LA Angels: Who should replace Dexter Fowler in right field?

The Angels were dealt a huge blow on Friday when right fielder Dexter Fowler suffered a torn ACL, ending his 2021 season.

Fowler was heading towards second base on a force play and it looked as if he was caught in between a slide and standing up when he planted awkwardly on the base. The initial diagnosis was a knee contusion on Saturday, but that changed when the Halos announced his season-ending injury on Sunday.

It’s a tough break for the Halos and Fowler who was beginning to swing the bat well, going (4-for-10) in his last three games prior to his injury. From a statistical standpoint (.250 BA-21 PA), it’s not exactly a huge loss, but Fowler was a clubhouse leader on and off the field.

The Angels lose more than just statistics with Dexter Fowler.

Those types of intangibles seem to be forgotten among the exit velocities, launch angles, and other data-driven categories in the Statcast Era, but they are still keys to any team’s success.

Fowler has been a winner everywhere he’s gone, finishing on teams above .500 for six straight seasons. In that span was four trips to the postseason, and a World Series victory in 2016 where Fowler famously led off game 7 with a home run.

The winning attitude has rubbed off in Anaheim, as the Angels have gotten off to their best start in over a decade.

He’s not going to be easy to replace, but here are the players who are most likely to play in right field in Fowler’s absence.

I think the short answer for calling up Jo Adell or No.1 prospect Brandon Marsh from the team’s alternate site is simply no, at least not right now.

Both players are definitely the future of the Anaheim outfield, but they still need more time to develop. If manager Joe Maddon or the Angels organization believed they’d be ready so soon, they would have been on the 26-man roster to begin the season.

Angels: Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh both need more development.

Spring Training Statistics:

• Jo Adell (16 games): 26 PA (5-for-20) 2 HR 6 RBI 1.023 OPS
• Brandon Marsh (12 games): 17 PA (4-for-14) 0 HR 1 RBI .983 OPS

The minor league season won’t begin until May, so the only repetitions each player has gotten since the end of spring training has been at the Angels alternate site.

Jo Adell

Adell may be a bit closer offensively right now. In a small sample size last summer, Adell appeared to be rushed to the big leagues too soon, slashing .161/.212/.266 with three home runs and seven RBI. He also walked seven times and had 55 strikeouts in 132 plate appearances in 2020. Adell did show improvement during his spring camp, walking six times with six strikeouts in 26 plate appearances. Defensively he could still use some work as he misplayed a few routine plays in the outfield.

Brandon Marsh

Having seen what happened with Adell, I don’t think the Angels want to rush Marsh to the MLB-level just yet. Marsh dealt with some nagging injuries in spring training, so he was not used defensively as much as he was a designated hitter in the lineup. The former second-round pick has yet to play above Double-A so it’s likely the Halos want to see further development at the Triple-A level for a decent amount of time this season.

At the moment, the Angels aren’t in a desperate need for either young outfielder to provide a spark in the big leagues. Maybe it could happen towards the end of May at the earliest, but as of now the Angels will use one of the following options in right field.