5 promising LA Angels Pitchers who won't make the opening day roster

For the first time in a long time, the LA Angels actually have a decent amount of pitching depth. While there isn't too much wiggle room with the starting rotation, their bullpen is deep enough that they will actually be forced to leave behind several quality arms in the minor leagues until the time comes when they are needed.

As it stands the guaranteed locks for the LA Angels opening day bullpen are Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera, Archie Bradley, Austin Warren, and Mike Mayers. This leaves only two, maybe three, spots left on the opening day roster and a whole bunch of guys all vying for a shot.

From potential starters to quality relievers, the Angels have multiple guys who won't make the opening day roster, but will still prove very valuable.

The likes of Jose Quijada, Jimmy Herget and the loser of the rotation battle between Reid Detmers and Jaime Barria all stand the best chance of securing those final spots with the LA Angels. So instead of talking about them, I want to focus on the lower profile pitchers; guys who either haven't proven to be MLB ready yet or are simply on the outside looking in at this point in time.

Make no mistake, no team gets through a season unscathed, and as we learned last year a team is only as good as its depth. In all likelihood, each of the pitchers on this list will be called up at least once this year, and when that happens they'll be the key to helping this Angels team remain competitive.

If someone you have high hopes for isn't on this list, chances are they're a prospect who isn't quite ready for the show (Ky Bush, Hector Yan), an injured player who might not even play this year (Chris Rodriguez, Griffin Canning), or were cut in the offseason for some reason (RIP Kyle Tyler and Packy Naughton).

#2 LA Angels pitcher who will contribute in 2022: Janson Junk

The man with the amazing name, Janson Junk will probably be the most important person on this list for the LA Angels.

Unlike everyone else, Junk is most likely to be called up as a starter when someone in the current rotation inevitably hits the injured list. By all accounts, he's second on the starting pitching depth list behind either Detmers or Barria, and for good reason.

Junk looked great in his debut season in the majors last year and was a rare instance of the Angels actually winning a trade. Through four starts, he pitched 16.1 innings and owned a 3.86 ERA, 1.347 WHIP and 1.1 BB/9. Before that, the 26 year old had a bit of an up and down minor league career in the Yankees farm system, but finally put it all together in 2021 with a 2.81 ERA in 93 innings before getting called up.

Though his four seamer lacks movement and velocity, his curveball (57.9 inches of vertical drop) and slider (15.6 inches of horizontal movement) are what will make or break him in the majors.

If he can further refine his breaking pitches and improve on his lackluster strikeout rate last year (5.5 K/9), he might follow in Patrick Sandoval's footsteps and become the Angels next breakout pitcher.

#3 LA Angels pitcher who will contribute in 2022: Andrew Wantz

The first true reliever on this list, Andrew Wantz had an uneven start to his LA Angels career last year.

Owning a 4.94 ERA in 21 relief appearances, he looked completely unmatched in several of his outings, most notably a four-run blowup against the Astros on September 20. On the other hand, there were times when he looked like one of the best relievers in LA's bullpen, like two days later when he blanked the Astros over two no-hit innings.

That was pretty much how the whole season went for Wantz as he frequently alternated between utter dominance and complete disaster. That said, he was still just a rookie after all, and there's no denying that when he got into a groove he looked great.

Were it not for a trio of late-season stinkers at the hands of the playoff-bound Astros and White Sox, Wantz would probably be in position to seriously compete for a spot on the opening day roster. Remember, as late as September 1, following back-to-back flawless outings against the Yankees, his ERA was an impressive 3.29.

With more refinement of three already above average pitches in his changeup (31 inches of vertical drop), slider (41.5 inches) and four seamer (14.6 inches), Wantz will look to build upon his excellent swing and miss numbers from last year (28-30% whiff rate on all pitch types, 12.5 K/9) and should eventually be an important member of the bullpen.

#4 LA Angels pitcher who will contribute in 2022: Ty Buttrey

Hey, remember when Ty Buttrey looked like the future ace of the LA Angels bullpen?

When Buttrey finally broke through to the majors in 2018 after seven years in the minors, he was absolutely electric. Though it was only in 16.1 innings, he put up a 3.31 ERA and 1.63 FIP and struck out 20 batters.

Then came 2019, when he pitched almost five times as many innings and regressed to a still good but no longer elite 3.98 ERA and 3.49 FIP. He then followed this up with an abysmal 2020 when he produced a 5.81 ERA and 4.94 FIP. Sighting a loss of love for the game, he retired a few months later.

Now that he's back from his brief retirement, however, there's hope that with his head in the right place, he might be able to at least recapture some of that spark.

When he was at his best in 2018, Buttrey's peripherals were amazing, namely his filthy strikeout stuff (11.0 K/9, 55.9% Whiff rate on his slider).

Even in his next two seasons there was still a lot to like, with the spin rate, vertical drop and horizontal break on his fastball, changeup and slider all remaining steady and even improving in some cases. His fastball in particular generated 92% more break than the average pitcher's in 2020 and still reached speeds in the high-90s. It's just that for whatever reason batters were suddenly able to crush everything he threw at them.

As of right now, the only remaining road block for Buttrey is that he's still on the restricted list, meaning he won't be able to pitch in any official games for the Angels unless they remove someone from the 40-man roster to make space for him.

For what it's worth, ZiPS sees Buttrey having a solid bounce-back season this year, with a 3.76 ERA over roughly 70 innings. If Buttrey proves he can come anywhere near this level of production in practice, he should find himself back on the roster, just don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

#5 LA Angels pitcher who will contribute in 2022: Jhonathan Diaz

Towards the end of the 2021 season, the LA Angels called up a whole bunch of young pitching prospects to see if any of them could potentially see some success in the bullpen. Headlining this group were Jose Marte, Elvis Peguero, Jhonathan Diaz, and Oliver Ortega. Unfortunately, none of them proved they were developed enough to truly make it in the big leagues just yet.

Realistically, each of these guys will see time in the majors this year, though, most will likely only stick around for a couple appearances before being sent back down or DFA'd.

Having said that, with another year of experience and fine tuning, one of them is bound to prove useful at the major league level this year. Take your pick, but I'm going with Diaz.

In addition to being the only lefty of the group, Diaz is the most likely to remain a starting pitcher, hence why he was the only one to actually, well, start for the Angels in 2021. If Junk is the first person to be called up for an emergency start, Diaz is right after him.

Though his two starts last year were less than ideal (2 ER in 1.2 IP vs. Oakland, 3 ER in 4.1 IP vs. Seattle), it was his brilliant extended relief outing against the Mariners on September 25 that really turned heads.

Pitching the final seven innings against a red-hot rival team that had won its previous six games, Diaz came out on top after almost completely shutting down the M's offense. Allowing just one run on three hits against a team that scored 28 runs during its win streak is impressive anyway you slice it.

Like the rest of the guys on this list, Diaz is part of a bright future for this team. Not just because he's young, but because with pitchers like him waiting in the wings, the Angels will actually remain competitive if any of their top players hit the IL.

For a team with serious playoff aspirations, these pitchers may very well be the difference makers in 2022.