Can the Angels newest starting pitcher finally provide stability in the rotation?

As the Angels plod into September with little to play for except their pride, rosters have expanded and allowed the team the chance to add some stability to the rotation. While it was not one of their high-ranking pitching prospects that fans were hoping to see called up, the goal remains the same for the newest Halos starting pitcher.

Mitch Farris has been a career minor leaguer. A former 14th round pick by the Atlanta Braves, was acquired by the Angels in December of last season. Farris is being promoted directly from the Rocket City Trash Pandas, skipping Triple-A altogether. The Angels have been known to move their top prospects up quickly, and although Farris' name will not be found on any rankings the move to MLB speaks to the Angels' belief in the left-handed pitcher.

Farris has been an absolute strikeout artist since the Angels acquired him. While his 4.27 ERA does not wow at first sight, his 142 strikeouts in 116 innings certainly does. In his final start in August, Farris went ahead and struck out 13 batters in a single start, the third highest number ever with the Trash Pandas (behind only Reid Detmers' 16 and Brett Kerry's 14).

Farris uses a fastball and change-up combination as his main arsenal, relying on hitters' miscasting his pitches to fan them. It has proven to work at the minor league level, and with such eye-popping strikeout numbers there is reason to believe his success will continue in the major leagues. His change-up is undoubtedly his best pitch, as FanGraphs rates it as a 55. Farris also uses a curveball (ranked as a 50 grade pitch) as his breaking ball, which has created a lot of swing and miss in the minor leagues.

The Angels rotation spent most of the season as a rather consistent unit, especially with all five starters remaining completely healthy for the first half. While Jack Kochanowivz was eventually sent down and Tyler Anderson has landed on the injured list now, the unit's top three is still solid. The back end of the rotation is in desperate need of some stability, though, and Farris can provide that. No one is expecting or asking Farris to show up and be the ace of the staff, but if he can come in and provide 5-6 innings of solid pitching every fifth day, this Angels team could finish the season on a high note going into a pivotal 2026. And for Farris, his role in 2026 will largely rest on how he performs in these next handful of starts at the big league level.

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