Who are the candidates for the Angels’ six-man rotation?

The Los Angeles Angels will utilize a six-man rotation in 2020, so we explore the candidates to make the squad for the MLB season.

Fans that know anything about Angels’ manager Joe Maddon know that he is a man that is prone to unconventional thinking. He’s built a career as one of the brightest managers in the game by thinking outside the box, both in regard to his on-field strategies and his handling of players. When the Angels signed Maddon for a return engagement at the helm of the Halos, the team bought into processes and mentality.

With the announcement of the 2020 season beginning at the end of July, it didn’t take long for Maddon to hand down his first idiosyncratic doctrine for his newest squad.

Earlier Wednesday, while updating the media on the health of pitcher Shohei Ohtani the topic turned to how Maddon and his coaches intend to handle the two-way star. Ohtani, who is making his long-awaited return to the mound after Tommy John surgery in 2018, is fully expected to be ready to go when the season begins and will be worked in as both a starting pitcher and a hitter.

Like his predecessors, Maddon intends to deploy Ohtani on the mound only once per week. However, to make that work, the Angels will likely utilize a six-man rotation, as relayed by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. While the expanded rosters will certainly aid in that plan, it still feels a bit unorthodox for an Angels team that has struggled to put together a consistent five-man staff due to various injuries.

So based on that thought, we thought it would be prudent to see who makes up a six-man rotation for the Angels. There are certainly some that are more cemented than others, but the Halos have plenty of options on a fairly versatile staff.

Angels Six-Man Rotation – Julio Teheran

While the Angels were certainly happy to get good news on the health of Shohei Ohtani and Griffin Canning, there is only so much the team can depend on them. Even if Ohtani has fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and stays healthy for all of 2020, he’s only expected to pitch once per week. Likewise, Canning ended 2019 on the injured list and was already shut down from throwing this spring due to “chronic changes” in his UCL. That still leaves two huge question marks in a rotation that has succumbed to too many in the past few seasons.

That is what makes the addition of former Braves starter Julio Teheran so important.

Signed as a free agent (one-year, $9 million) during the offseason, Teheran comes with perhaps the most important thing the Angels could have possibly asked for; a track record of health. Over the seven seasons that Teheran was a full-time starter, the right-hander has made 30 or more starts in each season and has averaged 191 innings per season since 2013. In contrast, the Angels have seen only nine pitchers throw enough innings to qualify for the ERA crown and only three of those have thrown more than 190 in a single campaign.

But Teheran is more than just an innings eater. Since 2013, he has averaged 11 wins, a 3.64 ERA, a 7.9 K/9 mark. While he doesn’t scream “ace material”, he ranked 44th during that span in pitcher fWAR (13.8), 43rd in ERA, and 25th in LOB% (76.1%). Long story short, Julio Teheran gets the job done and does it every fifth day consistently.

A free agent at the end of the year, Teheran has a lot riding on a short season and could use a strong run to increase his value on the open market next winter.

Angels Six-Man Rotation – Andrew Heaney

If there has been one pitcher on the Angels staff that has been beyond frustrating, it has been Andrew Heaney. A former-top 50 prospect, Heaney has seemingly always been a “what if” question for the Halos. In fairness to the lefty, that hasn’t always been a fault of his own.

After making 18 starts and going 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA and a 6.6 K/9 in 2015, the Angels expected a lot of Heaney from that point forward. However, elbow issues arose in 2016 and after a plasma injection failed, he underwent Tommy John surgery and would make a total of six starts between 2016 and 2017.

Things appeared back on track in 2018, as Heaney put the health concerns behind him and made 30 starts for the first time in his career. While the 9-10 record was a product of a team that struggled in its own right, Heaney’s 4.15 ERA, 3.99 FIP, and 9.0 K/9 were all encouraging. However, elbow issues arose again in spring training 2019 and he was shut down not once, but twice before making his season debut on May 26th. Ultimately Heaney made 18 starts last season, but was largely ineffective, posting a 4.91 ERA, a 4.63 FIP, and a 4-6 record, lasting on average a little over five innings per start.

While a shortened season and a six-man rotation will certainly help Heaney in the health department, his ability to get outs on the mound will be under a microscope in 2020. With a $4.30 million salary for 2020 (before proration) and arbitration eligibility for the final time next winter, he could become a non-tender candidate should the struggles continue and the economic picture remain bleak.

Angels Six-Man Rotation – Griffin Canning

In addition to Ohtani, the Angels are excited to see Griffin Canning returning to good health. Shut down at the end of his rookie season due to elbow discomfort, the team was happy to see him avoid surgery over the winter. However, those concerns came crashing back to life in the spring, when the team was forced to put him on the shelf again due to what was deemed “chronic changes” in his UCL.

The right-hander has still seemingly been able to not have to go under the knife, as he instead used rest and the long delay to the season to nurse himself back to health. After starting to face hitters in simulated games in early June, it was all forward from there.

While Canning’s 4.58 ERA doesn’t look especially enticing at first glance, it’s actually a bit better than it appears. In July when elbow issues first started to peak, he had three starts in which he surrendered 14 runs over 6.2 innings of work. Removing those three starts from the equation, Canning put up a 3.44 ERA over his other 83.2 innings on the season. He also registered 10 of his 30 walks in those three starts.

Like Ohtani, the six-man rotation can only serve to ensure that Canning can get through the shortened season as healthy as possible. Unfortunately, there will be a question as to how effective he can be with so many starts and stops, but it is a question the Angels will have to wait and answer when the season gets underway.

Angels Six-Man Rotation – Dylan Bundy

Never during the course of Dylan Bundy’s early years, from being a fourth overall pick in 2011 to being a top prospect in the Orioles system, did any pundit project that the right-hander would be slated for the back-end of the rotation at the MLB level.

Of course, no one foresaw Tommy John surgery for the one year after being drafted and then shoulder injuries stalling his rise. They didn’t see a drop in velocity and an ensuing issue with the long ball either.

The Angels are hoping that there is something left in the tank for the now 27-year-old Bundy, with a change in scenery perhaps being the key to unlocking his long-unresolved potential. The team certainly spent quite a bit to land him and his two years of contractual control.

In fairness to Bundy, it hasn’t been all bad news. In each of the last three seasons, he has taken 28 or more turns in the rotation. And despite playing on some incredibly bad Baltimore teams during that span, he’s posted a record of 38-45 in the process. Strikeouts have always been a strong point, with Bundy averaging 8.9 over the last three seasons. However, he’s also given up home runs at a clip of 1.7 per nine innings, including leading the league by surrendering 41 in 2018.

Like Heaney, Bundy could be facing a “prove it” year. With one final turn at arbitration after this season, the right-hander will need a strong 2020 to avoid being non-tendered following the season. However, if he can find at least a semblance of what made him such an enticing prospect many years ago, the Angels could find a piece for both this season and next.

Angels Six-Man Rotation – The Final Candidates

With Teheran, Ohtani, Heaney, Canning, and Bundy expected to comprise the first five spots of the rotation, that leaves one spot up for grabs, minus the possibility of spot starts for rest or injury reasons. Luckily the Angels have quite a few able arms to potentially take a start or two, or even piggy-back with one another.

Matt Andriese

Another offseason trade acquisition, Andriese brings with him an interesting piece of experience that most Angels starts do not; starts as an “opener”. An arm that has spent years bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation, Andriese is no stranger to being deployed as needed at the major league level. The opener experience is especially enticing for the Angels, as it will allow them to potentially keep multiple arms healthier by limiting their innings through pairing. The right-hander has made 167 appearances over five seasons, including 49 starts. He has a lifetime ERA of 4.58, a FIP of 4.22, and an 8.2 K/9.

Felix Pena

In two seasons with the Angels, Pena has made 41 appearances and 24 starts. As splits would go, he’s actually profiled best as a starter, where he owns a 4.32 ERA, an 8.1 K./9, and held opponents to a .239/.309/.388 slash line as a rotation piece. As a reliever, his ERA climbs to 4.67 and he’s been more susceptible to the home run ball in relief (22 to 15) despite fewer innings out of the bullpen (113.2 vs 118.2).

Patrick Sandoval

Sandoval made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in 2019, and the results were mixed. In 10 games (9 starts), the rookie threw 39.1 innings of 5.03 ball, carrying a solid K/9 at 9.6 but struggling with walks with a 4.3 BB/9 mark. While there were pluses and minuses there, his similar work in the minors (even in hitter-friendly leagues) likely requires the need for more seasoning. The potential is there though, and in a pinch, the Angels could again turn to Sandoval, but he doesn’t strike as a potential addition to the staff to start the season.

LA Angels: Which players will excel in a shortened season?

Jose Saurez and Dillon Peters also made quite a few starts for the Angels in 2019 and could be seen as taxi squad options, but given their struggles last season, it would be tough for them to break camp with the team as part of the rotation.