3 LA Angels players that desperately need to prove themselves in 2022

No. 1 LA Angels player that desperately needs to prove himself in 2022: Anthony Rendon

Anthony Rendon was signed by the LA Angels to be the second-highest average annual earner in the big leagues (among position players). He has not earned it at all.

In these first two years of his contract, he’s hit .261/.372/.436 (.808 OPS) with 15 home runs, 65 RBI, and 53 runs in 110 games. Those certainly aren’t numbers that justify $35 million per year, which is once again the second-highest average annual value of any position player in baseball.

This year, he not only had arguably the worst year of his career, but he also missed 104 games. Rendon doesn’t want to be remembered like one of these classic Angels’ contracts that have gone terribly recently. This is his chance to prove he’s not one of those guys.

It certainly can happen. He’s no slouch when it comes to talent. This is the same guy who hit .328/.413/.590 (1.003 OPS) with 11 runs and 143 RBI in the 2019 postseason. He led his team to a World Series Championship against an Astros team that was involved in the biggest cheating scandal in sports history.

Talent isn’t his issue, and a player can’t lose talent. Talent isn’t any of these three players’ issues.

Upton is a former No. 1 overall pick, and a four-time All-Star. Suarez already showed he has the stuff.

It’s possible, and these three guys need to make it happen if we want to take a leap next year.