Angels News: Phil Nevin Appreciates Anthony Rendon's Leadership Last Season
Anthony Rendon hasn't exactly lived up to his seven-year, $245 million contract just yet. In three years with the Angels (the first one being the 60-game 2020 season), Rendon has appeared in just 157 games (out of 384 games). In that time, the former All-Star is slashing .252/.359/.420 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs. For reference, in 2019, his lone All-Star campaign, Rendon slashed .319/.412/.598 with 34 home runs and 126 RBIs.
So clearly, he hasn't lived up to the deal yet. However, his manager, Phil Nevin, did have some praise for him when he spoke about Rendon at the winter meetings. He said that Rendon has been a leader for the Angels, despite being injured for most of last season.
"For us, what I saw in him, when he had a surgery in May, he could have packed it in, gone home to Texas and done his rehab there. But he chose to stay with our group. And you guys knew where we were record-wise, but he chose to stay there and be part of the guys. He was a leader amongst that room. He helped a lot of the guys."
That's great to hear, as Rendon does have a lot of knowledge to pass onto the younger Halos. Maybe Rendon helped play a role in the breakout seasons of Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo, among others.
This year, however, the Angels have higher hopes for Rendon. They want him to be manning the hot corner every night, and giving the Angels the pop in the lineup they expected to get a few years ago.
Rendon is still just 32 years old, and he's entering next season fully healthy. This could be the big year the Angels have been waiting for. His general manager sure thinks so.
