Angels add intriguing infielder on minor league deal

Depth has proven to be a major issue for the Los Angeles Angels in recent years. Injuries have mounted to the point where they've had to rely on minor leaguers for extended stretches, and that's when seasons have collapsed for the Angels.

This past season, the team was relying on players like Andrew Velazquez for extended stretches who provided just about nothing offensively. In an effort to add as much depth as possible, Perry Minasian has made an addition.

The Angels signed Charles Leblanc to a minor league deal. He likely won't make an impact to begin the season, but could be a player the Angels turn to if and when there are injuries in the infield.

Charles Leblanc gives the LA Angels another depth option for their infield

The 27-year-old provides the Angels a boost in a couple of key areas. First, he can play multiple positions. He's primarily a third baseman but has played all four infield positions in his minor league career including mostly second base at the big league level. In addition to his versatility, Leblanc is a player that can get on base at a high clip, a far cry from a guy like Velazquez who was obviously a good defender but a complete non-factor at the plate.

Leblanc was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft by the Rangers and has spent each of the last two seasons in the Marlins organization. He made his big league debut with Miami in the 2022 season and performed admirably, slashing .263/.320/.404 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 156 games.

This past season Leblanc did not make it back to the majors but performed well in AAA, putting up a .384 OBP and an .807 OPS for AAA Jacksonville. While it obviously is disappointing that he didn't make it back up to the bigs, that doesn't appear to be because he didn't perform in the minors.

Leblanc is far from a massive signing, but he's a player who would at the very least give the Angels a fighting chance at the plate if he were ever to be relied upon. We're so used to seeing automatic outs at the bottom of the order when injuries occur, so having Leblanc as an option will be a nice change of pace.