Predicting LA Angels 2018 rotation

 Garrett Richards

Garrett Richards will be the ace and the lead man for the Angels come 2018.

The Riverside native has had his last two seasons plagued with injuries. First, a tear in his elbow that sidelined him for most of the 2016 season. He would later heal that injury with a stem-cell injection and opted to not do surgery. Then, he suffered another setback during his 2017 campaign with a irritated nerve in his biceps, just three days into the 2017 season. In those two injury plagued seasons, Richards only pitched a combined 61 innings.

There are a few questions that must be asked given his situation. Can Richards stay healthy? If so…can he pitch a full season? Something he has not done since 2015 when he pitched 207 innings for the Halos, posting a 3.65 ERA.

There is no question that if Richards has the talent. It’s the question that if he can stay healthy and return to his 2015 form. We did get a basis of where Richards is at when he pitched quite well towards the end of last season. In only 27 innings pitched last season, he posted a 2.28 ERA with a WHIP of 0.904. Those are all-star type numbers for Richards which brings hope that he can return to form and can be the ace that the Angels surely lack.

Furthermore, Richards will look to comeback to the 2018 season fresh off injuries, with a chance to show that he can survive a whole season.