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5 Angels players who took an unfortunate step back in 2023
We expected more from these players and this team.
The Los Angeles Angels were right in the thick of postseason contention just two months ago. They went all in at the trade deadline shooting for their first postseason berth since 2014, but fell flat on their faces.
Now, the Angels will hope to finish with a better record than the 73-89 mark in 2022. They'll have to sweep the Athletics this weekend to do that and will have to take at least two of three to avoid 90 losses. This is a team that was five games over .500 on July 31.
There are several reasons this Angels team collapsed as hard as they did. Injuries mounted. The manager wasn't any good. The players they acquired at the deadline underperformed. All of these are valid.
One very important reason this team failed to improve was certain players who were expected to take steps forward this season, went in the other direction. These five players were all on the team last season (no Hunter Renfroe or Tyler Anderson) and showed signs of life only to regress in 2023.
1) LA Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval took an unfortunate step back in 2023
Patrick Sandoval broke out last season, posting a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts and 148.2 innings pitched. He was able to stay healthy and effective from start to finish, and looked like a legitimate frontline starter of the future for the Angels.
Sandoval continued to impress with great outings in the World Baseball Classic. He allowed just one run in 7.1 innings in the WBC, showing a ton of enthusiasm and confidence in the process. It looked like he was going to repeat the terrific season he just had and maybe even push for an all-star appearance.
This couldn't be further from what happened as Sandoval really struggled in 2023. His 4.11 ERA wasn't too bad, but a big reason the ERA was at that somewhat respectable figure is because he allowed 23 unearned runs.
The Angels played horrific defense behind him, but Sandoval often blew games immediately after an error occurred. He had a start at T-Mobile Park in which he allowed eight runs and only one of them was earned. Sure, the Angels made a couple of key errors behind him, but Sandoval would proceed to give up back-breaking hit after back-breaking hit.
The talent is there. He has good stuff. That's why a year of stunted growth is frustrating to see from Sandoval. He failed to complete five innings eight times in his 28 starts. He only went six innings nine times. He'd often leave games in the fifth or sixth inning with enormous pitch counts as he tries to be too perfect painting corners instead of simply trusting the stuff he has.
I still believe in the 26-year-old because he's too talented for me not to. He has to show that he can be more consistent on the mound. We've seen him look excellent and horrific. We need more of just a consistently solid Sandoval.
2) LA Angels pitcher Jaime Barria took an unfortunate step back in 2023
This is something a lot of fans saw coming. Jaime Barria was excellent in 2022 as he posted a 2.61 ERA in 35 appearances, but a lot of that success he had appeared to be due to luck. The ERA was sparkling but he had a 4.39 FIP and a 4.11 xERA. He was more average at best than an elite long man.
This season, Barria was pitching extremely well once again in his long relief role. So well, in fact, that the Angels pushed him into the starting rotation when Jose Suarez went down with injury. Barria pitched decently well as a starter, but not well enough to remain a fixture in the rotation. Especially not after the Angels acquired Lucas Giolito.
Since re-transitioning back to a full-time reliever, Barria has had a nightmarish second half. He has a 10.29 in 16 appearances and 28 innings pitched. He blew the Sunday night ESPN game against the Astros in the Angels' first series after the break, and has seen his ERA balloon from 3.31 in the first half to 5.68 as we enter the final weekend of the season.
Barria has that ugly 5.68 ERA and that's with an even uglier 6.07 FIP. He's not getting lucky anymore, and has been lit up the entire second half. I'd be fairly shocked if the Angels chose to tender him a contract for the 2024 season.
3) LA Angels outfielder Taylor Ward took an unfortunate step back in 2023
Like Sandoval, Taylor Ward was an Angel who broke out in 2022 and was looking to back that up with an all-star caliber 2023 season. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen.
Ward had an .833 OPS and a 134 OPS+ last season for the Halos and saw those numbers dip to .756 and 104 respectively. He went from virtually star production last season to average in 2023.
Ward's struggles were a big reason this Angels team never quite took off in the first half. He was swinging way more than he ever had, and wasn't having success doing that. Why he maneuvered from the patient approach he had in 2022 when he was so good is beyond me, but that can at least partially explain the 80 point OPS dropoff.
The Angels outfielder transitioned nicely to left field defensively as I thought he looked solid out there, but the bat was super inconsistent all year when he was healthy. Ward went from the guy who was locked in at the top of the order to a player whose future with the Halos appears to be a little uncertain. For now, let's just hope his recovery is going well after being hit in the face in Toronto.
4) LA Angels pitcher Jose Suarez took an unfortunate step back in 2023
Jose Suarez is a pitcher most Angels fans were never quite bought in to. He had a really impressive finish to his 2022 season as a full-time starter, but a lot of that success came against inferior competition. He had never quite proven it over the course of a full season, or against good teams.
Despite the lack of a track record, Suarez was guaranteed a spot in the rotation from the jump. It's safe to say he did not make the most out of that opportunity.
The southpaw had a 9.62 ERA in his first six starts of the season. This included blowups against the Mariners, Rangers, and Athletics. Three division rivals. And yes, he allowed seven runs in the first three innings against the now 49-110 Oakland Athletics.
Suarez was simply uncompetitive as a starter before landing on the IL and missing most of the season. He's allowed three runs in 6.1 innings across four outings since his return in September. He's looked a bit better, but nothing special.
He's going from being a lock in the 2023 Opening Day rotation to a player who could be in DFA territory this offseason. It'd be a bit surprising to see the Angels let go of the 25-year-old if it wasn't in a trade, but that's where we are now.
5) LA Angels pitcher Reid Detmers took an unfortunate step back in 2023
Reid Detmers was yet another Angels player who really impressed in the second half of 2022 and was expected to take another leap this season. The now 24-year-old had some great moments last season highlighted of course by his no-hitter, and looked like a potential future frontline starter for the Angels. Now, as his 2023 season has come to an end, it's hard to tell what he is.
The stuff is good. Detmers struck out 168 batters in 148.2 innings of work and put up a 26.1 K%. That number increased from his 2022 mark of 22.6%. Unfortunately, his walk rate and home run rate also rose a bit.
The southpaw had a nice finish to his season, posting a 2.20 ERA in his final five starts to lower his season ERA to 4.48. His ERA sat over 5.00 as we entered the month of September. Simply put, for a guy who was counted on to play a big role in the rotation, that's not close to good enough.
We saw plenty of good from Detmers this season, like when he carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning in Texas in August. We also saw a ton of bad like when he allowed seven runs in two innings in Houston just one week prior. Detmers has a high celing, but he also has a very low floor. You never truly know what you're going to get from him going into a start, which is a bad feeling to have.
Detmers was another Angels victim of some bad luck as he had a 4.13 FIP, but even that mark was lower than last season's 3.79 FIP. He was able to stay healthy and take the ball when asked, which for this team was very good to see, but I just didn't see improvement from last season.
Hopefully, like with Sandoval, he can find some consistency in 2024 and become the frontline starter we all know he's capable of being.
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