In order to get back into some form of playoff contention, the Angels, who are now in last place in the American League West, badly need to defeat the Athletics this week in their series. Given their low league rankings in almost every statistical category related to run production and run prevention, the team has seen a significant amount of turnover, mostly in the bullpen. Perry Minasian has stated publicly that he wants to assemble the greatest squad possible, regardless of a player’s past, contract, etc., and that he must make tough choices going ahead regarding the players who aren’t contributing to this club that is below.500.
The Angels want to qualify for the postseason. Some of their potential important players need to improve their performances quickly, or else Minasian will fire them or Ron Washington will bench them more frequently than he currently does.
4 Angels players who are dragging the team down this year
Luis Rengifo
What a disappointment Rengifo has been this season, man. His most memorable event was being benched because he was unable to determine the number of outs, which seems appropriate considering how awful he has been playing. Although Rengifo has little range or utility in the infield, he is technically capable of playing both third and second base. Rengifo is in a contract year, which typically brings out the best in players, but right now, his expiring contract is more likely to be cut than offered.
Even worse is the fact that Rengifo is no longer entertaining to watch at the plate. This season has been quite difficult for him. He is not playing like the table-setter this lineup requires, and his renowned bat-to-ball abilities have significantly declined. Rengifo is not drawing walks, he is not pursuing too much, and he is not commanding the strike zone. He’s only hitting.179 in May and.218 for the season.
If Rengifo’s bat continues to stall, the Angels may switch to playing Tim Anderson and/or Kevin Newman, two of their much better defensive infielders. If he needs to be kicked off the team completely, they could prepare Carter Kieboom, Scott Kingery, or Christian Moore.
Jo Adell
If the Angels were serious about not affecting Paris’ confidence through a demotion, they could keep him on the active roster when Trout returns and finally break off their relationship with the Jo Show. When Mike Trout returns from his injury, the Angels will probably send Kyren Paris to Triple-A to get him more game reps. However, Ron Washington has stated repeatedly that Paris has not lost his confidence and will continue to look for playing time.
Adell’s numerous shortcomings as a player cannot be compensated for by his ability to hit with adequate force on a regular basis. Although he has the potential to smash 20 or more home runs each season, his performance has always been greater in theory than in practice. Adell whiffs, strikes out, and pursues beyond the strike zone much too frequently, just like he has throughout his career. For his talent level, he does not walk or square up a baseball nearly enough. All he has to offer is an SLG that is even below the league average.
The 26-year-old is just not aging well; aside from his potential raw power, his strongest tools are arm strength and sprint speed, both of which are only mediocre. This season, he has hilariously poor outfield arm value and range, which is particularly disheartening considering that the Angels believed he would be the Trout replacement.
The Angels may need to keep Paris’ positional versatility and bench Adell in the coming month because of his ability to play both centerfield and second base.
Kyle Hendricks
Hendricks is the team’s weakest pitcher, giving up three earned runs per game on average. Out of the five starting pitchers for the Angels, he has the poorest numbers with a 5.18 ERA, 5.45 FIP, and 15.8% Miss%. Hendricks’ 1-5 record feels more representative of his play than deceptive, even if he hasn’t gotten many runs in his outings this season—only José Soriano has gotten less runs per start than The Professor.
Although he has improved this month, the Angels’ fifth starter has been mediocre at best. Hendricks has only made one start this season, striking out five hitters, and he has given up one home run in seven of his eight appearances. Since then, he has not struck out more than five batters in any of his outings. Hendricks’ primary strategy is to restrict free passes and stay away from barrels; he doesn’t really strike men out. Well, for a pitcher like Hendricks, a BB% in the 39th percentile is not going to work.
It’s unfortunate that Reid Detmers’ awful play this season hasn’t compelled the Angels’ evaluators to move Hendricks to long relief and put him in the rotation.
Brock Burke
This list had to contain one Angels bullpen player, and Burke looks to be the most suitable. Given that Ben Joyce’s absence this year is a severe blow to the unit, one may argue for him. Although it would be easy to argue for Detmers as well, Burke seems more responsible for the Angels’ inability to finish games because of the significant disparity in role importance.
The southpaw for the Angels was supposed to be an above-average back-end reliever, but he has turned out to be one of their less dependable arms. Burke’s -0.3 fWAR, which ties him with Garrett McDaniels and Kenley Jansen for the team’s poorest mark, reflects his difficult season. Burke has a dismal 4.05 K/9 in May, as he has actually walked more hitters (and given up more hits) than he has struck out.
