Predicting the Angels Pitching Staff 2.0: The Rotation

Yusei Kikuchi. Got an early start to camp in order to ramp up for the World Baseball Classic. The lefty from Japan is the clear leader of the Angels staff and will be on the hill for the first game of the season.

Jos Soriano. If you combine raw stuff, Mike Maddux and the fact he just turned 27 it is easy to dream on a Jose Soriano breakout season. He's having a rough Cactus League but his development means far more than his results this time of year.

Reid Detmers. Had a very successful 2025 after being moved to the bullpen. The Angels are hoping the southpaw can keep attacking hitters aggressively but also carry a starter's workload. Drafted 8th overall as a projectable rotation piece, Detmers is still trying to prove he can be a reliable starter.

Grayson Rodriguez. Coming off surgery and a major injury that cost him all of last season, Rodriguez is still regaining his command in camp. He's healthy and his velocity is back to pre injury levels but command is the last thing that comes back. When he's on his game he's really good, but he'll be on an innings limit and will still be less than his optimal self early in the season.

Jack Kochanowicz. He's making the most of his Cactus League opportunities and started last season at the MLB level. So far in camp he's appeared in 3 games, started 2 of them, and has only surrendered 2 runs in 8.2 innings. A lack of strikeouts held him back last year but he has K'd 5 batters while only walking 1. It requires no roster shuffling to keep him in Anaheim and his leash is short.

Yes, I'm walking back my George Klassen prediction already.

Klassen clearly has the best stuff of anybody in the mix for the fifth starter's job. Chase Silseth, Mitch Ferris, Caden Dana, and the aforementioned Kochanwicz all fail to comapre on any given pitch.

However, the Angels sending Christian Moore to AAA camp along with Perry Minasian's comments about the team's direction, I think the Angels are actually prioritizing player development for a change. If so, then Klassen is best served by going to AAA where he's only had one start.

Plus, Klassen has gotten hit a bit in his last two outings. At the time I orignially predicted him to make the roster he was coming off some electric work.

Camp is still in process and the final starts before Opening Day could still swing things, but as of now this is who I expect the Angels to roll out on Opening Day.