The Angels plan to stretch out Chase Silseth in spring training, but should they?

One of the toughest questions for fringy pitching prospects is which role they are best suited for. Starting pitching is one of the most valuable commodities in the game. Relievers, except for the elite ones, can be fickle, however, bullpen performance can sometimes make or break a season. When it comes to Chase Silseth, the question the Angels face is which role he is best suited for.

Last month it was announced that Silseth will come to camp stretched out as a starter. If he falters in spring training, a move to the bullpen rather than a demotion to the minors could be in the cards. For the Angels, they could use help in both spots, so wherever Silseth winds up it could be a win, at least in the short term.

However, one of the most important aspects of team building is maximizing each player's value both in the short and long term. With Silseth, that's where the real conundrum lies.

Finding the optimal role for Chase Silseth in 2025 and beyond is an Angels' priority

Silseth finished out spring training last year looking like a starting pitcher who was oozing with potential. Unfortunately, the results when the games began to matter simply didn't match that impressive glimpse. While he broke camp in the rotation, he made just two starts logging a total of eight innings pitched. While he impressively struck out 12 batters in that limited action, he got shelled otherwise and posted a 6.75 ERA in that limited sample.

From there, he was sent down to AAA where he fared no better, making 7 starts and pitching 28.1 innings while posting a 6.35 ERA. Elbow injuries plagued him and he eventually had season-ending elbow surgery in August.

2023 might be a better indicator of which role Silseth truly belongs in. That year, he split his 16 big league appearances equally between the rotation and the bullpen. As a starter, Silseth pitched 37 innings posting 11.19 K/9, 3.41 BB/9, and a 3.89 ERA. The only real blemish on his ledger as a starter was the 1.70 HR/9 he surrendered.

As a reliever, things were quite a bit different. He pitched 15.1 innings out of the pen and posted a decent 4.11 ERA while limiting his home run rate to a serviceable 1.17 HR/9, however, his K/9 fell to 5.87 and his BB/9 ballooned to 7.04.

The small sample caveat applies to both of those performances, but the numbers are telling. While Silseth's fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch triple digits, it doesn't have elite rise and it's his other offerings that are the most effective.

In addition to his four-seamer, he also brings a sinker, splitter, and slider to the table. Occasionally, he'll mix in a curveball as well. The variety present in his arsenal forecasts the ability to turn a lineup over multiple times, and the weakness of his fastball relative to his velocity likely indicates it won't play up in the pen despite an assumed uptick in velocity.

Most relievers rely on limited repertoires and max effort to be effective, and in Silseth's case, that almost seems like a waste. On top of that, the Angels are relying on a pair of soft-tossing 35-year-olds Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks to be meaningful members of the rotation, which doesn't seem like a bet that will likely pay off.

Hendricks posted a 5.92 ERA last season and had an ERA over 4.75 in two out of the prior three seasons. Anderson has been inconsistent in recent years with ERA's ranging from 2.57 all the way up to 5.43 over the past four years.

Silseth will likely be an x-factor for the Angels this season and while this isn't to say that he should be handed a job in the starting rotation, his profile best fits as a starter for 2025 and beyond.

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