Did the Los Angeles Angels Use the DH Role Correctly in 2024?
Who got the most starts at Designated Hitter for the Halos?
If the Los Angeles Angels had a sliver of a silver lining once Shohei Ohtani left for the Dodgers, it was that the Designated Hitter spot wouldn’t need to be dedicated to him for every game. Halos fans felt that with the role opened up, it would lead to healthier seasons from Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, or perhaps be used as a way to keep Logan O’Hoppe in the lineup and take a rest from catching, or even let Luis Rengifo continue to swing the bat without needing to play the infield, given his suspect defense in years past.
Unfortunately, the Angels didn’t end up using it the way fans thought the team would.
Many Angels fans felt Mike Trout would greatly benefit from spending more time at DH to keep him healthy in 2024. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
The Angels Didn’t Sign a Full-Time DH in the Offseason
With Ohtani moving up the 5 Freeway, the option to sign someone to slot in as a full-time Designated Hitter was on the table for the Angels. With the likes of Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez, and Teoscar Herandez as possibilities, it was a route that many, including us Super Halo Bros., were uncertain the Angels should go down. The Halos had a crowded outfield, a crowded infield, and a star catcher in the making that would all benefit from having the extra spot in the batting order and a day off from their defensive duties. Not to mention Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, whose injuries have kept them off the field for significant portions of the last 4 seasons, could also make use of the DH role in hopes of providing some longevity to their typically shortened seasons.
Jorge Soler signed with the San Francisco Giants, J.D. Martinez with the New York Mets, and Teoscar Hernandez joined Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers. Soler provided some “Soler Power” to the Giants across 93 games at DH, swatting 12 home runs, 23 doubles, 1 triple, and 40 RBI with a .419 slugging percentage. Eventually, he’d reunite with the Braves at the trade deadline, where he’d return to the outfield. Martinez currently boasts a .407 slugging percentage with the Mets, driving in 69 RBI and 16 home runs this year. Finally, Hernandez didn’t end up in the DH spot at all with the Dodgers for obvious reasons, and has powered his way to 31 home runs, 93 RBI, and a .494 slugging percentage before the season’s end. It appears that any hitting struggles he may have had in 2023 were left in Seattle at T-Mobile Park.
For the most part, these threatening bats played the roles they were meant to play and made an impact in each lineup they found themselves in.
How Did the Angels Use the DH Spot?
Rather than filling the role with a primary DH, the Angels opted not to sign any big bats. Instead, they hoped Miguel Sanó’s return to MLB would be impactful and signed veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks, coming off a resurgent year with the Baltimore Orioles, and several depth pieces, such as Willie Calhoun. Still, it gave us fans hope that the DH would be used in meaningful ways: keeping Trout and Rendon healthy, giving O’Hoppe a break, rotating the likes of Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell, and offsetting any defensive worries from Rengifo.
Turns out, that’s not quite what happened.
Mike and Jon covered the Angels’ use of the DH role in 2024 on Tuesday’s “Locked On Angels.” Get in on the conversation and be sure to subscribe!
Prior to entering their 157th game of the season on Tuesday night versus the Chicago White Sox, the Angels' use of the DH breaks down like this:
Logan O’Hoppe has used it 5 times, 3% of all his starts.
Backup catcher Matt Thaiss also used it 5 times.
In the 29 games he played this season, Mike Trout used it 5 times, or 17% of his games played.
Anthony Rendon used it in 6 of the 57 games he got into, about 10.5% of his starts.
Brandon Drury DH’d in 12 starts.
Taylor Ward started at DH 15 times, 9% of his games played.
Mickey Moniak started at DH twice, as did Kevin Pillar.
Nolan Schanuel? Just once.
Jo Adell and Luis Rengifo never started at DH, though that might be attributed to needing them to play positions. That said, both had season-ending injuries this year.
Since coming over at the trade deadline, Niko Kavadas slotted in as the primary DH in 21 out of his 24 games, accounting for 13% of all DH starts this year.
13% of DH starts went to players no longer on the active roster, such as Aaron Hicks, Miguel Sanó, Cole Tucker, Keson Huira, and Charles LeBlanc. Not included in this number is Willie Calhoun, because…
Willie Calhoun ended up using the spot the most, with 36% of DH starts going to him. Before being designated for assignment and eventually ending up back with the AAA Salt Lake Bees, Calhoun did not provide the power that could’ve been signed in the offseason. Calhoun provided just 5 home runs to the tune of a .245 batting average and a .380 slugging percentage with 16 doubles and 20 RBI.
Ultimately, 33% of DH starts went to the players you would expect to be on the roster all season, your everyday starters, such as Ward, Drury, Rendon, etc.
However, when you consider that the Angels opted not to sign a big bat who might spend most of their time at DH, it’s reasonable to consider that they did not make the most of the spot.
In fact, it’s not as if Calhoun was terrible or didn’t have his excellent moments, like his clutch two-homer game with a walk-off against the Mariners.
But, the Angels simply gave 36% of DH starts to a player they signed to a minor-league deal, demonstrating a severe lack of foresight. The clearest paths for the Halos to take were to either sign a big bat in the offseason, or spread the DH wealth among the roster.
Perhaps the need to have players like O’Hoppe behind the dish or Adell in the outfield over simply batting was more pressing, but when a team doesn’t feel comfortable using the DH in a reasonable manner, that is, get players time off their feet, well, we’re afraid you might have more pressing issues to deal with.