No. 2 statistic you wouldn’t believe that defined the LA Angels’ letdown 2021 season: 94 wRC+
So the pitching for the LA Angels is horrendous. We’re all well aware.
But we did spend a lot of money on offense, correct? That’s not our biggest problem, correct? The answer to both of those questions is ‘yes,’ but the offense was still rather lackluster overall this year.
A 100 wRC+ is average, and the Angels recorded a 94, which was 17th in baseball. There were multiple teams in our division that had a wRC+ over 100, including MLB’s leader, the Houston Astros (116).
The Angels had plenty of injuries to their best offensive players this year, however some didn’t perform while they were out there. For instance, $35 million man Anthony Rendon posted just a 95 wRC+, and Justin Upton (who made $23 million last year), posted a 92 wRC+. Upton was clearly affected by injuries when he was on the field after he came back from the missed month, but he started the season slow too.
David Fletcher, who many fans like a lot due to his strong play in the middle of the season, finished with a horrible 70 wRC+. The players we have on offense didn’t perform anywhere close to where they were supposed to.