Former Angels' pitcher and first round pick re-signs on minor league deal

The 2025 Salt Lake Bees have potential to win a Pacific Coast League title, as their roster looks loaded at the outset of the minor league season. One new member of their pitching staff is old friend, Touki Toussaint, who appeared in 8 games for the Halos in 2022. The 28-year-old was selected 16th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2014 MLB Draft, and has long flashed his once-tantalizing potential but has fully put it together with any real consistency. Ultimately, Toussaint has never really panned out, but will be given yet another chance by the Angels to pitch his way back to the big leagues.

Touki Toussaint re-signs with the Angels on a minor league deal

Toussaint's history with the Atlanta Braves cannot be overlooked here -- Perry Minasian is completely obsessed with any and all players who pass through his former organization, and simply must take fliers on them as the Angels' general manager. Exactly one year after Toussaint signed his rookie contract with the Diamondbacks, he was traded alongside Bronson Arroyo to Atlanta for Phil Gosselin (a future Angels player due to his past Braves' affiliation).

In 2018, his rookie year, Toussaint was 22-years-old and turned in what ended up being his best season at the big league level with one organization. For three years after, he would appear for the Braves before finding his way to the Angels' organization. In 25.1 innings with the Angels that year, Toussaint posted a 4.81 FIP, 1.34 WHIP, and an 88 ERA+. While his overall numbers in 2022 were not flashy at all, they actually were some of the higher marks of his big league career.

Toussaint spent 2024 with the White Sox, another organization whose players the Angels are snatching up left-and-right for some reason. He threw his splitter 37% of the time for the ChiSox, his most used pitch, as he has lost his velocity in a big way. He averaged 91.3mph on his sinker (which he uses more than his 4-seam), where he averaged 94mph on his heater in 2020. He adds in a loopy, mid-70s curveball as well.

Toussaint will join a Bees pitching staff that includes promising youngsters like Caden Dana, Chase Silseth, Jack Dashwood, and Michael Darrell-Hicks, as well as veterans like Hans Crouse, Victor González, Dakota Hudson, Connor Brogdon, Shaun Anderson, and Michael Petersen. Sam Bachman was likely heading to Triple-A as well, before he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome which potentially opened up some innings for Toussaint to take.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout