Anthony Rendon
Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World Series championship team. Rendon played college baseball for the Rice University Owls, where he won the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy. Rendon was selected sixth overall in the 2011 MLB draft by the Nationals. Rendon made his MLB debut in 2013. He is an All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Early years Rendon is the second son of Rene and Bridget Rendon. His parents say Rendon started playing baseball at a very early age, hitting pine cones with sticks as early as the age of three. Rendon grew up on the southwest side of Houston and excelled in both academics and sports. He was a star basketball player, track athlete, and baseball player at Hodges Bend Middle School. For the first two and a half years of high school, Rendon attended George Bush High School, before transferring to Lamar High School. As a senior, he was a first-team 5A all-state shortstop and an All-Greater Houston selection by the Houston Chronicle after he hit .570 with eight home runs, 17 doubles, 56 runs batted in, 56 runs, and 13 stolen bases. Out of high school, Rendon was drafted in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He turned down their signing bonus to play for Rice University and head coach Wayne Graham. College career As a freshman in 2009, Rendon was named Baseball America's Freshman of the Year, All-America, Freshman All-American, NCBWA's District VII Player of the Year, NCAA All-Regional Team, Conference USA Player of the Year, All-Conference USA (first team), Conference USA All-Tournament Team, and MVP of the Silver Glove Series with cross-town rival, University of Houston. As a true freshman, he hit .388 with 20 home runs and 72 runs batted in, starting in all 61 of the Owls' games. Rendon was also nominated for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award in his first season at the college level. He led the conference in numerous offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage and home runs, setting a new Rice freshman record. He added 31 walks to his already gaudy offensive numbers, giving him a .496 on-base percentage. In addition to his batting prowess, he stole nine bases in eleven attempts, two away from leading the team, and showed defensive ability at third base as well; ending the year with a .945 fielding percentage. However, in Rice's last game, in the Baton Rouge Super Regional, Rendon suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. As a sophomore in 2010, he was the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy and was Baseball America's College Player of the Year, becoming the first underclassman in a decade to win the award. Additionally, he was named the Rawlings Sporting Goods National Player of