Garrett McDaniels is poised to be your next favorite Angels reliever

The sample size is small, but in two spring training appearances and two innings total, Garrett McDaniels is already showing why the Angels selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. He's yet to give up a run, hit, or walk in that short time while recording a strikeout and a 100% ground ball rate.

McDaniels got a taste of AA last season but pitched just three innings there. He pitched 73.1 total innings in the Dodgers' system last year, with 45.0 coming in A-ball and 25.1 coming in High-A. As a result, he's seeing a giant leap in competition even this spring and will be in for an uphill battle to stay on the big league roster (and in the Angels organization) in 2025.

However, the 25-year-old lefty is no stranger to beating the odds. Coming out of high school, McDaniels was an afterthought in recruitment circles and settled on a Division-II program, Mount Olive, before going undrafted.

Signing as an undrafted free agent, Tommy John surgery kept him out of the 2022 season and most of 2023 where he pitched just 18 total innings. Therefore, 2024 was his first extended professional experience and he responded by posting a 3.19 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 10.31 K/9, and a 58.9% ground ball rate across all of his minor league appearances.

That head-turning performance combined with the mental fortitude to overcome the long odds to even be considered for a big-league role showcases the fortitude you look for in a reliever who may be brought into less-than-favorable situations.

Garrett McDaniels could become the best lefty out of the Angels bullpen

The Angels bullpen is much better after the addition of Kenley Jansen, and while he and Ben Joyce will lock down the late innings, there are questions that remain beyond that back-end duo. One of the biggest questions is whether or not the Angels have enough from the left side to be effective.

They're not lacking for options, along with McDaniels southpaw candidates to snag bullpen roles including Brock Burke, José Quijada, and José Suarez. Despite a lot of options, none of those guys are sure things, except for Suarez who is sure to be bad and likely will be on the outside looking in.

Burke has been inconsistent in his career. He posted a 1.97 ERA in 82.1 innings back in 2022 but followed that up with a 4.37 mark in 59.2 innings in 2023. Last season, he was dreadful with the Rangers with a 9.22 ERA that led to his release and eventual signing with the Angels where he was much better pitching to a 3.54 mark in 20.1 innings.

Quijada has a high-octane fastball that he threw 94% of the time last season. His fastball rate wasn't sky-high solely because it was effective, instead, he relied on his heater that often because he had no reliable secondary offerings. As a result, the 29-year-old has never really carved out a consistent role.

McDaniels has the makings of a pitcher who can contribute in a variety of ways. Last season, the Dodgers used him as a long reliever pitching up to five innings at a time in his minor league appearances earlier in the season, before transitioning to a more traditional relief role where he excelled.

Scouts note the diversity in his repertoire, featuring a sinking fastball as well as a more standard four-seamer, a slider, and a slower curveball as positives that could make him stick. His over-hand delivery adds deception, but isn't gimmicky to the point where it limits him to a lefty-specialist role.

This spring, McDaniels has already shown an advanced feel on how to utilize his repertoire to keep hitters off balance, snapping off nasty sliders in fastball counts which indicates a level of confidence that is typically reserved for more experienced pitchers.

Despite a lack of experience as a whole, McDaniels has already been exposed to a diverse set of roles, and with his repertoire, delivery, and experience overcoming adversity, he could be poised to help the Angels in a number of ways this season.

It wouldn't surprise to see him get his first opportunities as a long-man out of the pen in the season's early months, but it would also not surprise to see him graduate to being the first lefty out of the pen in high-leverage situations later in the year.

Garrett McDaniels will be a player to keep your eyes on for the rest of the spring, and quickly he could conquer your heart as your new favorite Angels lefty reliever, and the best one on the team.

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