Los Angeles Angels Take a Flyer on Speedster Ben Revere
Ben Revere signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, providing veteran depth to an outfield not lacking in star power.
The Los Angeles Angels continued a busy offseason on Friday, signing outfielder Ben Revere to a one-year, $4 million contract that could reach $6.25 million on plate appearance incentives. Revere joins Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa as offensive additions to the Angels roster as the team tries to make itself competitive behind Mike Trout in a crowded AL West.
Revere, who was non-tendered earlier in the month by the Washington Nationals, is likely to be the fourth outfielder for the Angels. He will be making most of his appearances in left field to spell the perpetually injured Maybin. While Revere was dreadful at the plate last season for the Nationals, hitting .217/.260/.300 in 375 plate appearances, he hit .300 each of the previous three seasons and led the National League in hits for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014.
Revere provides adequate depth to the Angels outfield with the ability to play all three positions. While Maybin has had problems staying on the field throughout his career, Trout and Kole Calhoun missed a combined eight games in 2016 and have proven remarkably durable in their careers. If the Angels choose to give their two best hitters a breather on a more frequent basis, Revere should be able to step in capably.
Although Revere’s greatest asset is his speed, he is not a good fit at the top of the lineup with a career walk percentage of just 4.5 percent. His speed is valuable on the base paths, including 190 career stolen bases at an 80 percent success rate, but has not translated to exceptional outfield defense. Revere is an extreme ground ball hitter with minimal power; it took him 1,566 plate appearances to hit his first major league home run.
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Revere will lengthen the Angels lineup at the bottom of the order on days when he is in the lineup and provide value as a late-game pinch runner on days when he is not. Turning 29 in May, Revere is not likely to change much from the player he has been since his September 2010 call-up with the Minnesota Twins. But at just $4 million guaranteed, the Angels made a low-risk investment on a player who can fill a few different roles on a playoff-contending team.
