As the Angels tumble in the standings and are holding desperately to any postseason chances, they are constantly re-shuffling their roster by taking risks on players who could just minimize their apparent shortcomings. Few teams have been more desperate than the Angels of late, as they strive to turn their season around during a dismal stretch of baseball.
Feel-good player gets call while “Just Dingers”
One of baseball’s greatest tales is that of Gustavo Campero. It might be an understatement to describe last season’s ascent to the major leagues as meteoric. Campero is a former catcher who was frequently placed on developmental lists at both Double-A and A-Ball, making him a glorified bullpen catcher. Then, without warning, Campero switched to outfield and began to score runs at a pace that no one had anticipated. The Angels were forced to continue promoting him.
At pitcher-friendly Tri-City in 2023, Campero hit 12 home runs and slashed.337/.414/.644. Before the Angels pulled him up to play him 13 games at the end of their season, he had demonstrated impressive offensive figures for both Rocket City and Salt Lake in 2024. “Campy” looked like a likely DFA candidate this summer, but the organization persevered with him, and he will now start his second term in Anaheim.
Campero has had excellent bat-to-ball skills and low strikeout totals throughout his whole MLB and MiLB career (at an affiliate), dating back to 2021. Do you understand why the Angels currently value his skills more than those of J.D. Davis? The Angels need to add guys who can put balls in play to their lineup since they are currently woefully lacking in this area.
With a strikeout percentage of 33.3%, Davis was the third-worst hitter in the Angels this season (Kyren Paris and Logan O’Hoppe had worse K%s). To exacerbate the situation, “Just Dingers” regrettably failed to get a walk with the Angels or hit a single dinger. The team no longer needed Davis to cover for Nolan Schanuel at first base because he is starting tonight against the Mariners and is not in danger of suffering a catastrophic injury.
Davis had no minor league options available to the Angels since he had signed a minor league deal in the summer. If he clears waivers, it will be fascinating to see if he looks for a chance elsewhere or takes an outright assignment back to Triple-A Salt Lake. His output has plummeted after his strong 2023 season.
Carl Edwards Jr. mulls his options
Speaking of maybe looking for other options, Carl Edwards Jr. recently passed waivers and must decide between Salt Lake and another possible location. Due to his unimpressive performance in the two games he played for the Angels, he may not have the most lucrative free agency market. Considering how badly the bullpen has performed this season, the Angels certainly appear to be the best option for him to return to the Show.
