3 Angels players who will have to earn our trust in 2024

3) Luis Rengifo

Like Estevez, Luis Rengifo had a season full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The lows were so bad to the point where Angels fans, including myself, were calling for him to get DFA'd. Rengifo struggled mightily in the first half yet was still seeing an inconceivable amount of playing time.

Fortunately, the Angels kept Rengifo around, and he showed why in the second half, slashing .318/.374/.587 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI in 50 games. He was one of very few Angels players who stepped up down the stretch as the team collapsed before he suffered his season-ending injury.

Hopefully the Angels go out and sign a bat that would force Rengifo into more of a utility role, but as of now, he projects to be an everyday starter in Shohei Ohtani's place. He deserves it based on how he finished out the year, but Rengifo starting from the jump comes with a ton of questions.

He's done exceptionally well in each of the last two second halves, but Rengifo's struggles early in seasons are well-documented at this point. Can playing everyday change that? Angels fans are not asking him to be the .960 OPS guy he was in the second half of this past season, but the Angels will go nowhere if he's the .637 OPS hitter he was in the first half.