The Los Angeles Angels have signed super-utilityman Brandon Drury to a 2yr/$17M contract.
The reigning NL Silver Slugger award winner hit a career high 28 HRs in 138 games split between the Reds & Padres in 2022.
After signing a minor league deal with the Reds, the 30 year old made the team’s opening day roster before posting career highs in a variety of categories. Drury slashed .263/.320/.492 with a .813 OPS, while also recording 87 RBIs and 87 runs scored.
His 31 doubles were good for 17th in the National League, as the journeyman’s new deal nearly tripled his previous career earnings of $5.7M.
Drury has previously spent time with the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees, Reds and Padres, with his longest stint lasting 289 games with Arizona. Known for his versatility, the Oregon native split time between 1st, 2nd, 3rd, shortstop, right field, and DH last year.
A career .252 hitter, Drury joins an Angels team that has missed the postseason in each of the last 8 campaigns. In addition to Drury, Los Angeles has also added outfielder Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela to their lineup as they hope to improve on their 73-89 season in 2022.
The Angels finished 25th in runs scored across Major League Baseball last year, and are hoping that their new signings can help them keep pace with the rest of the AL West. To start the 2023 season it’s likely that Drury could spend time at 2B which would allow the Halos to move David Fletcher or Luis Rengifo over to shortstop. A position they got little offensive contributions from in 2022.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Ryan Casey Aguinaldo. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.