fan. Only he knows what’s in his mind, whether he truly hates the game, and if so, whether that prevents him from giving his all between the white lines. The bottom line is with Shohei Ohtani gone for greener pastures, Rendon needs to avoid another season-ending injury and produce if the Angels are to sniff contention in 2024.