LA Angels: Giving letter grades for core position players in 2021

The LA Angels had a rough season last year, and most blame pitching.

I don’t blame them, as the pitching was atrocious. The position players didn’t produce to their best ability too, but much of that was due to injuries.

The season’s come to a close, and it’s worth taking a look at who did and didn’t perform when it comes to position players. Most of these guys, if not all, will be back next year. We’ll need everyone healthy and performing to their top abilities.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–Max Stassi: B-

Max Stassi’s season with the LA Angels was tough to evaluate. He was hurt for almost half the season, playing in just 87 games.

In the 87 games he played in, however, he both did some good and some bad.

A .241 batting average is disappointing, but it’s not terrible for a catcher. His overall .241/.326/.426 line wasn’t inspiring and neither was his .752 slugging percentage. That being said, it’s tough to find a ton of catchers who really are producing at a really high level offensively.

Stassi had 13 home runs in those 87 games, which would have averaged out to 24 home runs in a full season. Again, not spectacular, but would have been solid for his position.

He only drove in 35 runs, which we hope will improve if he is to stay here awhile. He did, however, prove he gels well enough with Shohei Ohtani to where Ohtani doesn’t need to keep Kurt Suzuki around to be his personal catcher.