Every Angels Starting Pitcher Analyzed For 2025 (UPDATED!)

To prepare my Top 400 Starting Pitchers for 2025 article, I thoroughly review every team’s rotation and write the blurbs you see in February. I usually don’t share these publicly until then, but I wanted to give another benefit to those who support us with PL Pro. Y’all are the ones who keep the lights on for us. Y’all rock.

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Huge thanks to Josh Mockensturm for creating these tables and finding video for all these players.

This article was updated on January 13th to add Yusei Kikuchi and remove Davis Daniel.

Expected Starters

Yusei Kikuchi (LAA, LHP) – 1/13 UPDATE

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	175.2	9-10	4.05	1.20	28.0%	6.0%	8.6	39.5%	30.9%	5.34
2025 PL Projection	170.0	12-7	3.58	1.18	27.8%	7.7%	7.6	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	47.3%	95.5	14.4%	18.0%	32.4%	69.8%	44.9%	5.32
Slider	20.1%	88.2	15.5%	16.5%	32.0%	67.6%	41.1%	5.55
Curveball	18.8%	82.5	12.1%	21.0%	33.1%	65.3%	31.6%	5.56
Changeup	13.7%	86.8	14.8%	4.9%	19.7%	46.2%	27.7%	4.45

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	45.6%	95.6	12.7%	23.1%	35.9%	67.7%	48.6%	5.49
Slider	38.4%	88.6	13.7%	12.8%	26.5%	61.6%	41.9%	5.60
Curveball	16.0%	81.9	13.6%	19.3%	33.0%	68.2%	18.8%	5.55
Changeup	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	95.5	7.0	8.0	15.9	-4.2	1.6	5.35
Slider	88.3	6.9	-2.8	1.8	-7.0	0.2	5.56
Curveball	82.4	6.9	-4.9	-6.5	-8.5	-1.3	5.56
Changeup	86.8	7.0	12.9	7.2	-6.8	0.7	4.45

You may look at the final marks and believe that was Kikuchi throughout 2024. Narrator: It was not. I adored his four-seamer adjustments entering the season as a top-half located pitch with elite shape and extension (so flat! Seven feet of extension at 95/96!), while his secondaries were a mess. He leaned into a terrible changeup while the slider went in-and-out constantly. It made me all kinds of stressed believing in his arsenal while the results simply didn’t arrive.

However, Kikuchi began to focus on the slider by the end of June and he was so close. There were some poor outings rooted in a few mistakes, but we felt on the precipice of a breakout. Then the phone call. Hey, its the Astros. We’ll fix this. And guess what? The first start was fantastic…WITH MORE CHANGEUPS THAN SLIDERS. Wait, what. Yeah, the Astros wanted Kikuchi to go more changeup at first while axing the curve, and while the change eventually fell to the wayside (phew), the curve stayed out of the picture for a heavy heater/slider approach.

I don’t fully agree with that choice – Kikuchi’s curve is a major stabilizer of a pitch to let his slider and heater do damage instead of being forced to be over the plate – and I have to believe we’ll see the curve return when the slider feel isn’t quite there in 2025.

In addition, I’m concerned the Angels’ coaching staff will not help him calibrate in-season as well as the Blue Jays and Astros did. Kikuchi is not a man of consistentcy. He goes through phases and feel more often than standard Top 100 SP and when those moments occur, the responsibility lies on the coaching staff to help make the necessary fixes to get on the right path. The Angels have a terrible track record for this.

Reading this should make you concerned about Kikuchi for the whole season, though there is a decent chance he comes out firing and keeps that rhythm for a good while. I’m hesitant to lean in hard in my drafts, but I see him as a productive play early who could be a quick drop if he’s not in a groove.

Quick Take: There will be highs-and-lows for Kikuchi in 2025, just like every year prior. I’m concerned the Angels will struggle to help Kikuchi recover when he falls out of rhythm, making for more of a HIPSTER arm than a Cherry Bomb who we can endure. Just have your high heater and reliable slider, please.

Tyler Anderson (LAA, LHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	179.1	10-15	3.81	1.29	18.6%	9.5%	7.9	35.9%	28.3%	5.08
2025 PL Projection	171.0	9-10	4.46	1.33	20.8%	8.3%	8.8	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	41.4%	89.5	9.6%	16.3%	25.9%	65.3%	40.8%	4.94
Changeup	46.0%	78.9	20.3%	13.4%	33.6%	64.9%	30.3%	5.31
Cutter	12.0%	84.9	9.3%	12.6%	21.9%	64.3%	30.8%	4.96
Sinker	0.0%	92.1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.71
Slider	0.5%	82.1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	10.0%	–	4.73
Curveball	0.0%	72.4	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.44

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	33.3%	89.3	4.9%	24.7%	29.6%	65.9%	43.6%	5.11
Changeup	7.3%	79.1	22.4%	16.3%	38.8%	63.3%	75.0%	5.04
Cutter	40.7%	83.6	15.8%	11.4%	27.2%	61.0%	38.9%	5.08
Sinker	14.4%	88.1	7.3%	6.3%	13.5%	54.2%	33.3%	4.63
Slider	4.0%	81.1	18.5%	3.7%	22.2%	51.9%	25.0%	4.46
Curveball	0.3%	71.2	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.79

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	89.5	6.1	4.3	19.1	-5.3	0.3	4.98
Changeup	78.9	6.1	13.2	10.9	-8.2	-0.9	5.30
Cutter	84.2	6.1	-3.9	10.4	-6.9	-0.4	5.02
Sinker	88.1	6.0	18.4	7.5	-6.1	0.2	4.62
Slider	81.4	6.2	-4.0	3.1	-7.4	-1.0	4.53
Curveball	71.6	6.1	-1.3	-13.1	-9.4	-4.8	3.67

Anderson is what he is, even if 2023 and 2024 are vastly different results. He’s a lefty with a stellar changeup and 19″ of iVB on his four-seamer, hoping to feast on RHB with the slowball and praying his fastball doesn’t get demolished beforehand. Against LHB, the changeup gets ignored for the cutter, a pitch that held 70%+ strike rates in the past with tight precision down-and-gloveside, and has since devolved into barely keeping its head above the 60% strike threshold, even recording a horrible 14% putaway rate against LHB this past year. Blegh.

He’s not completely two-pitch based on handedness – the cutter can show up early to RHB and the changeup has its moments against LHB – but that four-seamer’s 89/90 mph velocity and inability to return a ton of whiffs nor sub 40% ICR to either side of the plate is the fatal flaw. When the command is there, the changeup will soar. When batters can go fastball hunting, he’s an obvious Double Bubble. He’s a volatile streamer with potential to destroy a RHB-heavy lineup.

Kyle Hendricks (LAA, RHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	130.2	4-12	5.92	1.45	15.3%	7.6%	10.1	38.7%	27.2%	5.00
2025 PL Projection	122.0	6-7	4.98	1.37	16.1%	7.3%	9.5	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Changeup	34.0%	80.6	10.5%	13.2%	23.7%	61.6%	34.4%	4.96
Sinker	44.4%	87.8	4.5%	22.9%	27.4%	74.0%	37.0%	4.98
Curveball	15.0%	74.3	8.5%	22.0%	30.5%	52.4%	31.3%	5.07
Four-Seamer	6.6%	87.6	16.7%	12.5%	29.2%	55.6%	42.9%	4.55

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Changeup	43.7%	81.1	15.2%	8.4%	23.5%	68.1%	31.3%	5.40
Sinker	26.2%	87.2	5.9%	22.0%	27.8%	62.3%	52.8%	4.81
Curveball	11.0%	74.3	7.0%	33.0%	40.0%	67.8%	70.0%	5.48
Four-Seamer	19.1%	87.7	3.0%	27.1%	30.2%	54.8%	47.4%	4.33

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Changeup	80.9	5.6	11.4	7.0	-7.8	-0.6	5.20
Sinker	87.6	5.6	14.3	6.1	-6.5	-0.3	4.92
Curveball	74.3	5.5	-16.0	-13.8	-10.4	-3.3	5.24
Four-Seamer	87.7	5.6	6.4	13.8	-5.2	0.3	4.39

Hendricks to the Angels? Sure, I guess. The Angels don’t have the exciting crew of players to firmly place inside their rotation and Hendricks will eat innings for them across the year. Are they beneficial innings? Likely not most of the time. The curve isn’t a reliable #3 pitch, and the sinker hasn’t had a Mistake Rate under a 13% clip in ages (You never want above 10%). Yes, the changeup is still filth to LHB and I imagine we’ll see the pitch climb over 50% usage to both LHB and RHB in the year ahead, but that filth returned a 15% SwStr rate, not the 20%+ that would suggest any sort of strikeouts along the way.

A pick used on Hendricks is a desperate pick for a Quality Start or Win. On the Angels. Please trust in the Roundup and Daily Streamers instead of drafting Hendricks. But he was better when he returned from the IL in June! You mean the 4.73 ERA and 1.32 WHIP? …yeah? Uh huh. OKAY FINE.

José Soriano (LAA, RHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	113.0	6-7	3.42	1.20	20.7%	9.6%	7.2	35.1%	27.6%	5.21
2025 PL Projection	168.0	10-9	4.07	1.33	20.4%	9.2%	8.4	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Sinker	46.6%	97.7	10.9%	13.4%	24.2%	62.1%	25.0%	5.39
Curveball	28.3%	86.3	15.1%	27.1%	42.2%	65.1%	46.2%	5.36
Four-Seamer	12.7%	99.0	6.1%	15.3%	21.4%	61.2%	50.0%	4.73
Splitter	0.8%	94.3	16.7%	16.7%	33.3%	66.7%	100.0%	5.88
Slider	11.6%	91.5	19.1%	7.9%	27.0%	51.7%	25.0%	4.94

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Sinker	45.8%	97.8	6.5%	14.4%	21.0%	65.5%	32.2%	5.22
Curveball	23.1%	86.5	14.8%	25.6%	40.4%	61.9%	40.9%	5.33
Four-Seamer	16.0%	98.7	3.9%	16.1%	20.0%	61.9%	48.0%	4.81
Splitter	14.5%	92.7	17.1%	9.3%	26.4%	62.1%	44.4%	5.17
Slider	0.6%	92.6	33.3%	0.0%	33.3%	33.3%	–	4.99

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Sinker	97.8	6.6	15.9	3.2	-6.7	0.2	5.30
Curveball	86.4	6.6	-11.8	-10.2	-8.9	-1.9	5.35
Four-Seamer	98.8	6.5	11.7	11.5	-5.2	0.8	4.78
Splitter	92.8	6.6	12.8	-1.8	-7.3	-0.5	5.20
Slider	91.5	6.7	-0.6	2.4	-7.3	0.0	4.94

I think Soriano is underrated for 15-teamers, though he’s a streamer/in-season pickup for me in 12-teamers. His greatest skill is a 98 mph bowling ball sinker with legit sink at a steep attack angle (great for a sinker with 92nd percentile loLoc!), and I’m impressed by its ability to sit down-and-armside frequently. There’s room to grow with its low 62% strike rate (some games, he just couldn’t spot the thing), but one HR allowed on 802 thrown? That’s what’s up. Stop throwing that dang four-seamer. I don’t care if it’s at 99 mph, it had a 45-50% ICR rate with its dead zone movement. Ahem. I also adore his high 41% CSW curveball that earns all the called strikes and even had a stellar 27%+ putaway rate against both sides of the plate. It’s a proper #2 pitch and we should expect more success with its dramatic velocity gap to steal called strikes and inability to make a huge adjustment when geared up for upper-90s.

But wait, there’s more! The biggest gripe for sinkerballs is typically opposite-handed batters. Soriano’s sinker is more effective than others against it, but carrying a splitter with a 60%+ strike rate and 17%+ SwStr rate to play off of it? LOVELY. Don’t worry, I dig this as a #3 with the curve as the primary focus. It’s a luxury.

His four-seamer should be removed from the arsenal outside of two-strike counts as a surprise offering, as long as it’s well upstairs given Soriano’s dead-zone movement + steep angle that makes the pitch far more hittable upstairs than you’d think a 99 mph heater would be (its drop with steep angle falls right into late bats often). There is a slider he’s working on as well, which classifies as the hardest SP slider in the bigs at 91/92 mph, and I imagine its really more of a cutter that he can’t command at all (52% strike rate with sub 50% on the days he featured the pitch often. Yikes.). It’s fun to know there’s room to grow here on top of the one-two-and-a-half punch of sinkers, curves, and anti-social splittys.

I don’t buy into the Angels development as a coaching staff, sadly (you’ll hear me say that a lot when talking about the Angels SP), which puts the onus on Soriano to make these improvements on his own. That said, just throwing more sinker strikes as he gets more time on the bump this year could make him a Valdez-lite pitcher (8% walk rate starting May 3rd) at a 20%-23% strikeout and a sizeable leash to go six full constantly, with his arm fatigue and elbow discomfort a thing of the past (MRI was clean but he missed all of September). I just wish the Angels could get him more Wins.

On The Fringe

Jack Kochanowicz (LAA, RHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	65.1	2-6	3.99	1.19	9.4%	3.8%	9.4	36.3%	22.9%	5.07
2025 PL Projection	162.0	8-9	4.73	1.42	14.3%	6.3%	10.3	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Sinker	71.1%	95.9	7.4%	18.4%	25.8%	73.8%	24.6%	5.47
Curveball	25.3%	84.8	12.1%	11.0%	23.1%	61.5%	42.1%	5.11
Four-Seamer	2.8%	96.3	20.0%	10.0%	30.0%	40.0%	–	3.46
Changeup	0.8%	87.9	0.0%	33.3%	33.3%	66.7%	100.0%	7.09

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Sinker	73.4%	95.8	6.6%	14.5%	21.0%	70.8%	41.2%	5.01
Curveball	13.4%	85.2	11.9%	17.9%	29.9%	62.7%	28.6%	4.79
Four-Seamer	8.6%	96.2	14.0%	4.7%	18.6%	48.8%	33.3%	4.29
Changeup	4.6%	88.4	4.3%	0.0%	4.3%	60.9%	57.1%	4.18

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Sinker	95.8	6.4	16.0	1.5	-6.6	-0.1	5.20
Curveball	85.0	6.4	-9.2	-2.6	-7.9	-1.2	4.97
Four-Seamer	96.3	6.4	9.8	12.5	-4.3	0.4	4.13
Changeup	88.3	6.6	11.6	2.4	-7.2	-0.4	4.52

Ah yes, the Jack of One Trade. I have a soft spot for Kochanowicz, the lanky fella slingin’ true sinkers (95th percentile sink!) at 96 mph incessantly at 70-75% usage. Say what you want about that (low strikeouts, high H/9 with grounders, etc.), the fact a pitcher can be an extreme sinkerballer and return a 4.00 ERA across 65.1 IP in this day-and-age is a beautiful thing. Interesting how the Angels have two of the premier sinkerballers in Soriano and Kochanowicz…

What I’m about to say will shock you. The rest of his arsenal isn’t great. I know, such surprise for a guy who has to go 70% sinkers. His four-seamer is wisely saved for two-strike counts and utilized upstairs, where it has had a fair amount of success, while the changeup is terrible and the curve is far from a reliable #2. His lower arm-angle makes me wonder if a sweeper is the better move (think Schmidt, Singer, Houck, etc.), though he still needs a defiant weapon against LHB where the sinker returned a 41%+ ICR. Contrasted to its sub 25% ICR against RHB and you’ll quickly realize how close Kochanowicz is to actually being something. He already silences RHB, what if he found a LHB weapon? But the strikeouts. Yeah, fair. It’s gonna be low. A sweeper + a LHB weapon? Hey, it could happen.

Reid Detmers (LAA, LHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	87.1	4-9	6.70	1.56	27.9%	9.7%	10.1	42.6%	30.9%	5.17
2025 PL Projection	125.0	7-6	3.96	1.23	27.3%	8.8%	7.7	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	44.2%	93.7	13.6%	14.6%	28.2%	65.5%	42.0%	5.10
Slider	21.1%	86.1	21.7%	7.7%	29.4%	66.4%	43.2%	5.38
Curveball	14.9%	74.7	4.8%	32.5%	37.3%	63.9%	46.2%	5.38
Changeup	19.8%	84.7	16.7%	15.4%	32.1%	67.9%	39.2%	4.96
Sweeper	0.1%	82.4	100.0%	0.0%	100.0%	100.0%	–	5.34

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	53.3%	94.0	10.2%	18.6%	28.8%	64.8%	33.3%	5.22
Slider	32.3%	86.4	18.2%	14.7%	32.9%	65.0%	46.4%	5.18
Curveball	13.8%	75.7	13.1%	24.6%	37.7%	60.7%	71.4%	4.91
Changeup	0.2%	86.1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.38
Sweeper	0.5%	84.2	50.0%	0.0%	50.0%	100.0%	–	5.54

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	93.8	6.2	9.3	17.1	-4.7	0.8	5.14
Slider	86.2	6.1	-2.1	-1.1	-8.2	-1.0	5.3
Curveball	75.0	5.8	-9.9	-18.2	-10.8	-4.1	5.26
Changeup	84.7	6.0	12.1	10.3	-7.0	-0.1	4.96
Sweeper	83.6	6.0	-5.6	-4.9	-9.1	-1.5	5.47

Detmers. Buddy. Pal. For three years, you showcased an elite slider in the spring. For three years, you had glimpses of that pitch during the season and failed to carry its command consistently. So much so, you returned to the minors multiple times. Last year felt a bit different as he showed up with a touch extra extension and two inches more of iVB on his four-seamer at 94/95 mph (17″ of vert is excellent and a huge step forward from 15″), leading to destruction across the first month of the year. But the command. He had the tools, even with a budding changeup that demoralized batters the third time through the lineup – they were finally ready to take on the new heat and were met with some glorious slowballs out of nowhere. But he couldn’t consistently locate and even with that vert, the low extension at 93/94 (the velo dropped to 92/93 mph by the end of the year), and mistakes on all four pitches did him in.

I still dream there will be a year when Detmers has feel for the back-foot slider all season (he did moreso than usual in 2024!) with a fastball he actually spots upstairs at 95 mph consistently, a changeup he can actually get down (50% zone rate is too dang high!), and a curve he can whip out of his back pocket with confidence. As of now, it’s a great slider (most of the time) and not enough pieces around it, paired with a coaching staff in Los Angeles that gives me little faith he’ll be able to make the adjustments across the season. Now if he gets traded…

Quick Take: Detmers has displayed the skills routinely in the spring – a slider well spotted down and in to RHB, a good vert four-seamer, and a curve + change to mix up batters. Sadly, I don’t have faith in the Angels to help Detmers recalibrate in-season when he loses the feel for his breaker.

Chase Silseth (LAA, RHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	8.0	0-1	6.75	1.50	31.6%	10.5%	9.0	57.1%	34.7%	5.18
2025 PL Projection	91.0	6-5	4.60	1.35	23.7%	10.2%	8.2	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	24.4%	94.5	50.0%	0.0%	50.0%	80.0%	100.0%	4.02
Sweeper	34.2%	80.9	14.3%	21.4%	35.7%	57.1%	–	5.58
Splitter	9.8%	86.7	25.0%	50.0%	75.0%	100.0%	–	4.98
Sinker	31.7%	93.8	15.4%	15.4%	30.8%	76.9%	100.0%	5.36

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	48.4%	93.6	8.2%	24.6%	32.8%	63.9%	50.0%	4.90
Sweeper	23.8%	79.6	6.7%	33.3%	40.0%	46.7%	100.0%	5.73
Splitter	22.2%	85.6	17.9%	7.1%	25.0%	67.9%	42.9%	5.65
Sinker	1.6%	93.1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.17
Curveball	4.0%	78.4	20.0%	20.0%	40.0%	60.0%	–	4.50

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	93.7	5.8	8.1	15.9	-4.9	0.9	4.77
Sweeper	80.0	5.9	-18.5	-7.7	-8.6	-2.0	5.68
Splitter	85.7	5.6	3.1	-0.5	-8.1	-0.8	5.56
Sinker	93.7	5.9	15.5	7.8	-5.7	0.2	5.07
Curveball	78.4	5.7	-10.2	-21.8	-11.8	-3.5	4.50

We haven’t seen Silseth get comfortable in the rotation since the summer of 2023, and even that stint was cut short by a terrifying comebacker after eight starts. The skillset(h) is of the classic Cleveland variety – above-average sliders against RHB and changeups (splitters) against LHB with poor fastballs. The sinker is most effective against RHB, but can get him into trouble often, while the four-seamer gets smacked or simply misses the zone entirely.

I can see a run from Silseth once again if the slider (a sweeper, really) and splitter are both cooking, though the susceptibility of his heaters merged with questionable reliability of his secondaries makes Silseth a HIPSTER at best, with most of his time likely spent on waiver wires this season. He’ll be a decent streamer for when you need to find strikeouts over the weekend, with the rare stretch of sustainability you won’t know about until it’s too late. But what if I read the roundup daily? I won’t know if it’s sustainable, y’all, but at least you’ll know he’s succeeding when he does. Ah. Dang.

Samuel Aldegheri (LAA, LHP)

2024 Stats Table & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	13.0	1-2	4.85	1.92	14.9%	14.9%	10.4	33.3%	24.8%	4.57
2025 PL Projection	33.0	1-2	5.33	1.41	19.7%	10.7%	8.5	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	54.6%	92.2	10.8%	11.8%	22.5%	65.7%	45.8%	4.73
Changeup	24.6%	82.1	6.5%	17.4%	23.9%	47.8%	22.2%	3.95
Slider	12.8%	83.9	20.8%	16.7%	37.5%	66.7%	–	5.27
Curveball	8.0%	75.4	0.0%	33.3%	33.3%	60.0%	–	5.53

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	68.6%	92.2	4.2%	8.3%	12.5%	37.5%	40.0%	3.91
Changeup	2.9%	83.2	0.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	–	6.98
Slider	17.1%	83.9	0.0%	50.0%	50.0%	66.7%	–	4.51
Curveball	11.4%	74.5	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	–	3.21

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	92.2	5.6	6.9	15.3	-5.4	0.6	4.58
Changeup	82.1	5.9	16.5	5.0	-6.9	-0.8	4.01
Slider	83.9	5.6	-3.1	-5.5	-9.0	-1.3	5.12
Curveball	75.2	5.5	-14.2	-12.6	-9.7	-3.3	5.04

I like watching the curve, but I don’t see it. The four-seamer comes with horrific extension at 92 mph from the left side, missing the movement profile needed to overcome the longer reaction time – its 10 whiff game against the Rangers was weird and not to be trusted – and the slider + change don’t appear to be options to be trusted.

It is an awfully small sample size, though, and it’s very easy for us to get a false sense of understanding across 13.0 IP. That said, he’ll have to change a lot or display reliable command to convince me otherwise.

Caden Dana (LAA, RHP)

2024 Stats & 2025 PL Projections

	IP	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	H/9	ICR%	CSW%	PLV
2024	10.1	1-2	9.58	2.03	15.4%	13.5%	12.2	33.3%	26.2%	4.52
2025 PL Projection	110.0	5-7	5.60	1.42	19.8%	10.6%	8.6	–	–	–

Pitch Repertoire Table VS RHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	50.5%	93.8	9.4%	15.1%	24.5%	71.7%	21.4%	4.87
Slider	37.1%	85.5	20.5%	17.9%	38.5%	64.1%	14.3%	4.75
Changeup	1.0%	86.6	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	100.0%	–	5.10
Curveball	5.7%	74.5	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	16.7%	–	4.63
Cutter	5.7%	86.5	16.7%	0.0%	16.7%	33.3%	–	4.33

Pitch Repertoire Table VS LHB

Pitch Type	Usage	MPH	SwStr%	CS%	CSW	Str%	ICR	PLV
Four-Seamer	54.5%	93.6	7.3%	12.7%	20.0%	56.4%	63.6%	4.12
Slider	15.8%	85.1	6.3%	31.3%	37.5%	68.8%	50.0%	4.44
Changeup	17.8%	84.9	16.7%	11.1%	27.8%	50.0%	–	4.40
Curveball	8.9%	75.2	22.2%	0.0%	22.2%	33.3%	–	4.33
Cutter	3.0%	85.9	33.3%	0.0%	33.3%	33.3%	–	4.37

Stuff Metrics

Pitch Type	MPH	Ext	iHB	iVB	VAA	HAVAA	PLV
Four-Seamer	93.7	6.5	10.1	16.1	-5.3	0.8	4.49
Slider	85.4	6.5	-6.0	0.6	-7.2	-0.7	4.66
Changeup	85.0	6.4	10.9	2.3	-8.4	-0.4	4.44
Curveball	74.9	6.4	-5	-20.8	-11.1	-4.6	4.45
Cutter	86.3	6.6	0.6	4.9	-7.0	0.0	4.34

I wanted to like Dana, though there isn’t a whole lot to latch onto. His four-seamer is awfully mid at 93/94 mph, though I do trust him to command it a touch better than your standard RHB fastball – not to a degree that I’d buy into it as a legit foundation. Dana displayed the ability to spot the slider down-and-away to RHB for a fair number of whiffs, though its success came more from the precision in the moment, and not its overall profile. I’m expecting it to even out over more time.

Against LHB, it’s even worse. Both the four-seamer and slider perform poorly, leaving he 15-20% usage changeup as the savior. Narrator: It is not. I’m curious how he forms across 2025 as we hit the reset button and hope Dana exhibits ability we didn’t get a chance to witness in his brief 10 IP stint.

Names To Know

José Suarez (LAA, RHP)

He’s made rare starts across the last two seasons after being relied upon for twenty in 2022 and there are some elements of intrigue, from his 17″ of iVB with a solid 1.3 HAVAA (at 93 mph and six feet of extension, sadly) to a changeup that can mess up RHB and a slider that works against LHB. That fastball doesn’t perform well, though, and he’s awfully risky of an option would Suarez get a chance to start again in 2025. There are worse options when that happens – after all, carrying a 15%+ SwStr pitch each for LHB/RHB opens the door for decency on a given night.

Sam Bachman (LAA, RHP)

We saw Bachman as a reliever, chucking 97 mph sinkers with a horrific 50% strike rate and favoring 88 mph sliders instead, that had their share of success, but without the obliteration we want to see from young arms. There’s a chance he returns to starting for the Angels in the year ahead and that slider + 97 mph velocity (well, likely 95 mph as a starter) could work if there’s another solid option (the changeup wasn’t great in the five we saw this year). I doubt it, though.

Victor Mederos (LAA, RHP)

Like Bachman, Mederos was used as a reliever in 2024, but also in 2023 and despite taking the first inning pearl in twenty games in Double-A in 2024, Mederos failed to display the ability to succeed in the starting role. Simply put, he held a 1.73 WHIP, 16.5% strikeout rate, and 11.5% walk rate with a sub 10% SwStr rate in that time – you know me, I generally avoid the shallow marks and focus on the arsenal, but you look at that and you know enough. Yes, he does throw 97 mph as a reliever, but can’t spot it, and the slider showed up this year in its ultra small sample (unlike 2023’s performance), suggesting a reliever role may be the future. If he does start, it’s because he tweaked something to make him more reliable in the zone with his heater, but even at 95 mph (you have to expect a dip move from RP to SP, again), it’s not enough.

Relevant Prospects

George Klassen (LAA, RHP)

Watch Video Here

He throws mid-to-upper 90s with a cross-body delivery and legit potential if he can throw enough strikes. That’s Klass. If he got the call today, I’d consider him the most exciting Angels arm, though Soriano would be the safer play for the year. He hasn’t had much time in Double-A thus far with just seven starts to his name, though the Angels may give him a shot early given their lack of depth. I expect Klassen to appear in Triple-A soon and pay attention to our weekly SPs to Stash and my morning streams as we get his data to determine if he’s worth the pickup when he gets his chance (or you can use our incredible PL Pro App that grades all Minor League SPs pitches from Triple-A starts. We’re talking iVB, velocity, PLV stuff, extension, HAVAA, ALL OF IT).