In a list of up-and-coming managerial candidates and front office staff compiled by Eno Sarris of The Athletic, Angels pitching coordinator Jared Hughes made the cut.
Hughes, 38, pitched for the Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Phillies and Mets over parts of 10 major league seasons. An alumnus of Cal State Long Beach, 17 miles west of Angel Stadium, Hughes has received praise for the work he's done with the Angels' pitchers, his first as an MLB coach. Hughes' career transition began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Hughes once discovered that seam-shifted wake was crucial to the performance of his sinker while he was an active reliever near the end of a 10-year career,"
Per Eno Sarris of The Athletic
By October 2020, Hughes' career as a pitcher was done. Within a year after his last season pitching for the Mets, he was hired by the Angels to became one of their pitching analysis coordinators.
Hughes has worked with a few names in baseball outside the Angels' organization, including Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes, according to The Athletic. By some metrics, the Angels have seen their young pitchers improve with Hughes aboard.
According to Baseball Savant, left-hander Reid Detmers' changeup improved from 2022 to 2023. In 2022, he gave up just 19 hits with his changeup. In 2023, he gave up eight hits while holding batters to an average of .242 with the pitch.
Since he was chosen with the Angels' first-round pick in 2020, Detmers has grown into one of the better pitchers on the staff. In 2022, he threw both a no-hitter and an immaculate inning.
With a new coaching staff under Ron Washington, pitching coach Barry Enright, and Hughes returning for the 2024 season, other pitchers could begin to blossom for the Angels.
An anonymous source told The Athletic they could see Hughes doing much more in the future.
“I know he will end up doing a lot more than he is doing now,” said someone who has worked with him in his current role.
Per Eno Sarris of Athletic
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