3 players the Angels organization failed or mishandled

The Los Angeles Angels have not made the postseason since 2014. They have not even had a winning record since 2015. They're currently 10-11 this season and keep finding ways to lose games.

A big reason the Angels have struggled so much is their lack of player development. The Angels get a ton of flack for failed free agency signings, and deservingly so, but they've failed to put the required talent around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to be a postseason team.

This season I believe they have the talent, but that's after adding a ton of players that came from other organizations. There're still examples of players the Angels have failed or mismanaged in the organization.

1) LA Angels catcher Matt Thaiss was moved around and never got a chance to play consistently

Matt Thaiss was the Angels first round pick selected 16th overall back in 2016. He was drafted as a catcher but he was used as a corner infielder for much of his minor league tenure.

Thaiss debuted in 2019 and wasn't disastrous at the plate, as he slashed .211/.293/.422 with eight home runs and 23 RBI. The average and OBP were low, but he hit eight home runs in 53 games which is a decent amount.

Thaiss played mostly third base in that stint with the Angels after playing mostly first base in the minors. That offseason, the Angels signed Anthony Rendon so suddenly third base wasn't an option. With Albert Pujols under contract and Jared Walsh breaking out in 2020, first base wasn't an option either.

Thaiss wound up playing in just eight games during that COVID-shortened season. He'd play in just three games in 2021 as he made the transition back to catcher to try and save his career.

Thaiss got some consistent at-bats with the Angels out of contention last September and wound up playing in 29 games. This season with Thaiss out of options, he's been the backup catcher and has played sparingly with Logan O'Hoppe healthy. With O'Hoppe now hurt, Thaiss will likely play more.

The bottom line is Thaiss was moved around constantly and never really got to play consistently. The Angels have blocked him with other players, which has ruined his development.

Thaiss does not deserve to be on this roster because he's not good enough. That doesn't mean the Angels did a good job developing him. They did not give him the shot most first round picks get.