Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who's played a total of 148 games since 2021, recently said on the Jack Vita Show that the MLB season is too long.
Vita asked Rendon one thing he would change about Major League Baseball. Rendon laughed and made it clear he wanted to be lighthearted in his answer. Then he complained about the length of the season.
“We got to shorten the season, man. There’s too many dang games — 162 games and 185 days or whatever it is. Man, no. We got to shorten this bad boy up.”
The irony of this thought just seeps through the page. Rendon's biggest issue since joining the Angels has been staying on the field.
Since the 60-game 2020 season, in which Rendon appeared in 52 games, Rendon has played in 58, 47 and 43 games, respectively, over the last three seasons.
In 2021, Rendon missed two weeks in April with a groin injury. Then he missed another week and a half in May with a knee injury. He was able to get through June mostly unscathed, but after appearing in four games in July, he suffered a knee injury that would ultimately end his season.
In 2022, Rendon had a relatively healthy April and May. However, he suffered a wrist injury at the end of May which sidelined him for two weeks. He made a brief four-game return before going back on the injured list, and didn't play again until the final two games of the season.
In 2023, Rendon missed a week in April due to a suspension following an altercation with a fan. Then, he injured his groin in the middle of May, sidelining him for three weeks. Rendon played eight games in June before re-injuring his groin and going back on the IL for two more weeks. He played five more games before hurting his shin, an injury that ultimately ended his season on July 4.
The 2024 season will be Rendon's fifth in Anaheim. In 200 games with the Halos, Rendon is slashing .249/.359/.399 with 22 home runs and 111 runs batted in.
In seven seasons before signing a seven-year, $245 million contract, Rendon appeared in 916 games for the Washington Nationals. He slashed .290/.369/.490 with 136 home runs and 546 runs batted in.
A healthy Rendon would go a long way to making the Angels competitive in 2024. But unfortunately for him, it will have to be in a 162-game season.
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