January 18, 2023

The Angels' trade for Hunter Renfroe this offseason raised a few eyebrows but could help push Renfroe to be an even more productive fantasy asset. Last year, Renfroe hit .255/.315/.492 with 29 homers, 72 RBI, 62 runs and one stolen base (125 games). Two IL stints prevented Renfroe from reaching 30 homers for the third successive full season but he still made it back-to-back years of good production and a much-improved batting average. Prior to 2021, Renfroe had a career .228/.290/.486 slash line but over the last two years, he's hit .257/.315/.496 (269 games). He's also lowered his strikeout rate from 28.0% K% to 22.9% K% in that span and has set himself a solid-looking floor in fantasy. Now with the Angels, Renfroe is set to hit in the middle of a lineup containing all-stars and some of the best hitters in baseball so the runs and RBI could both push upwards toward triple digits. Among qualified hitters last year, Renfroe ranked fifth in ISO (.236), tied 17th in wRC+ (124) and 15th in wOBA (.347). Yet, he's only being taken as the 36th outfielder in drafts (ADP ~149). Last year was the first time since 2018 Renfroe had been on the IL so there shouldn't be health concerns heading into 2023 and as long as he remains healthy, he should have no problems outperforming his ADP.--Jamie Steed - RotoBaller