Ron Washington has delusional response to Anthony Rendon's early season struggles

If you're tired of watching Anthony Rendon bat leadoff for the Los Angeles Angels, you may want to skip the first inning of Friday's home game against the Boston Red Sox. Rendon had the day off on Wednesday, but manager Ron Washington has no intention of switching things up at the moment.

According to the Orange County Register, Washington is not concerned about Rendon despite the third baseman's horrific start to the 2024 season. Rendon is 0-for-19 to start the season and has not had a hit in a major league game since July 3 of last season.

Washington has forgotten more baseball than almost anyone will ever know in their entire lifetime, but any fan who's watched an Angels game this season can see that Rendon is not cut out to be the team's leadoff hitter.

LA Angels manager Ron Washington needs to move Anthony Rendon down in the lineup

It's admirable that Washington feels compelled to stick by his guy. After all, it's not as if Rendon is going anywhere. The Angels third baseman is smack-dab in the middle of a seven-year, $245 million contract he signed before the 2020 season.

But Washington's commitment to Rendon is foolhardy. Not because of Rendon's past, but because of what he's doing right now. A team's leadoff hitter is supposed to set the tone for the rest of the lineup, not be an automatic out the moment he steps into the batter's box. And sadly, that's exactly what Rendon is right now.

At least Angels fans can take solace in the fact that Rendon is at least available to play. That's something that the 33-year-old hasn't been able to say for the last three seasons. Rendon's presence on the IL has been a constant source of angst among LA's fanbase, but his status as the Angels' leadoff hitter is creating a similar vibe.

It's time for Wash to wise up and realize that he's trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Rendon is not a leadoff hitter, and perhaps by taking some of the pressure off and bumping him down in the batting order, it'll actually help reignite his offensive production. That may be wishful thinking, but continuing to ride this idea of Rendon as a leadoff hitter has yet to yield positive results.

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