Angels Spring Training: Has LAA's fifth starter battle already been decided?

The Angels entered spring training by holding open auditions for the fifth starter spot. There was excitement based on the enviable collection of young talent vying for the role, tinged with concern given the uncertainty that any of these young arms would rise to the occasion and snatch the job.

In many ways, this competition played out as well as the club could have hoped. There were essentially two cohorts contending for the spot. First, there were the true contenders -- Reid Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz. On the periphery, you had other talented young arms led by top prospect Caden Dana and Chase Silseth.

As expected, Dana, 21, faded showing he needs more seasoning as he continues to work through his battle with arm slot consistency. Silseth, meanwhile, flashed with a six-strikeout performance against the Dodgers but ultimately didn't show up with an 8.71 spring ERA.

That has left Detmers and Kochanowicz as the front runners as was expected all along. Their performances have fortunately made Ron Washington's decision a tough one. Detmers owns a 2.30 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 15.2 spring innings. Kochanowicz is nipping at his heels with a 2.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 12.1 frames.

With just over a week before opening day, we may already have a winner

Entering the spring the two were diametrically opposed in what they needed to prove. Detmers has the stuff to dominate but struggles with efficiency and execution. Kochanowicz is efficient but needs to build up his secondary offerings to add a strikeout component to his game.

There's no greater illustration of this than how the two pitchers ranked in K/9 last season. Among starters who pitched at least 50 innings, Detmers ranked sixth out of 170 with a K/9 mark of 11.23. Kochanowicz on ther hand was dead last at 3.44 K/9.

While this had been portrayed as an even battle, the buzz coming out of Angels' camp shows that really these two weren't on the same footing. After flashes, but inconsistency, Detmers' 2024 disaster has put him squarely in make-or-break territory, likely giving him a slight advantage in the spring audition.

Kochanowicz, 24, is nearly two years younger than Detmers, and while his 65.1 innings last year were impressive at times, they're also his only experience above AA. The Angels can afford to wait for him to develop further.

With Detmers, they need an answer, and they were going to get one during the 2025 regular season unless Kochanowicz absolutely blew him away. While Kochanowicz certainly did his best, Detmers held serve and their latest outings probably confirmed what was inevitable.

On Saturday against Milwaukee, Kochanowicz wasn't sharp allowing six hits, three walks, and three earned runs over 3.1 innings, racking up one lone strikeout. Detmers took the mound in relief of Kyle Hendricks on Sunday, and his performance should put him comfortably in the lead.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old southpaw went four innings giving up four hits, no walks, and one earned run, while collecting four strikeouts. That outing should confirm that he'll get the nod, while Kochanowicz likely goes down to AAA for some more seasoning.

It's important to note that if this is how it plays out, it won't be about Kochanowicz losing the competition as much as it is about Detmers winning it. The Angels need Reid Detmers to show out in 2025, and he was always going to get any and every opportunity to do just that.

As for Kochanowicz, if he can continue to develop his secondary offerings his ceiling is bright as well, and with a plethora of young arms behind these two if the baseball gods smile down on Anaheim we could be entering the golden age of Angels' pitching.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout