2024 will be the Los Angeles Angels’ first season with Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. Expectations were low at the start of the year, and the club is, as predicted, among the worst in the American League.
The team has a record of 52-69 – 13.5 games out of the AL West and 14.0 games out of the final Wild Card spot. LA has the third-worst record in the AL. It’s a lost season for the Angels, who are looking to continue their lengthy rebuild. As the final month of the season approaches, these are three Angels players who could be placed on waivers to help the contenders with their playoff plans.
Kevin Pillar (AUS)
Kevin Pillar has played for an incredible nine teams since the start of the 2019 season. But that hasn’t stopped the veteran outfielder from putting in some of his best performances for the Angels in 2024. Pillar began the year with the Chicago White Sox, posting just a .160 batting average in 17 games for the struggling South Siders. The Sox released him, and the 35-year-old found his rhythm on the West Coast.
Pillar had a .370 batting average with a 1.060 OPS and 24 RBIs in his first 27 games in Anaheim. The 35-year-old has declined significantly since then, posting just a .196 batting average with a .485 OPS in his last 36 games. The Angels should have tried to trade Pillar when he was still in good shape. Instead, they’re stuck with the guy who hit well below the Mendoza line in April and is now back in a similar slump.
Kevin Pillar has good platoon splits (.340 batting average with a .915 OPS against lefties this year), plus he’s fast and offers solid defense. This combination of talents makes him the ideal backup outfielder for a contender in need of a boost.
Brandon Drury (3B)
Brandon Drury was a National League Silver Slugger as an all-around player two years ago. Last season, he posted similar numbers in his debut season for the Angels, hitting 26 home runs with 83 RBI and an OPS of .803. In 2024, Drury failed to show consistency at bat, leading to his worst year.
Drury started slowly in April and then spent most of the next two months on the injured list. Since his return, the 31-year-old has continued to struggle at bat. His overall numbers are ugly: a .158 batting average, a .441 OPS and just six extra-base hits. Overall, he was worth -17 runs at bat in just 66 games and also posted below-average numbers in fielding and baserunning.
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Brandon Drury has been an above-average multi-position outfielder for much of his career, possessing a bat with considerable potential. Whether the 2024 season is a sign of a drastic decline or just a prolonged lull is hard to say. Either way, Drury has been a liability for LA this season; perhaps another team can extract some value from the aging all-around player.
Luis Guillorme (2B/SS/3B)
Luis Guillorme is one of those baseball players who simply There. He doesn’t put up impressive numbers at the plate, nor does he make spectacular plays in the field. But he has good batting discipline, and his whiff and chase rates are in the top quarter of the league. Guillorme also has solid glovework (76th percentile in the range, meaning outs above average) and can play second base, third base, and shortstop.
Luis Guillorme is far from a notable player, but could be a good signing for a club that needs more depth in the infield.
