Angels Pitcher Almost Retired a Few Years Ago

The Los Angeles Angels have an excellent young core leading their team in 2025.

As they look to get back in the contending conversation after last season's worst winning percentage in franchise history, there are a few new faces taking the field for the Halos.

Although he didn't make the Opening Day roster, right-handed pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks was recently called up to the big leagues. He finished last season going 6-4 with a 1.73 ERA for the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Double-A.

“It means everything,” Darrell-Hicks said of the call up. “I’ve been working for countless years, and I feel I have overcome a lot.”

Overcoming a lot is a bit of an understatement for the relief pitcher.

After six years in college, a Tommy John surgery, and the cancelled COVID-19 season of 2020, Darrell-Hicks revealed he almost quit baseball for good.

“It was really hard for me mentally,” Darrell-Hicks said. “I got my degree, and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue playing. … But the strong support system I had, they were like, ‘You should keep going, and if you keep going, good things will happen for you.’ And sure enough, I mean, wow.”

The right-hander started his collegiate career at Western Kentucky and earned a degree in sports management before transferring to Jacksonville over his elongated time in NCAA.

He was signed as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2022 and has been working through the Angels system ever since.

His season in Triple-A so far hasn't been ideal, allowing seven runs and eighth hits in three outings, but given his history and his year-end stats for 2024, there are not many men more deserving of a call up than the 27-year-old

Fellow right-handed reliever Hans Crouse was released to make room for Darrell-Hicks on the 40-man roster, as he replaced Caden Dana who was optioned back to Triple-A. Darrell-Hicks was then optioned back to Triple-A when Ryan Johnson returned from the paternity list.