The Angels secured their pitching reinforcements instantly this offseason, signing each Kikuchi and Hendricks in November to headline and bookend their rotation, respectively. After the commerce deadline, Houston had Kikuchi amp up his slider utilization 20 factors to 37%, which fueled a 10-start surge that noticed him publish a 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 25.9% Okay-BB in 60 innings. That made the Angels snug giving the 33-year-old southpaw a three-year deal price $64 million. Was the slider utilization behind the 99-point drop in Kikuchi’s BABIP from Toronto to Houston, or was it some deserved regression setting in that occurred to coincide with the arsenal change? Guess we’ll discover out quickly sufficient!
Even at his finest, Hendricks appeared to dwell on a tightrope, as he thrived with a command-and-control profile that’s misplaced in at this time’s velo- and spin-heavy surroundings. Regardless of possessing a fastball that might battle to interrupt a pane of glass, Hendricks constantly beat the chances from 2015-20, finessing his approach to the ninth-lowest ERA (3.17) and Eleventh-best WAR (19.3) within the league (min. 500 IP). Cracks started to point out in 2021 (in his recreation — the glass pane remained intact), as his strikeout charge plummeted and his dwelling run charge surged. Since then, he has the fourth-highest ERA in baseball at 4.80, with extra of the identical projected in 2025.
After an enormous 2022 with the crosstown rival Dodgers, Anderson utterly cratered in his first 12 months as an Angel, however he was in a position to rebound final season, dropping his ERA 1.62 runs to three.81 to associate with a 20-point dip in WHIP (to a extra palatable 1.29) in 179.1 innings. Projections are basically splitting the distinction between the 2 seasons, making him extra of a basic innings-eater than an impression arm this 12 months.
The upside of this group is primarily discovered within the arm of Soriano, with a glint of hope nonetheless lingering round Detmers. Soriano loved a breakout season in 2024, unleashing 100-mph sinkers on the league en path to a 1.7-WAR season in 113 innings. Arm fatigue slowed him within the second half, limiting him to simply 5 begins, so including quantity and taking 30 turns within the rotation shall be simply as necessary as bettering his efficiency in 2025. Detmers’ slider has a stranglehold on me; I simply can’t give up this dude. His 6.70 ERA is deceptively excessive after we have a look at his 18.2% Okay-BB charge and three.77 SIERA. Content material warning, however I need to convey up his vomit-inducing 1.9 HR/9, which was the second highest in baseball (min. 80 innings). Throw in a league-worst .357 BABIP and the ERA begins to make sense. The projections acknowledge the tangible upside if he can get the remainder of his arsenal again in line. He’ll need to showcase his stuff in shorter stints out of the bullpen and earn his manner again into the rotation. Honestly, he may very well be an immediate hit within the ‘pen and keep there all 12 months if issues go nicely.
Freshly named fifth starter Kochanowicz pulled off fairly the magic trick final 12 months, netting a 9.4% strikeout charge in 65.1 innings work, the bottom such charge in no less than that many innings since Scott Diamond ripped off a 9% mark in 131 innings in 2013. His 96-mph sinker doesn’t miss bats, nevertheless it does hold the ball down (57% groundball charge), so so long as the protection is popping the grounders into outs constantly, he can string some success collectively in waves. The invoice will finally come due on permitting that a lot contact, although; it all the time does. Extra of the identical groundball goodness in spring was sufficient to safe Kochanowicz a rotation spot in an upset over Detmers.
Silseth has proven the occasional flash, although his incapability to maintain the ball within the park with any consistency has restricted his upside. Eric’s center reliever tag for him on the 2023 Angels prospect listing is wanting extra prescient by the day. Dana, the crew’s high prospect, will get some extra seasoning within the excessive minors after debuting straight from Double-A final 12 months and must be the primary man up if a long-term alternative opens up within the rotation.
