Angels’ Anthony Rendon Talks Retirement: MLB ‘Has Never Been a Top Priority for Me’

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Los Angeles Angels star Anthony Rendon was honest about where he views his MLB career in the bigger picture.

“My enthusiasm for the game has been the same since I got drafted to be honest with you,” he told reporters Monday when asked about his past comments on retiring.

The two-time Silver Slugger winner went on to say that playing baseball has “never been a top priority for me.”

Rendon’s commitment to baseball became a talking point in January thanks to comments he made on the Jack Vita Show. He jokingly said he wished the MLB season would be shorter than its current 162 games.

Former MLB closer Jonathan Papelbon, who played with Rendon on the Washington Nationals, piggybacked on that to say the third baseman “literally hates baseball.”

The wider scorn toward Rendon stemmed largely from the fact that he has made just 200 appearances for the Angels since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract ahead of the 2020 season. The line of thinking seems to be that he could’ve fought through his persistent injuries more if he “loved” baseball more.

But the questions over Rendon’s passion for the game ignore how much work was required for him to not only reach MLB but also become one of the best in the game at the hot corner for a brief period. He finished third in the 2019 National League MVP voting.

In general, there’s a misconception that professional athletes are different from anybody else. Sure, some are devoted to the sport they play, but others simply discovered they were very good at sports at an early age and understood what they stood to gain financially from having a successful career.

For Rendon, being upfront about his mindset toward baseball is better than going through the usual platitudes and presenting an inauthentic front.