Reid 'Em and Weep

 

Gotta say, Reid Detmers has had a really weird career. Pitches a no-hitter in his first full season, steadily builds a reputation in his sophomore season, pitches hurt in 2024, then is the 6th man in the rotation who pitches mainly out of the bullpen in 2025. And now he's starting again and having one of his best seasons yet. It's rare for a guy to not miss a season over his first 6, but Detmers has at least played a role in this team's picture even if he's not at 100%. You have so many pitchers that'll be no factor in a team's build for 2 years then come back and recapture momentum. Detmers has been active for the Angels even when he's been bad.

So it makes this season, where his ERA's at 3.93, his WHIP's at 1.053, and he's thrown 104 strikeouts even before June, even more of a triumph. The man never left, he just bode his time, and now he's got a legitimate starring role in the Angels' success, alongside Jose Soriano. And for his efforts....he's probably gonna get traded.

Again, because Detmers is only 26, he's honestly a really good trade deadline asset, and this season's proving his ceiling is still very high. He's had a small bit of trouble recently, especially his previous start [I'm writing this before I know how he did last night], but overall he's still a solid, reliable starter who's used the vacancies from Anderson and Kikuchi to make even more of an impact on this team. Even when he was good, Detmers was only like the 3rd or 4th man, now he's a solid #2 to the still-strong Soriano [8-4 with 102 Ks], and them, along with Walbert Urena, have made for a much more solid Angels rotation than anyone thought.

Now...without Mike Trout, the offense isn't exactly stellar, but we knew that as well. Neto, Peraza and Schanuel are decent centerpieces, but Neto currently leads the AL in strikeouts, and none of them have an OPS over .800 [yet somehow Wade Meckler does]. The exciting replacement level smashes we spoke of last time are all basically gone, with only Donovan Walton remaining. Denzer Guzman and Christian Moore, on call-ups, have ranged from okay to forgettable. Lowe and Adell are pissing people off. It's just not an especially varied offensive strategy right now, and I don't know if Neto can really carry things as much as the team wants him to.

The Angels probably won't finish anywhere else but last, as I don't see the Astros, A's or Rangers finishing with a worse record. Some big pieces will likely go at the deadline, including Detmers, and possibly even Soriano or Trout. I have no idea when the Angels will next be good, and firing the GM isn't gonna salvage things if the owner deliberately wants the team to lose. 

Coming Tonight: Many Japanese pitchers are tricky flamethrowers who out leverage you easily. But sometimes you get a guy who's a pure control artist who gets you out just by outthinking you. And somehow one of those is working in Colorado.