An Oral History on The LA Angels Rotation Being An All-Time Worst Group

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Jose Suarez (58 IP)

When It Was Right: Suarez has honestly shown flashes in the big leagues, and from start to start has looked like he will develop into, at the very least, a serviceable starter in the MLB. His stuff isn’t as electric as some other pitchers, but like Jaime Barria in his rookie season (albeit less effectively) Suarez has worked around that and will surely be competing for a big league rotation spot next season.

Where It Went Wrong: In the bad news department for Suarez has been his last few starts. He’s been hit, and hit hard, consistently the past few weeks. However, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and it appears the Angels and Suarez believe the awful outings to be caused by tipping pitches. Thankfully, they believe the issue is resolved and Suarez can hopefully finish the year on a high note.

Los Angeles Angels

Dillon Peters (46 IP)

When It Was Right: Honestly one of the brightest spots of the Angels’ rotation this year has been Dillon Peters. It’s been very rare that he lets the team down in his starts, and has been efficient throughout the year. Obviously not one of the team’s bigger names or top prospects, but definitely an intriguing player going into the 2020 season.

Where It Went Wrong: The bad for Peters was probably that he hasn’t been given as much of an opportunity as he probably deserves. He seemed to be the “break in case of emergency” guy for the rotation to the start the season, limiting his season innings total.

Patrick Sandoval (17.1 IP)

When It Was Right: When he has pitched, Sandoval has looked extremely promising. He legitimately has the stuff and the grit to be a solid starter in the league and will be one of the many names competing for a roster spot going into the offseason. These next five weeks will be huge for Sandoval to prove himself, as teams now have tape on him and can pick him apart just like he has batters.

Where It Went Wrong: Sandoval was a late season call-up, thus limiting how many innings he’s pitched for the team. So while he’s been dynamic, not quite the 100 IP guy in 2019.

Nick Tropeano (13.2 IP)

When It Was Right: Not very often.

Where It Went Wrong: I honestly have no idea where it went wrong for Nick Tropeano. He gets hit often and hit hard.

JC Ramirez (8 IP)

When It Was Right: It went right as soon as JC Ramirez stepped on the mound in Anaheim for the first time since tearing his UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery, thus ending a long and tenuous rehab.

Where It Went Wrong: In eight innings pitched, he’s allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk. He definitely needs to continue progressing, and hopefully he shows improvement over the next month. If he does, Ramirez could be a dynamic piece starting games or out of the bullpen for the Angels in 2020.