It’s been clear to see so far through the first 46 games of the season that offensively the Angels are struggling. One of the main concerns in the lineup has come from left field. Matt Joyce the primary left fielder for the Angels is only batting .172 with an on-base percentage of .246. Backup outfielder, Colin Cowgill is only hitting .180 with an on-base percentage of .231. Clearly, those numbers aren’t going to help an offense that is struggling tremendously.
On May 27, the Angels made a move to acquire another outfielder to try to help get this offense out of its slump. The Angels acquired Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 27, from the New York Mets for cash considerations. Nieuwenhuis played only 27 games for the Mets this season, and has a .079 batting average. Although, Nieuwenhuis did bat .259 in 61 games last season. He is a career .230 hitter.
Will the move help the Angels offense? That remains to be seen, but Nieuwenhuis can’t do much worse than what the Angels left field has produced so far this season.