Angels stopped pretending and moved this intriguing pitching prospect to the bullpen

There comes a time in every pitching prospect's career where a decision has to be made: try to make it as a starter, or get moved to the bullpen. A lot of the time, a player's command and/or durability forces a switch to becoming a reliever, but not before his team goes to great lengths to try to make him work as a starter because the allure of that arm talent in the rotation is too much to ignore. With Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect Chris Cortez, we have reached that point.

There is no denying that Cortez has great raw stuff. The Angels' 2024 second-round pick features a fastball that can hit 100+ mph, a wipeout slider, and a changeup that lags. You won't struggle to find evidence of Cortez just absolutely overwhelming opposing hitters, but that is not all you would find.

While this IS only the start of Cortez's second full season as a pro, it was becoming abundantly clear that if the Angels want to get the most out of Cortez and his very, very spotty command, he needed to be shifted to the bullpen. Thankfully, that is exactly where Cortez is headed.

Chris Cortez's lack of command should be a huge signal to the Angels to make him a reliever

Without question, the biggest argument for making Cortez a reliever is his inability to harness his arsenal. In 113.2 innings last year, Cortez did strike out 114 batters, but he also issued a staggering 84 walks. Somehow, his walk rate is actually worse in 2026 as he has walked 26 batters in just 17.1 innings of work. That is just not sustainable, so it is worth trying to see if Cortez's stuff could play up and whether he would have more command in shorter stints.

In addition to salvaging Cortez's career, there are plenty of benefits for the Angels here. Not only does Cortez have previous experience as a reliever, but he is also a college arm at a position of real need at the moment. Now that they have made the move, Cortez could blast through the minors extremely quickly and potentially provide a boost to the Angels' bullpen in short order.

The Angels should be applauded for acting so decisively here. It is obvious that Cortez's inability to throw enough strikes will prevent him from developing much as a starter. The Angels may not want to give up on Cortez as a starter, but that doesn't mean doing just that isn't the right decision.

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