Anthony Rendon, Third Base, Los Angeles Angels

Date of Birth: 6/6/1990
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
College: Rice University

Anthony Rendon, third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels, was first drafted by the Atlanta Braves but he opted for a college education instead. In 2011, he was drafted by the Washington Nationals. He spent all of 2012 and half of 2013 in the minor leagues.

Rendon won his first Silver Slugger award in 2014. He finished the season with 176 hits, 39 doubles, 21 home runs, 83 RBIs, 104 strikeouts to 58 walks, 17 stolen bases, and a .287 batting average. Defensively, as a third baseman, he made 235 assists, 30 double plays, 106 putouts, and 15 errors in 134 games. In the postseason, he had 7 hits, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base, and a .368 batting average in 19 at-bats in 4 games.

Rendon played in just 80 games with the Nationals in 2015. He finished the season with 82 hits, 16 doubles, and a .264 batting average. Defensively, he played 59 games at second base and 28 games at third base.

In 2016, Rendon batted .270 with 153 hits, 38 doubles, 20 home runs, and a career high 85 RBIs in 156 games. Defensively, as the Nationals' third baseman in 155 games, he made 239 assists, 134 putouts, and 9 errors. He played in 5 postseason games and he batted .150 with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in 20 at-bats.

Rendon had a strong 2017 season, batting a career high .301 in 147 games. He finished the season with 153 hits, career highs in doubles (41), home runs (25), and RBIs (100) and 82 strikeouts to a career high 84 walks. Defensively, as the Nationals' third baseman in 145 games, he made 244 assists, 28 double plays, 83 putouts, and 7 errors. In the postseason, he batted just .176 with 3 hits, including 1 double and 1 home run, and 1 RBI in 17 at-bats in 5 games. He struck out once and walked 5 times.

Rendon had another strong season in 2018, finishing with a .308 batting average. He had 163 hits, a career high 44 doubles, 24 home runs, and 92 RBIs in 136 games. Defensively, as the Nationals' third baseman, he made 222 assists, 88 putouts, and 6 errors.

Rendon again had a superb season in 2019, batting .319 with 174 hits, 44 doubles, 34 home runs, 126 RBIs, and 86 strikeouts to 80 walks in 146 games. He won his second Silver Slugger award in 2019, and he led all of MLB in RBIs, and tied Corey Seager in most doubles in major league baseball. Defensively, as the Nationals' third baseman, he made 249 assists, 31 double plays, 95 putouts, and 11 errors in 146 games. He also had a great postseason, batting .328 with 20 hits, 7 doubles, 3 home runs, and 15 RBIs in 61 at-bats in 17 games.

Rendon became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels on December 13, 2019. He played in 52 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 54 hits, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 31 RBIs, 31 strikeouts to 38 walks, and a .286 batting average. Defensively, he played 52 games at third base.

Rendon spent much of the 2021 season on the IL with a variety of injuries (left groin strain, left knee contusion, left hamstring strain, right hip impingement). He played in 58 games and he had 52 hits and a .250 batting average.

Career batting statistics for Rendon through 2021 include:

• 1,026 games played
• 1,100 hits
• 269 doubles
• 151 home runs
• 611 RBIs
• 682 strikeouts to 476 walks
• .287 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Rendon as a third baseman through 2021 include:

• 868 games played
• 1,438 assists
• 164 double plays
• 602 putouts
• 57 errors
• .973 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Anthony Rendon
ESPN - Anthony Rendon