3 LA Angels position battles to watch throughout spring training

2. The last remaining rotation spot

The starters who likely make the Opening Day rotation: Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks

On the bubble: Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz

Detmers and Kochanowicz's starts in spring training are must-watch television for die-hard Angels fans, especially as both start to ramp up by mid-March. Spring training results are not the be-all end-all when determining who wins big league jobs, but they might be in this case. Especially for Detmers, who was hit hard for long stretches of last season. Unless he cleans up his location (far too many walks and middle-middle heaters) and starts missing barrels (6th percentile barrel % last year), he could either be bound for AAA Salt Lake or maybe even a long reliever role.

Kochanowicz has a lot of momentum entering the year. He certainly throws harder than Detmers, and put together some impressive outings in 2024. If he starts striking out batters with semi-regularity in spring training, this competition could be a wrap.