LA Angels prospect Eduardo Del Rosario making a difference in relief

The LA Angels bullpen is much-improved in 2019, but it is due in large part to depth of relievers the Angels now have at their disposal.  The next crop of relievers down on the farm look to be just as strong.

When the LA Angels signed pitcher Eduardo Del Rosario as a minor league free agent in 2018 he had been a starter his whole career in the Minnesota Twins minor league system.  He had shown flashes of brilliance in the Twins system but never seemed to be able to have that break out season.

The Angels quickly converted Del Rosario into a reliever, a role he was not too familiar with, and while the result have been mixed, he has being showing signs as of late that the new role is to his liking.  In his last 10 appearances Del Rosario has gone multiple innings eight times and has recorded two saves and a win posting a 3.52 ERA.  In his last four outings he has been almost unhittable pitching 11 innings of one run ball striking out 14 batters while allowing only three hits and two walks.  His ERA during that span was 0.82 and his WHIP was just as good at 0.54.

The 24-year old Dominican Republic native possesses a fastball that can touch 94 MPH and he also has a good change-up and slider.  His best pitch is a his slider that has good breaking action across the strike zone. In Del Rosario’s most recent outing on Saturday he pitched three scoreless innings of relief striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced in picking up the save.

More from Halo Hangout

• New York Post columnist has LA Angels bringing veteran starter back to LA
• Dodgers make wild mistake signing failed LA Angels starter
• Why LA Angels’ Qualifying Offer to Raisel Iglesias could become historical
• Both Gold Glove finalists for LA Angels getting snubbed is a complete joke
• Marcus Stroman definitely appears to be interested in the LA Angels

“My best pitch is a strike,” Del Rosario said with a smile. “I like throwing my fastball, but I can throw a good slider and a change-up as well as a split.”

Del Rosario is a very hard-working player according to his coaches and his manager Jack Howell.  To me he was very personable and unlike many players who English is not their first language, Del Rosario tried to do as much of the interview in English as possible.  Only when he had problems understanding or trying to find the right words to answer my question did he turn to one of the unsung heroes on the Bees’ staff Omar Porras. Porras is like a jack-of-all trades for the Bees serving as the strength and conditioning coach, but he is also the main translator/interpreter for the Spanish-speaking players such as Del Rosario.

Del Rosario has a 4.78 ERA in 32 innings with the Bees with 29 strikeouts, but his 1.35 ERA in August is showing that Del Rosario is coming around.  He just hopes to finish the season better than he started.

“I just try to work hard each day to develop my pitches and improve in order to reach the next level,” said Del Rosario who pitched in five games this season with the High-A Inland Empire 66ers. “It would be amazing to play on the same team as Mike Trout and Albert Pujols who is a big hero in my country. It would be a great accomplishment for me if I can reach the majors as it has always been a dream of mine.”

Keep up the good work Eduardo and maybe one day we will see you here in Anaheim.