Will Jose Valdez win a bullpen spot for LA Angels?

When the LA Angels picked up Jose Valdez off waivers from the Detroit Tigers they hoped for him to provide some stability in the bullpen. However, for the most part Valdez was not very effective making his future with the Angels a ? .

As we have stated in previous end of the season report cards the LA Angels made a lot of in-season pick-ups in hopes of finding some pieces to aid an ailing pitching staff. Some worked out very well such as JC Ramirez and even Daniel Wright to some extent.  Jose Valdez was not one of those moves that helped the Angels staff.

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For about five weeks Valdez actually looked pretty good when he came out of the Angels bullpen as he had a 2.40 ERA in his first 15 appearances that spanned 15 innings.  Valdez had a 1.33 WHIP during this time , but what was most impressive was the fact that opponents only batted .173 against him.

However, the rest of the way his ERA was over six and he ended the season with a 4.24 ERA giving up 11 runs in 23.1 innings.  Valdez stuck out 22 batters, but his biggest issue was in control as he walked 16 batters which contribute to his very high 1.41 WHIP for the season.

Valdez most encouraging attribute was a .202 opponents batting average.  If he could harness his control Valdez could actually be a very effective pitcher for the Angels or any other team he may end up with if the Angels decide not to bring him back in 2017.

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Just like some of the other Angels pitchers, Valdez would be under the team’s control for the next couple of years.  Not only that is he has pretty good stuff, but his low opponents batting average tells you that he is able to fool hitters.  Because of all these reason Valdez may be worth holding onto for the 2017 season.

What will most likely happen with a number of the Angels bullpen candidates is they will get invited to Spring Training. The Angels staff will watch closely to see which pitchers are the most effective and they will make the Opening Day roster.  Sounds simple enough, but there will be some tough decisions.  There are only four or five pitchers who are pretty much guaranteed a bullpen spot.

Next: Will Cory Rasmus be back in 2017?

We will see how things shake out in the Spring for Valdez and other members of the Angels bullpen.

GRADE

C+