Angels' Ron Washington Provides Update on Fifth Starter Competition

The Los Angeles Angels still have a decision to make regarding the fifth starting pitcher in their rotation.

The Halos have a few key candidates as there is a lot of talent outside of the four solidified starters, but manager Ron Washington recently provided an update on who will join the four arms.

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“Going through this rotation, we'll start really zeroing in on where we are and where we want to go, but we’re still not there yet,” Washington said. “So everybody is still competing.”

Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Tyler Anderson, and Kyle Hendricks are going to headline the rotation in 2025, but a few key candidates like Reid Detmers, Jose Suarez, Jack Kochanowicz, and Chase Silseth are going to compete for that final spot.

Detmers brings a very interesting case to the race for the fifth spot.

The 25-year-old pitcher had an up-and-down 2024 as his ERA ballooned to 6.70. Detmers is still trying to recapture the glory of his 2022 rookie campaign where he even tossed a no-hitter, but a commanding Cactus League showing so far makes fans believe that he is on the right path.

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Kochanowicz, another young pitcher at 24 years old, had a pretty solid showing last season, throwing 25 strikeouts to just 10 walks over 65.1 innings. His 3.99 ERA since being called up in July make him a serious threat to crack the rotation.

Suarez is a southpaw who struggled quite a bit the past two seasons. It was evident that the 27-year-old has been putting in work as he showed up to spring training 20 pounds lighter.

After playing four games in September after his assignment, Suarez had a better end to the year throwing 19 strikeouts to only five walks in those 17 innings.

Silseth is a dark horse candidate to swoop in for that final spot as he missed two months last season with an elbow injury. The 2022 season was a productive year for the 24-year-old as he tossed 52.1 innings with 56 strikeouts to only 26 walks and an ERA of 3.96.

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