8) LA Angels catcher Chad Wallach will not be back in 2024
Chad Wallach was another player who came out of nowhere and kept the Angels afloat in the first half. He began the season as the team's third catcher but was quickly pressed into action when Logan O'Hoppe landed on the IL.
He entered the 2023 season with 48 hits in 243 at-bats with four home runs and 24 RBI across 90 games in a five year span. He never did much of anything offensively which is why he never had a solidified backup job, but he was red hot when the Angels first called him up. In fact, he hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat of this season.
He had four home runs in 243 at-bats heading into this season and had five in his first 75 of this season. He was settling in nicely as Matt Thaiss' backup who'd get starts against lefties and when Shohei Ohtani pitched. Unfortunately, his bat cooled down substantially and he finished his season with ten hits in his last 55 at-bats.
Wallach was about as good as you can expect a third catcher to be but is entering his second arbitration year and is out of options. He won't be ahead of O'Hoppe or Thaiss on the depth chart, and the Angels won't carry three catchers. It's possible the Angels bring him back on a minor league deal, but the chances of him being tendered a MLB contract are very slim.