Maddon sees Rengifo growing

Infielder’s play has been a little ‘sporadic’

ANAHEIM >> Joe Maddon conceded that Luis Rengifo stands apart from the other players the Angels have tried in the middle infield this season.

Rengifo is the one with the potential to be the best player, even though he hasn’t shown it yet.

“Anybody that came up and scouted for the first time would look up the middle and say who’s that,” Maddon said of Rengifo. “Plus, he’s a switch hitter. He’s got a fine arm, runs well. There’s nothing to not like about the way he plays. It’s just that his game has been a little bit sporadic.”

Rengifo, 25, has bounced between the majors and Triple-A for the past four seasons, confounding the staff all along. His numbers in the minors have always been good, but so far in the majors, he’s produced a .622 OPS.

During his current stint, which began earlier this month, he posted a .732 OPS, to go with a .304 batting average and a .385 onbase percentage in his first nine games. That’s well above average in this year of suppressed offense.

It’s too early to know if he’s finally figuring things out, but Maddon is encouraged.

“I think he looks better, I think his game’s matured a bit,” Maddon said. “That’s the best way to describe it.”

The knock on Rengifo has often been mental mistakes. This week in Texas he tried to make an overly aggressive throw when he perhaps should have held on to