After completely changing the trajectory of his career with a dominant second half of last season, new Los Angeles Angels reliever Robert Stephenson is ready to show what he can do.
Stephenson, 30, joined the Halos on a three-year, $33 million contract. He should be given a chance to have a large impact on the angels' new-look bullpen bullpen.
The Angels' bullpen wasn't very good last season, ranking 27th out of 30 teams in FanGraphs' version of Wins Above Replacement. Stephenson will surely help that, but he isn't expecting to become the team's closer.
Carlos Estévez made the American League All-Star team last season and put up 31 saves. Stephenson is not alone in his belief that Estévez should get the first chance to reprise the role. Being forced to relegate a lights-out right-hander to a potential setup role is a good predicament.
Even if he doesn't close games, Stephenson will be relied upon heavily. He was dominant after being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays from the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.
With the Rays, Stephenson posted an ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of 0.678. His strikeout rate also jumped up, as he struck out 60 of the 140 batters that he faced while with Tampa Bay.
Comparing that to the start of his 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Stephenson looked like a completely different pitcher. With the Pirates, he struggled greatly, posting an ERA of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.429 over 18 appearances.
The Angels are banking on the Tampa Bay version of Stephenson and are hopeful he figured it all out. He has been in the league for eight years, so he has seen a lot during his time.
The Halos have rebuilt their bullpen into a solid unit in a short time. Closer or not, Stephenson is the key piece.
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