What to expect from Hunter Renfroe

The Los Angeles Angels have been busy this offseason, adding Tyler Anderson and Gio Urshela. Anderson will provide a boost to their rotation while Urshela provides depth to an infield that needed it. The third move they made was acquiring Hunter Renfroe in a trade with the Brewers.

Renfroe completes the Angels outfield as he'll be in right field with Mike Trout in center and Taylor Ward in left.

What should we expect from Hunter Renfroe?

The first thing you notice when it comes to Hunter Renfroe's game is power. He has lots of it at the plate and in the field.

Renfroe has hit at least 25 home runs in every full season he's played in (without the shortened 2020 season). He hit 29 home runs this past season with Milwaukee.

Renfroe should be expected to hit in the middle of the lineup and be a key run producer. He'll likely slot in fifth or sixth in the order and should have baserunners on in front of him, as this team has Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on it. He's going to have to drive those guys in.

Renfroe has driven in as many as 96 runs in a season before, so I think he's going to be just fine in a run-producing role.

While he hits for a ton of power, Renfroe also strikes out a lot. He struck out 121 times in 125 games this past season. While that can be annoying, the power makes it worth it.

Renfroe slashed .255/.315/.492 with 29 home runs and 72 RBI this past season. It'd be ideal if he got on base more, but you really can't ask for much else from him if this is what he gave the Angels offensively. He had a 124 WRC+ which is an outstanding mark and would've been fourth on the Angels behind Trout, Ohtani, and Ward.

Something interesting about Renfroe is the Angels will be his fifth team in the last five seasons. Despite all of the movement, he's remained consistent offensively. The movement won't impact him which can help Angels fans feel a little bit more comfortable with the trade.

Defensively Renfroe shows his power with his arm. He ranked in the 96th percentile in arm strength according to baseball savant this past season. Just look at this throw he made in 2021:

His arm is why he will slot in right field and that's absolutely the right decision. He isn't the best defensively, but his arm makes up for a lot of his deficiencies.

The Angels acquired Renfroe for his bat, and there's no reason to believe he can't hit between 25-30 home runs while driving in 80-90 runs. He hit 29 home runs this season playing in just 125 games.

If he can put up a similar stat line to the ones he's put up in each of the last two seasons, Angels fans will be very happy with this acquisition. He's been consistent for most of his career, so I'd expect nothing more or less than what he seems to do every year.

Renfroe is a substantial upgrade over the likes of Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell and I can't wait to see him hit some home runs at Angel Stadium.