LA Angels: 3 Halo pitchers Mickey Callaway ruined

When Mickey Callaway was fired following a sexual misconduct investigation that is banning Callaway from baseball through at least the end of 2022, the LA Angels pitching staff was left out to dry.

Callaway’s actions really cost the team. We knew they would, and the pitching staff has indeed struggled mightily this year. The team is in the bottom third of the league with a 4.70 ERA, and number six in the MLB in most walks per nine innings.

We’ve had to say goodbye to some of the underperforming arms at the deadline or through cuts, and I can’t help but wonder how this season would have gone if Callaway didn’t have to be disgusting and we could just have a normal season with a normal, permanent pitching coach.

Three Angel pitchers were affected by this in particular.

No. 3 LA Angels pitcher who Mickey Callaway ruined: Griffin Canning

Remember in 2020 when Griffin Canning was dealing for the LA Angels?

He showed some promise in 2019, and followed it up with a 2020 in which he posted a 3.99 ERA and won a Gold Glove.

Well, ever since Callaway embarrassed himself and let our team down in the process, Canning posted a 5.60 ERA in 2021. That was the worst ERA of his career, and he had a career-worst 1.484 WHIP.

Before he was ruled out for the season, it got so bad that he had to finish what was left of his year in Triple-A. Canning walked four batters per nine innings this year.

Imagine if he didn’t have to go through this year without a pitching coach. The dude had talent.

No. 1 LA Angels pitcher who Mickey Callaway ruined: Dylan Bundy

Well, absolutely nothing has gone right for LA Angels’ veteran starting pitcher Dylan Bundy. I think I know why.

It’s funny how after Bundy’s awful 2018, he had really been coming around. He got really close to returning to form in 2019, and then did more than just return to form under Callaway in 2020.

Bundy posted a 3.29 ERA and a 1.036 WHIP once Callaway started coaching him. He walked just 2.3 batters per nine innings, and gave up just 0.7 homers per nine innings.

In 2021, however, he didn’t have the necessity of a pitching coach to help his development. He is 2-9 with a 6.06 ERA (all stats in this article are as of September 18th). He’s now walking 3.4 batters per nine, and his strikeout rate is down.

He’s giving up multiple bombs a game, and he will likely not be back with us next year. Bundy was so bad that we couldn’t even trade him at the deadline, despite the market for starting pitchers really not being that plentiful for buyers.

Matt Wise can only do so much. He was put in a tough situation with him having to randomly step in due to Callaway’s sexual misconduct.

I respect what he’s done, but he was put in too tough of a situation to save these three guys. This season would have gone much differently if Callaway’s actions had been better.