These young arms impressed the Halos in '24
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This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ANAHEIM -- One of the biggest goals for general manager Perry Minasian this season was to continue to build the club¡¯s starting pitching depth for the future, and he said Saturday that he¡¯s been pleased with the results of his young pitchers.
The Angels infused their rotation with two top prospects over the weekend, calling up lefty Samuel Aldegheri to start Friday against the Mariners and right-hander Caden Dana to debut on Sunday against Seattle. Additionally, lefty Reid Detmers will rejoin the rotation on Tuesday, as he¡¯ll be called up from Triple-A Salt Lake after three consecutive strong outings. Detmers, just 25 years old, had been in the Minors since early June but will be slotted into the rotation with everyone else being pushed back a day.
¡°The big thing with [Detmers] is just consistency,¡± Minasian said. ¡°What he's done over the last three starts, we feel like he's in a great place, mentally and physically and ready to come back and pitch.¡±
Aldegheri, the club¡¯s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, allowed seven runs -- just two of them earned -- over five innings in his debut, overcoming a rough first inning that saw him tagged with five unearned runs after a two-out error from shortstop Zach Neto. The 22-year-old made history in the process, becoming the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to reach the Majors, and he spoke about how he hopes to inspire others from his home country.
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Dana, the club¡¯s No. 1 prospect and the No. 73 prospect overall, was called up despite being just 20 years old after consistently dominating at Double-A Rocket City all season. Dana, who became the club¡¯s youngest pitcher to reach the Majors since reliever Francisco Rodr¨ªguez in 2002 and the youngest to start a game since Frank Tanana in 1973, said he¡¯s excited to be part of the organization¡¯s young core.
¡°It definitely makes me feel more comfortable,¡± Dana said. ¡°Having that young talent, it makes the environment more comfortable here.¡±
For all the ups and downs that Detmers has endured in his four seasons with the club, he still has some of the best pure stuff of anyone in the organization. The Halos wanted him to find some consistency at Triple-A Salt Lake, and he finally put it together in August. He still could be a big part of the club¡¯s future, and finishing the season strong would be huge for his confidence.
Detmers joins a rotation that also includes right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, the club¡¯s No. 20 prospect who has turned in four consecutive quality starts, and veterans Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning. The Angels, however, are still determining if they¡¯ll finish the year with a six-man rotation.
Right-hander Jos¨¦ Soriano remains on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue, and Minasian said the club isn¡¯t sure whether he¡¯ll return this year. But his move to the rotation was a huge success, as the 25-year-old has a 3.42 ERA in 113 innings this season, a big jump from his 65 1/3 frames in 2023.
¡°He has some fatigue, in general, and he¡¯s thrown more innings than he has in a long time,¡± Minasian said. ¡°With where we were in the standings, it makes sense to give him a breather and get him healthy.¡±
Several Minor Leaguers are also high on the Angels¡¯ radar, including No. 3 prospect George Klassen, who was acquired with Aldegheri in the trade that sent Carlos Est¨¦vez to Philadelphia on July 27. No. 5 prospect Ryan Johnson, the No. 74 overall pick in this year¡¯s MLB Draft, is also considered highly polished, and Los Angeles also plans to stretch out No. 10 prospect Chris Cortez, the No. 45 pick in the Draft, after a stellar relief career at Texas A&M.
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Right-hander Chase Silseth pitched just eight innings in the Majors this season before ultimately undergoing season-ending surgery on his right elbow Aug. 5, but he was expected to be a big part of the rotation and will be ready for Spring Training next season. Right-hander Sam Bachman, the No. 9 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, was scratched from his last start with a neck issue but could pitch his way back into the mix. And even lefty Patrick Sandoval is expected to return at some point next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late June.