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Catcher Anthony Bemboom has been circling between the Salt Lake City Bees and the Los Angeles Angels since 2019, and despite an early start with the major league team in April, 2021 didn’t turn into the breakout year he’s been chasing with the Halos since 2012.
Bemboom has moved through a variety of minor league teams including the Orem Owlz, the Burlington Bees and even back down to the Angels Low-A affiliate team, the Inland Empire 66ers. But no matter where he goes, Bemboom always manages to make it back to the majors for a quick appearance. Historically, he’s taken the field in a Halos uniform in 2013, 2014, 2016 and most recently in 2021, but his permanence on the 40-man roster has never stuck.
The same was true this season as he played 8 games, during which he had 27 At Bats that left him with 6 hits, 10 strikeouts, a .222 batting average and a .250 OBP. It didn’t help that Bemboom’s position as a catcher left him in competition with Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki who both yielded better stats in the batter’s box and more consistency behind the plate.
2021 Stats
8 Games / 27 AB / .222 AVG / .250 OBP / .222 SLG / .472 OPS / 6 H / 0 HR / 2 RBI / 2 R / 1 BB / 10 SO
Best Performance of the Year
Bemboom’s best performance of the year came early in the season on April 25 when he hit an RBI in the top of the ninth to bring Jose Rojas home to secure a 4-2 victory against future World Series contenders, the Houston Astros.
Roster Status
After being designated for assignment by the Angels on August 7, Bemboom was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers only two days later. From there, he was assigned to the Dodgers’ Triple-A team, the Oklahoma City Dodgers where he will pick up play in 2022.
While it may look like Bemboom has officially broken his cycle through the Angels organization, we aren’t too sure about that. In 2017, he moved to the Colorado Rockies minor league affiliate team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, before hopping over to the Tampa Bay Triple-A team, the Durham Bulls, in 2019. But after years outside of Anaheim, Bemboom made his way back home in 2019, and he’s been moving between the Bees and the Halos ever since.
However, he’s secure on the Oklahoma City Dodgers for now, and the next time he sees the Halos, it could be as he takes the field wearing Dodger Blue.