Angels need Jose Soriano to fix this glaring flaw if he wants to get to next level

Now that the dust is starting to settle this offseason, it is very clear that the Los Angeles Angels are going to have to lean heavily on Jose Soriano. Given the current state of the Angels' rotation, there is basically zero chance the Angels can post a .500 record unless Soriano pitches well. That speaks more to LA's inability to assemble a quality pitching staff year after year, but he is going to be very important.

Thankfully, Soriano has the toolkit to be that sort of rotation anchor. He throws hard, which certainly helps the cause and will play up even more once he improves his command a bit. Soriano also happens to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball at inducing ground balls, which, under most circumstances, is a great recipe for success in the homer-happy modern era we live in.

However, there is a problem. It is true that Soriano has elite velocity and is a ground ball machine, but the amount of hard contact he gives up is going to be a big problem sooner or later.

Jose Soriano simply has to give up weaker contact in 2026 and beyond

Normally, keeping the ball on the ground is a great strategy, and Soriano is uniquely good at it thanks to his sinker-heavy arsenal. However, even though a lot of batted balls end up on the ground, they are hit much harder than they should be. In 2025, Soriano's average exit velocity against him was in the bottom 4% in MLB, and his hard hit percentage was in the same bracket. That not only points to the fact that hitters are not fooled (also seen in Soriano's mediocre chase rate), but it creates a specific problem for the Angels.

Ground balls are really good for ending innings quickly and limiting damage, but that is only true if you have a good defense behind you. The problem? The Angels have arguably the worst defense in baseball. For example, you have Zach Neto, who looks like he could be a breakout star at the plate in 2026 and a key cog in the Angels lineup. Unfortunately, Neto also posted a brutal -8 Outs Above Average in the infield. As a team, the Angels put up a shockingly terrible -54 OAA, which was easily the worst mark in MLB in 2025.

So you have an extremely talented pitcher who is great at getting ground balls, but who gives up loud contact and more walks than he should, combined with a horror show defense that can't really take advantage of all of these grounders. Soriano is talented enough that he will probably be fine as is, but he would do himself some favors by mixing his splitter in more to keep hitters off balance and find other ways to give up softer contact if he wants to truly become the Angels' ace.