Angels Breakout Player of 2022

[Swordsman78]

Coming into the season all the talk was on Marsh and Adell.  But it was Rengifo who developed into a huge asset.   Capable of fielding 3 infield positions at a major league level, it was his production at the plate becoming the most pleasent surprise.   Looking forward to watching this man over the next years.

[HaloBronco]

Yep, Rengifo get's my vote followed by Ward. 

[arch stanton]

Rengifo doing it at age 25 and Ward at 28 should be a reminder that it can take some time so we shouldn't give upon prospects so easily just because we follow them so closely from early ages. Adell, Rodriguez, Canning, can still become useful. Would be greet if it happens soon

[Blarg]

We are probably going to see a generation of players breaking out later simply because most lost more than a year to Covid protocols. 

[ScottT]

Ward, too.   He tailed off after the injury but has picked up lately.

And that's the issue with this team. They need more average or slightly better hitters.  Shouldnt be that difficult to fill in a couple more spots

Edited September 24, 2022 by ScottT

[Docwaukee]

Think I'm more on team Taylor for this one.  Love what Luis is doing and it bodes well for the future but still feels to me that there's another step for him before I believe it's completely sustainable.  But it's absolutely enough to where I want him in the lineup everyday.  

[Duren, Duren]

Ward first, then Rengifo. 

Ward showed resiliency. He could have lost confidence and discipline with his mid season slump. But he fought back and regained his form.  He should be solid from now on. He has a nice smooth swing, good eye and has fielded well enough. 

Rengifo really evolved from last season. And progressed nicely as this season moved along. Switch hitters are rare, and he adds that dimension when setting batting orders. Not sure if he's lead off material, but circumstances have forced him into it currently. And his versatility on defense is also a bonus. Infield rotations next year will be interesting. He really turned himself into a solid, everyday player. More power than expected and more contact than he showed last year.

I think Ward has a higher ceiling, but Rengifo provides a ton of versatility and seems very durable. Important on a team with a ton of injuries every year.

 

[Stradling]

It’s nice to have at least 3 to choose from.  Rengifo, Ward and Detmers all had break out seasons. Herget did as well but he’s a pen guy. 

[tdawg87]

I think Sandoval deserves a mention. 

[Jason]

I admittedly have not been a Rengifo fan but he’s showing that he has the skill to play at the ML level. I’m fine with eating crow on this one. Like Tdawg said, Sandoval deserves to be in this conversation. This dude looks to have a legit “stud” attached to his name 

[Inside Pitch]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

It’s nice to have at least 3 to choose from.  Rengifo, Ward and Detmers all had break out seasons. Herget did as well but he’s a pen guy. 

Yep, I think people are forgetting that despite Detmers having been promoted last year he entered this season as a rookie.  108 ERA+, 120 innings, 2.3 bWAR from a rookie SP in his age 22 season is pretty nifty.

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, tdawg87 said:

I think Sandoval deserves a mention. 

I felt that Sandoval broke out last year which is why I didn’t mention him. 

[Lou]

In his last 8 starts, Sandoval has an ERA of 1.89

[Stradling]

Put me in the category of worried about a middle infield combo that combined walks 4% of the time. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 minutes ago, Lou said:

In his last 8 starts, Sandoval has an ERA of 1.89

My man crush on him started last year. He's in the shadows of a team known for losing, and with Ohtani and Trout on it. He's quietly turned into a stud.

[Lou]

2 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

My man crush on him started last year. He's in the shadows of a team known for losing, and with Ohtani and Trout on it. He's quietly turned into a stud.

His ERA is 1/2 a run lower than Cole's.

[BTH]

42 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Put me in the category of worried about a middle infield combo that combined walks 4% of the time. 

Same.

My hope is that a new hitting coach who emphasizes controlling the strike zone will be hired and instill some patience into their approaches.

[BTH]

There are a number of candidates for breakout players of the year:

SP: Sandoval and Detmers

RP: Herget and Quijada

Position Players: Rengifo and Ward

Sandoval, Herget, Quijada, and Ward all had promising 2021 major league seasons that they built off of.

Detmers and Rengifo came out of nowhere after no real major league success in 2021.

[tdawg87]

59 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I felt that Sandoval broke out last year which is why I didn’t mention him. 

Maybe. But he only pitched 87 innings. There was still questions.

This year he's shown that he's a legit #2 starter.

[Angel Oracle]

Ward, Detmers, Rengifo, Herget, and Sandoval, in that order

Ward’s offense, when healthy, exploded.

Detmers struggled in his few 2021 starts, though understandable given lack of minors experience.  Has been a solid #3/#4 starter in 2022.

Rengifo never had a stretch before like that over the past 3 months (around .800 OPS), and improved defensively.

Herget is the hero in the pen this season.   Sub 2.50 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP, moved into co-closer role after Iglesias trade and excelled.

Sandoval showed this over 87 innings in 2021, but did improve the ERA to around a very good 3.00. HRs are almost non-existent. 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by Angel Oracle

[Chuck]

We should turn this into a POLL and let the community decide. 

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

His ERA is 1/2 a run lower than Cole's.

If I'm looking at Baseball Reference correctly, he's also the only pitcher in baseball this season to throw a CG shutout.

[Chuck]

15 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

We should turn this into a POLL and let the community decide. 

@Swordsman78 great thread, I edited your post to make it a poll. 

Vote. 

[Chuck]

I picked Taylor Ward. If only he hadn't got injured. Could have been a 5 WAR player IMO. 

[Swordsman78]

Having 4 Breakout players to choose from is pretty exciting.   Adding in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon, provides a pretty good nucleus for 2023.