The Los Angeles Angels were incredibly active in the free agent and trade markets prior to the 2023 season getting underway, most recently taking another shot at a high-upside reliever coming off an injury.
Veteran right-hander Evan Marshall was signed to a Minor League deal on Thursday, adding to their decent crop of arms. He missed all of the 2022 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, last appearing in a Major League game on June 29, 2021.
Marshall’s best performance in Major League Baseball came from 2019-2020, posting ERA’s under 2.50 with large sample sizes in both seasons. But in ’21, issues with his elbow can be largely to blame for his spiraled performance when he posted a 5.60 ERA in 27.1 innings.
He made a name for himself mainly due to his elite changeup and curveball combination with which he was able to miss an incredible number of bats.
Marshall joins an Angels system with a number of options for manager Phil Nevin’s bullpen, and it doesn’t hurt to add more dart throws to the mix. Carlos Estévez was the club’s big offseason signing at the backend, who’s largely struggled in Cactus League play, but Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup, Matt Moore and Jimmy Herget, are penciled in as mainstays in MLB.
They also signed some arms to Minor League deals, including Chris Devinski, Jonathan Holder, and Jacob Webb, to name a few.
As camp begins to wrap up, Marshall joining the team has zero risk attached, with enough upside to make it worth the shot.
Angels pitching coach Bill Hezel having immediate impact
The Angels made the decision to bring in the former director of pitching at Driveline, Bill Hezel, and instill him as the new assistant pitching coach. The 36-year-old left one of the top baseball development programs to join the Major League ranks and now he’s penned as a key cog in pushing pitchers in L.A. to new heights.
Early on he’s said to be earning the respect of the coaching staff and players alike.
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