3 Angels players we can suddenly put our faith in
The Los Angeles Angels haven't done anything this season or in the last eight seasons to earn our complete trust. We know the talent is there led by two of the greatest players we've ever seen, but the team still lacks any sort of consistency.
Even with the Angels as a team not being trustworthy, we've always been able to count on guys like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to put on a show even if they haven't lately.
Due to the play of these three players over a large sample size, it feels like every time they're called upon to come through, they do just that.
1) We can suddenly put our faith in LA Angels catcher Matt Thaiss
I never thought I'd say this, but I actually have confidence in Matt Thaiss offensively. His catching is a work in progress, but even then, his framing ranks in the 65th percentile according to baseball savant.
Thaiss' glove is improving, but his bat is front and center. He was drafted in the first round by the Angels because of his bat, and now we're finally seeing why.
The Angels backstop is slashing .300/.379/.444 with three home runs and 13 RBI this season. This is after he started the campaign hitless in his first 12 at-bats. Since recording that elusive first hit, Thaiss is slashing.346/.402/.513 and has been one of the best hitters on the team.
He's taken over as the primary catcher against right-handed pitching with Logan O'Hoppe injured and has blown Angels fans away with his offensive performance.
While Thaiss absolutely is not a .300 hitter, he's proving that he is a capable hitter at the MLB level, and that's something we hadn't seen from him at all. When he comes up to bat, I fully expect him to put up a professional at-bat and find his way on base. It's quite the turnaround considering my expectations were nonexistent when the season began.
2) We can suddenly put our faith in LA Angels pitcher Chris Devenski
Chris Devenski did it again. Another perfect inning for this veteran reliever who was brought in on a minor league deal. Perry Minasian appears to have struck gold with Devenski, and the 32-year-old has earned Phll Nevin's trust.
In his 13 appearances this season, Devenski has a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings of work. He's struck out 16 and has yet to walk a batter. He's pitched in virtually any situation and has gotten the job done virtually every time.
His vaunted change-up is having the effects it used to have during his prime days as an Astro, as opponents are hitting just .128 against that pitch with a 36.8% whiff rate. Devenski has had complete command of all three of his pitches all season long, and that's why he has a 0.540 WHIP. Yes, he's allowing one baserunner to reach every other inning which is extraordinary.
Two of the nine hits Devenski has allowed have left the ballpark so when he misses he does get hit, but he never really misses. In his last appearances he's gone 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and has not allowed a single baserunner. In ten of his 13 appearances Devenski has not allowed a single baserunner.
While I don't expect him to be THIS good, he's earned my vote of confidence. He's earned the faith of Angels fans that he'll get the job done no matter the situation.
3) We can suddenly put our faith in Gio Urshela
Gio Urshela has had our faith for longer than Thaiss and Devenski have, but his play of late since Anthony Rendon went onto the Injured List has been even better.
Urshela has been a guy you can always rely on to get a hit. He's among the league leaders in singles, and has only struck out 15% of the time which has him in the 87th percentile.
Urshela started the month of May going hitless in his first eight at-bats which dropped his season average to .276, but since then, he's slashed .354/.369/.481 with six extra-base hits. Urshela had just three extra-base hits in the month of April so while he still isn't hitting for much power, that part of his game has been a little more prevalent this month.
Urshela is a guy who can hit against both righties and lefties and can even come through with runners in scoring position as his .275 batting average would indicate.
When Urshela isn't getting his hits, he's still making the right baseball plays. He can move a guy over with a ground ball to the right side, or he can hit a sac fly when needed as well.
Urshela has always been a professional hitter, but he's currently fourth in the American League in batting. It's clear his offensive game has taken a bit of a jump this season, and he should be trusted to make the right baseball play whenever the Angels need it.