The difference between expectation and reality was stark for Reid Detmers during the 2024 season. The young starting pitcher was expected to be atop the Los Angeles Angels rotation, but poor performance led to a Triple-A demotion and uneven play at both levels throughout the year.
There was some good to take away. In Detmers’ five September starts after returning from Triple-A, he struck out 39 batters in 24.1 innings. But he also had an 8.14 ERA allowing 11 walks and eight homers with an opponent OPS of 1.018.
He finished the 2024 season with 12 strikeouts in five innings against the Texas Rangers, but with four earned runs on three homers. And it’s this type of mixed bag that he needs to avoid if he wants to start fresh in 2025. And he spoke about what he wants to work on this offseason beyond just getting a breather away from baseball, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“Obviously, this year has not been ideal,” Detmers said. “There’s a lot of stuff that went on. But just clear the mind a little bit, get back home and reassess everything. Just kind of pick out the positives and the things I did really good. And then work on the negatives and use those as motivation. I think the main thing is just getting that fastball location this offseason.”
The Angels have some decisions to make this offseason when it comes to Detmers. If they decide that he is not going to be a core rotation piece moving forward, it might be best to trade him to a team that feels they can re-shape him and get some value for it.
But when Detmers has been at his best, he has looked like a legitimate top of the rotation starter. And at only 25 years old, there could still be so much untapped potential. The Angels, in their ideal world, would like to compete for the postseason in 2025, and it’s possible they decide Detmers is not yet ready for that chase.
Angels’ Caden Dana named minor league pitching prospect of the year finalist
Angels No. 1 prospect Caden Dana was named a finalist for the 2024 Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year Award. Dana, the No. 70 prospect in MLB, spent the majority of the season with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas before getting a brief stint in the Majors with the Angels.
Dana was incredible in Double-A this season. He pitched 135.2 innings, posting a 2.52 ERA, a 0.943 WHIP and 147 strikeouts. He threw over 100 pitches in six games before making his MLB debut in September. The organization has high expectations and a high level of faith in their 20-year-old 11th-round draft pick from 2022.