Anthony Rendon Showed Up To Angels Spring Training With a Whole New Outlook On Baseball...Just Kidding He Said Baseball Isn't a Top Priority For Him

Katelyn Mulcahy. Getty Images.

Today is a day that spawns new beginnings across baseball as all position players join pitchers/catchers at spring training. You'll see the new faces who joined your team in the offseason along with the familiar ones you've grown to love. Then there's Anthony Rendon. 

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Now it's no secret that Rendon hates playing baseball, he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But hearing the guy you pay $38M a year say he doesn't view this gig as a top priority is incredible. Day 1 of camp: let's make sure everyone knows I still hate this place, feel like a prisoner, and want to go home. Great start. Good news though, he said "I'm here aren't I" when asked if baseball is a priority at all. Surely that'll get the rest of the fellas fired up. 

Now I'm not saying he shouldn't put his family first. Religion though? Simply insane to care that much about in the year 2024. Just asking for everyone to hate you, but clearly he doesn't care about that noise whatsoever. Also let's be real, there's more things out there that Rendon values higher on his priority list than baseball. I'm sure there's a show or two out there he's dying to go watch when he's asked to take some grounders at third during I-O. 

The way Rendon talks about baseball is similar to how my accounting friends talk about their jobs during busy season. No fun whatsoever, just the thing they went to school for and decided way back it'd be how they make a living. Don't want to do anything extra for it, just show up, make an "attempt" at doing your job, and clock out. Pure misery. That's how this asshole views playing baseball. 

The thing is though, Rendon wouldn't be getting heat if he actually showed up and played. Take Nikola Jokic for example. He views basketball as a chore and would very much prefer just watching his horses race, but he still gets out there everyday and performs at an MVP level. No one gonna hound you when you do that. When you take the Ben Simmons approach things don't do as swimmingly. 

You're not required to like your job, whatever it may be, and I'm sure there's others in the sport who view it the same as he does without being as vocal. The thing is though, he doesn't play. Giancarlo Stanton has played in double the games he has in the last three seasons. Rendon has yet to play more than 60 games for them in a non-covid season. That's outrageous. Rendon couldn't be more checked out if he tried. Imagine all this happening in a market where people care? He's the perfect Angel and maybe the biggest contract whiff we've ever seen.