Anthony Rendon’s Fall From An MVP-Caliber Player

Anthony Rendon’s tenure with the Los Angeles Angels has been a story of a fallen star. His career up to that point with the Washington Nationals was MVP level. In his six years as a member of the Nationals, he slashed to a .290/.369/.490 line. In his last year in D.C. (2019), his line was .319/.412/.598. It was good enough for a third-place finish in the NL MVP race. That winter, he signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels.

Anthony Rendon’s Fall from Stardom

Injuries Upon Injuries

Injuries have become an ongoing theme with the Angels over the past few seasons. Just yesterday, Mike Trout returned to the lineup after recovering from a left hamate fracture on a swing. On top of this, Shohei Ohtani left his start against the Cincinnati Reds after facing five batters. There have been a lot of massive injuries affecting the Angels year after year. Anthony Rendon may be the starkest example. In his four years as an Angel, he has only averaged 50 games a season, compared to a 131 average in Washington.

Rendon’s first year in Anaheim was an odd one. It was the COVID-shortened season of 2020. That year, he played in 52 of the 60 games the Angels played. That’s not bad for an odd first season as an Angel. He compiled a .286/.418/.497 line that was good enough for a top-ten MVP finish. This 2020 year would be Rendon’s best season as an Angel up to this point. That’s not good for someone signed for four more seasons after this one. 

Following the 2020 season was a hip injury that would limit Rendon to only 58 games. His numbers that season were okay in the two or so months played, with a line of .240/.329/.382 in that time frame. As the 2022 season began, the Angels figured maybe this was the year they’d get an entirely healthy season from Rendon. Unfortunately, that time around he only played in 47 games. To make matters worse, Rendon would get involved in a bench-clearing brawl with the Seattle Mariners while on the IL. That led to a five-game suspension for leaving the dugout while injured. These two seasons led to whispers that Rendon had fallen off. 

2023: A Season to Forget

Following a season-ending wrist injury in 2022, maybe this year would be the year, but that hasn’t been the case. On Opening Day against the Oakland Athletics, Rendon would be involved in an altercation with a fan. His actions led to a four-game suspension.  This amplified his fallen-off status and showed he wasn’t putting the interests of the team first.

After that incident, Rendon’s first IL stint of the year occurred when he sustained a groin injury in May. Then in a July game, he fouled a ball off of his shin that led to a deep bone bruise. He has been on the IL ever since. If his season is in fact over, it would be his worst as an Angel, slashing .236/.418/.318. There is no indication that Rendon will return this season. Earlier this week, the Angels put him on the 60-day IL. It could have been to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, but this seems to have closed the door on 2023 for Rendon.