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.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–David Fletcher: B

David Fletcher had an up-and-down season for the LA Angels.

The first 106 games for Fletcher were really impressive. He hit .309 and scored 61 runs.

His final 51 games were atrocious, however. He hit .161 and scored just 13 runs. He got on-base just 20.9% of the time.

His final line was .262/.297/.324 (.622 OPS). That line is bad, and we need him getting on base way more than that if he’s not going to hit for any power.

That being said, he’s very good on defense, and he can play multiple positions in the infield dirt.

When evaluating Fletch, it’s important to look at where he places among other guys at his position. He’s eighth in batting average among AL second basemen with at least 121 games played.

So he’s right in the middle in terms of batting average, and very good as far as who he is as a defensive player.

We could be doing worse than Fletcher at second. His wRC+ is 70, showing how much better he can be.

However that defense is important, and we saw how good he can be in those first 106 games.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–Justin Upton: C+

Justin Upton just hasn’t been the same for the LA Angels since he started getting banged up after the 2018 season.

And this year, he finally started coming around before he was injured again. Once Upton was moved into the leadoff spot in the lineup, he went nuts. He hit .326/.420/.600 (1.020 OPS) with six home runs, 15 RBI and 25 runs scored in 25 games.

He was spectacular and then got hurt. He missed a month, and when he came back he didn’t look right. He played very poorly, and his injury seemed to be clearly affecting him.

He eventually had to be shut down, and finished with poor numbers. He hit .211/.296/.409 (.705 OPS) with 17 home runs, 41 RBI, and 47 runs in 87 games.

Upton was one of the very best Angels on the team this year for that hot month, and then the injury took its toll. It’s very disappointing as to how it all ended.

That month proved that Upton still has what it takes in him, but the injuries haven’t allowed us to see that for a large sample size recently.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–Jared Walsh: A-

Jared Walsh was an All-Star this year for the LA Angels, and deserved it.

He was one of very few Angels who actually stayed healthy, playing in 144 games this season.

Walsh hit .277/.340/.509 (.850 OPS) with 29 tanks and 98 RBI. Those are solid offensive numbers and his range over at first base makes him one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball.

He’s got wheels for a first baseman too. Walsh has now had consecutive really good seasons. We didn’t get to see a ton of him last year, as he only played in 32 games. This year we finally got an extended look at him and there was so much to like.

He had a 127 wRC+, and his fWAR (2.8) was third on the Angels among position players.

He also is a good defensive player in the outfield, showcasing his versatility in the field. That’s actually where he played for the All-Star team.

About that All-Star Game, he actually saved the game for the American League.

Walsh was one of the only guys this year who protected Ohtani, and he’s going to be important for this team moving forward.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–Anthony Rendon: C+

Well, this year was very disappointing for one of the LA Angels’ $35 million men, Anthony Rendon.

Health kept Rendon out of all but 58 games, and he was pretty bad in those 58 games.

Hitting .240/.329/.382 (.712 OPS), Rendon only hit six home runs and only scored 24 runs. He only drove in 34.

He’s making an average of $35 million per year, so the expectations for him understandably need to be very high. He’s the second-highest average annual earner in the big leagues among position players (Mike Trout).

Rendon is very good defensively over at third base, so the criticism is only on who he is offensively, but he needs to step up next year. This team is counting on him, and has ever since they inked him to the massive seven-year/$245 million deal.

If this wasn’t the worst year of his career, it was certainly the second-worst behind his rookie season. His wRC+ was just 95, and he’s capable of way better production than that.

This guy willed a Wild Card team to a championship just two years ago. It’s time to return to that level of production.

Giving letter grades for LA Angels’ core position players in 2021–Shohei Ohtani: A+

Shohei Ohtani is a lock to win AL MVP for his performance this year with the LA Angels. There’s not enough anyone can say about this guy. He had arguably the greatest season in baseball history.

Ohtani hit .257/.372/.592 (.965 OPS) with 46 home runs, 100 RBI (as a two-hole hitter), 103 runs scored, eight triples (MLB-leading), and 26 stolen bases.

He was ridiculous, and is the best overall offensive player in the American League. He established himself as the fastest baserunner in the AL, and can even play the outfield despite being labeled as just a DH.

Also, he happens to be one of the very best pitchers in the American League as well. He posted a 3.18 ERA, a 1.090 WHIP, a 10.8 K/9 rate, and allowed just a .207 batting average in 2021. He is the Ace of his staff, and leads the Majors with an 8.1 fWAR.

Ohtani carried this team, and put up those offensive numbers despite not having hardly any lineup protection as the season progressed. He got walked at a record pace, even more than Barry Bonds used to walk.

Ohtani was the starting DH and the starting pitcher for the All-Star Game this year, which best sums up how dominant he was on both sides of the ball this season.

The Angels can be dangerous next year if everyone stays healthy. They have the pieces, and they have the two best players in the game.