Ron Washington says the quiet part out loud following Angels' latest demotion

The Angels have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to formulating their Opening Day bullpen, but the plans do not include an intriguing right-handed pitcher. Chase Silseth, who is still working his way back from a 2024 elbow injury, was optioned down to Triple-A following a rough showing during spring training. Silseth struggled with both his command and limiting hard contact, in his 13 innings he issued 10 walks, allowed 2 home runs, 17 hits, and 15 earned runs. However, it seems that the move had more to do with the mental side, according to Ron Washington.

Per Jeff Fletcher of The OC Register:

"As for Silseth, he suggested after he allowed five runs in a start Monday that he was 'overthinking' on the mound.

Washington agreed that his problems are not physical.

'When you’re having problems trying to control your emotions, that ain’t got (expletive) to do with physicality,' Washington said with a smile.

Silseth said that he worked with a mental skills coach over the winter, and the Angels clearly think he still needs work.

'It’s not an overnight thing,' Washington said. 'We can see progress, but he’s going to have to compete to where he can really control that. Trying to get him to be something he hasn’t been is really hard, because that’s what keeps showing up.'"

Jeff Fletcher

Ron Washington did not mince words following Angels' demotion of promising pitcher

Like he did with Reid Detmers last season, Washington is giving Silseth tough love regarding his body language. Silseth is already a fiery pitcher and he had to know he was coming up short in the race for a spot on the Opening Day roster. His frustration became palpable during his outings as he was laboring through his innings, and his emotions likely distracted him from the task at hand. That will not fly with most organizations, especially the Angels and their old-school skipper.

The motivation strategy being employed by Washington here can be hit or miss with different players. Some respond to the criticism, others do not. Some need to be more coddled, others need to be humbled. It sure seems like Washington felt that the public criticism of Silseth was necessary, as it appears the Angels' manager felt like the private conversations regarding his emotionality on the mound were not getting through.

It was interesting to see that the Angels never tried a bullpen transition with Silseth -- either as a swing guy or long reliever. Like Washington said, Silseth's physical tools are for real and he never had a great chance to pass Jack Kochanowicz or Detmers for a spot in the rotation this year. Silseth has a blistering fastball, and his offspeeds show great promise. A move to the bullpen would have allowed him to maybe hone in his arsenal, and potentially his emotionality too, while allowing his stuff to be unleashed even more in shorter stints.

Silseth will continue to be stretched out as a starter in Triple-A, as he will serve as a key depth piece moving forward. If anything happens to either Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, Kochanowicz, or Detmers, Silseth will likely be brought right back to the majors. It's tough to see such a promising young pitcher kicked while he is down by the manager, but he has all the tools available at his disposal to still have a solid big league career.

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