Angels' Anthony Rendon: Baseball Has 'Never Been a Top Priority For Me'

The third baseman said his enthusiasm for baseball hasn't changed since he was drafted in 2011. How much enthusiasm does he have, exactly?

Anthony Rendon hasn't been on a baseball field lately but that hasn't kept him out of the headlines.

In January, Rendon said in a podcast interview that he wished the season could be shorter. The irony of the statement, coming from a player who's been limited to 148 games the last three years because of injuries, was lost on no one.

Subsequently, Rendon's former teammate Jonathan Papelbon wrote on his Twitter/X account that Rendon "literally hates baseball."

Monday, Rendon addressed reporters at the Angels' spring training facility in Tempe, Arizona. If he was hoping to assuage fans' worries about his commitment to baseball, Rendon did the opposite:

Anthony Rendon on playing pro baseball:

"It’s never been a top priority for me. This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job. So if those things come before it, I’m leaving."

Here's the full exchange: pic.twitter.com/xtgaywzNx9

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 19, 2024

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with a man putting faith and family ahead of his career — whether in professional sports or elsewhere. Rendon has expressed similar sentiments at different points in his career. 

Along with saying his enthusiasm for the game hasn't changed since he was drafted, Rendon can't be accused of being inconsistent.

In here, from 2017, a look at the unique perspective Rendon has always had on baseball. He has never been shy about his feeling that the baseball life doesn’t fit him. The problem lately is he hasn’t been polite about it either. pic.twitter.com/dF06gCqwJW

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 19, 2024

However, it's an unusual sentiment to hear from a professional athlete, where competitiveness is a major separator between the best in their sport and those who hold onto a roster spot by virtue of their talent.

For a time, Rendon could lay claim to being among baseball's best. From 2017-19, Rendon slashed .310/.397/.556, averaging 28 home runs and 106 RBIs a year for the Washington Nationals.

That led the Angels to sign Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract as a free agent. Rendon appeared in 52 of a possible 60 regular-season games in 2020, batting .286 with a .418 on-base percentage and .497 slugging percentage. 

Since then, a series of injuries have sapped his availability and neutered his effectiveness on the rare occasions he's been in the lineup. Against that backdrop, Angels fans would understandably rather hear baseball is more of a priority for Rendon. 

Now entering his 12th major league season, Rendon is expected to be a leader and major piece of an Angels lineup that will be without reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani.

Rendon is healthy by all accounts, but he has plenty to prove at age 33. 

At least his inbox is able to accept more emails.