Reid Detmers' dominance adds to Angels trend fans can’t ignore

There were obvious concerns throughout the Los Angeles Angels fanbase once they learned that Reid Detmers was returning to the starting rotation in 2026. After all, he has performed so well coming out of the bullpen in 2025, why mess with success, right?

As it turns out — at least four games into the 2026 season — it would seem that the Angels made the right decision. Detmers has been fantastic out of the gate with a 3.57 ERA and 26 punch outs over 22⅔ innings of work. His latest performance against the Yankees, one that lasted seven innings and saw him strikeout nine batters, was his best outing yet.

Don't look now, Angels fans, but LA's starting rotation has been pretty good — at least by their standards. In all seriousness, the Halos starters have faired well to begin the season. With Detmers and José Soriano leading the way, the Angels' rotation ranks 5th in home runs allowed (7), 7th in strikeouts (96) and batting average allowed (.216), 11th innings pitched (92⅓), 19th in ERA (4.19).

The Angels' starting rotation is showing signs of life

Unfortunately, there has been one area where the Angels' starters have struggled this season. Walks have been a major problem for Los Angeles' rotation in 2026. Their 50 free passes on the year are outpaced by only the Athletics (51).

But the Angels front office and coaching staff has to be pleased given what they've seen from their starters so far this season. It's also worth mentioning that LA's rotation has done this without their biggest offseason acquisition, Grayson Rodriguez.

The 1-2 punch of Detmer and Soriano could help to bring some stability to the Angels rotation — something that's been lacking for quite some time in Anaheim. Both pitchers are under team control through the 2028 season, though it may behoove Angels owner Arte Moreno to lock up these young arms before they hit the open market.

For now, however, Angels fans should be focused on the present. It's rare to have two homegrown starters ascend to this level of production, and Angels pitching coach Mike Maddux should definitely receives heaps of praise if these two starters continue to dominate the opposition through the rest of the 2026 season.

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