LA Angels Should Monitor Rich Hill Closely

The past four seasons, the LA Angels have watched their I-5 rivals find great success while the Halos themselves have struggled.

Part of that success has been thanks to Rich Hill, who the LA Angels should take a good, long look at this offseason.  He isn’t the best pitcher on the market, and isn’t the youngest, but he’s shown throughout his career that he can be an effective mid-rotation arm on a contending team as long as he remains healthy.

However, that’s been hard for him to do. Last year, Hill was plagued by injury for most of the Dodger’s season. He made only 13 starts, and has averaged only 17 starts per season since 2015. Health is a serious issue for the soon-to-be 40-year old, and needs to be taken into account when negotiating a deal.

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That being said, he’s still be a legitimately phenomenal pitcher when he has been on the mound. In those same five seasons that he averaged 17 starts, his ERA sits at 2.91. Despite his old age, Hill’s strikeout, walk, and home run rates all grade out as above average to elite. To put it simply, Rich Hill is still a very good pitcher when healthy, and his fit with the Angels could help improve his durability.

A six-man rotation has its imperfections, but when it comes to the overall workload of a baseball season, the idea can help exponentially. That extra day of rest/preparation for a pitcher, especially one with Hill’s history, can go miles in helping that pitcher stay healthy.

The market for Rich Hill isn’t totally known yet. He underwent elbow surgery last season, which will keep him sidelined until at least June. That being said, team’s know the talent of the pitcher they’d be acquiring. Although the circumstances are extremely different, the Atlanta Braves signed Dallas Kuechel in June of last season and he helped propel them to an NL East championship.

There’s no telling what type of money Hill will command. He could very well wait to sign until May, when he’s closer to a return. However, the Angels need to be tuned in on his progress and market. As we know as Halo fans, you can truly never have too much starting pitching.