It's safe to say the Angels' best pitcher has already emerged after 12 games

As many know, the Angels needed several members of the pitching staff to emerge in a major way if they have any chance of breaking their postseason drought. Well, early returns have shown that José Soriano is going to do exactly that. Make no mistake, there's still a chance that the Angels' starting pitcher who was prematurely shut down last season due to arm fatigue will tail off as the season develops. However, as of now, Soriano is the bona fide ace of this Angels' rotation and the life blood of their run prevention unit.

It's safe to say the Angels' best pitcher has already emerged after 12 games

Soriano has thrown 20 innings (which leads the team) in his three starts so far in 2025, meaning he averages 6.2 innings a start. He is currently posting a 2.70 ERA, 3.88 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP. He has only allowed 12 hits in 20 innings. The strikeout numbers are a touch low, and the walk numbers are a touch high but he more than makes up for that by avoiding hard contact and keeping the ball in the infield.

When assembling the 2025 roster, Perry Minasian brilliantly targeted glove-first infielders to pair with his defensive-minded manager in Ron Washington? Why? The Angels have a litany of ground ball pitchers in their rotation and bullpen. Soriano is the best on the staff of generating grounders, he did it last season and picked right up where he left off. His 66.7% ground ball rate is the second best mark on the team, trailing Garrett McDaniels' 72.7%. Soriano's 6.3% fly ball rate is also second best on the team, as it is tied with Ian Anderson's mark and also trails McDaniels' 0 fly balls allowed. Obviously, Soriano has a larger sample size than McDaniels so it's no surprise that he leads the entire staff with 32 ground balls induced in 2025.

Yusei Kikuchi has struggled to begin the campaign, and he should be better so long as he stays healthy. Some may think that Kikuchi will surpass Soriano on the depth chart as the season progresses, but think again. Soriano is looking just as good, if not better, than his 2024 campaign due to refining his breaking balls and filling up the zone with his turbo-sinker. He is here, he is going to stay, and he might even make the All-Star team. Soriano is a certified dude, a caballo, and the Angels' ace/stopper. It's a beautiful thing.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout