3 Angels pitchers who are primed for breakout seasons under Mike Maddux

With the Los Angeles Angels bringing on esteemed veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux, it's time to temporarily throw out all previous skepticism, nihilism, self-loathing Angels fan behavior! This is an A+ signing for an organization that, under general Perry Minasian specifically, has been hunting for any semblance of quality pitching for a decade now. Whether it's drafting 20 pitchers in the 20-round 2021 MLB Draft, signing myriad veteran pitchers or making waiver claim after waiver claim, the Angels have been desperately seeking a force multiplier like Maddux to actually start showing some results to the fanbase.

Maddux can manage any type of pitcher -- an unproven asset with promising stuff, a veteran who has bounced around or just a flat-out stud. Other than stretching for Yusei Kikuchi and José Soriano, the Angels do not have the stud. However, they have plenty of promising youngsters and a couple veterans who are looking to continue making money in the future. So, which three pitchers have the most to gain while working with Maddux?

3 Angels pitchers who are primed for breakout seasons under Mike Maddux

Ben Joyce

Should Ben Joyce recover fully from surgery on his throwing shoulder that cost him basically the entirety of the 2025 season and be active on Opening Day, a coach with as much gravitas as Maddux might be able to finally get through to him with this message -- STOP SELLING OUT FOR VELO, YOU NEED TO STAY AVAILABLE!

Joyce has been all hype and not much substance given his frequent unavailability the last few years. Should he have stayed healthy all year, the Angels would have definitely considered cashing in on Kenley Jansen at the trade deadline and give Joyce the closer role. Moving into 2026, Joyce could have the inside track to winning the closer job should Jansen walks in free agency. At the very least, Joyce will be a late-inning option that Kurt Suzuki will turn to often in close games.

Maddux oversaw a 2025 season for Jacob deGrom in which he was able to stay healthy the entire season. deGrom is a phenomenal comparison for Joyce, as deGrom needed to reel in his >100 MPH heaters in order to post. If Maddux can effectively communicate that point to Joyce, then he might be able to finally pitch for a full season in the major leagues.

Reid Detmers

Reid Detmers already had a breakout year, but he needs a breakout season as a starting pitcher. His best year as a starter was 2022, but the two following seasons were close to worst-case scenarios for the southpaw and the team. Now, he is slotting back into the rotation and Maddux needs to extract as much value out of the former first rounder as possible if the Angels are going to compete at all.

Detmers was great as a reliever last year, and Maddux simply needs to help him with his mentality as a starter. In 2024, Detmers posted a whopping 1.85 HR/9, 6.70 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. If Maddux can help correct Patrick Corbin, who was perhaps the worst pitcher in baseball during his final years with the Washington Nationals, and turn him into a more than serviceable starter last year in Texas...than he can help shore up Detmers' makeup as he makes the transition back into the rotation.

Robert Stephenson

Stephenson was already primed for his first good season with the Angels given that he is now in another contract year. His three-year, $33 million deal is up after 2026, and he needs to stay on the field if he wants to salvage a fraction of that when he hits free agency again.

The comparison for Stephenson is Shawn Armstrong, who was historically good against right-handed hitters last year for the Rangers. Armstrong went from a middle reliever to a more than part-time closer for Texas during their stretch run. Stephenson needs to be able to bully righties next year given his CT, 4S, SP, SL arsenal. Maddux might be able to turn Stephenson back into the monster he was when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays, given the success he had with Armstrong.