3 Angels players who are now on thin ice with Matthew Lugo continuing to rake

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson signed a minor league deal with the Angels this offseason, hoping to rejuvenate his once-promising career. A former batting champ and two-time All-Star, Anderson has seen a rapid decline over the previous two seasons. The low point was getting released by the lowly Miami Marlins last year after posting a putrid 27 wRC+.

With the glove he's been solid over 28 games this year, but just like last season his bat has been unplayable. His strikeout rate sits at 30.9%, his walk rate is a minuscule 3.7%, and he's produced a powerless 33 wRC+ this year.

Even moreso than Paris, Lugo would not be a direct Anderson replacement, however, the team could decide to let Kyren Paris work through his issues at the big league level while taking on Anderson's infield reps, freeing those opportunities up for Lugo.

Allowing two young players, Lugo and Paris, to develop at the big league level at the expense of a well-past-his-prime veteran would make a lot of sense for a young team that hasn't arrived at contender status.

The only question as to whether or not Anderson should be a roster causality is if the Angels truly believe that both Lugo and Paris will develop more in the majors than down at Triple-A. That's an answer we may get once Mike Trout is fully healthy.

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