Grading the first half of each Angels position player

LA Angels position player first half grade: Anthony Rendon

It's the same story once again. Anthony Rendon spent the first half of the season battling injury after injury while putting up subpar numbers offensively. He's even struggled in the field. Despite a lack of power, Anthony Rendon was still driving in runs at an efficient rate being the Angels best hitter with runners in scoring position to start the year, but even that has tailed off.

Overall, the third baseman has slashed .236/.361/.318 with two home runs and 22 RBI. He's drawn a bunch of walks, but I promise you the Angels didn't make him their highest-paid player to just draw some walks. He's played in less than half of their games and might not be ready to go to begin the second half. The contract just keeps getting worse and worse.

Grade: F

LA Angels position player first half grade: Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak has been right in the thick of the youth movement on this team, exploding for the first time at the MLB level. He earned a call-up in mid-May, and despite a bit of a logjam out there, he's played too well to be sent down. He's slashed .308/.338/.646 with ten home runs and 28 RBI.

He's fifth on the Angels in both home runs and RBI despite playing in just 38 games (fewer than Rendon!) He has a 167 WRC+ which would rank only behind Ohtani on this team if he had enough at-bats to qualify, while playing solid defense in all three outfield positions. The future might be unclear with guys like Ohtani, but Moniak looks like a staple in the Angels outfield for years to come. If he can ever figure out left-handed pitching, he might become that star the Phillies expected him to be when selected first overall in the draft.

Grade: A