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Angels To Promote Jack Kochanowicz

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The Angels are calling up right-hander Jack Kochanowicz to start Thursday’s game, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register on X. The righty is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The Halos announced that righty Davis Daniel has been optioned to Triple-A with lefty Kenny Rosenberg recalled to take Daniel’s spot tonight. A move will be required to get Kochanowicz onto the roster tomorrow, which might just be Rosenberg getting optioned back down, depending on what happens in tonight’s contest.

Kochanowicz, 23, was a third-round pick of the Halos in the 2019 draft. He didn’t pitch in the affiliated ranks in the months following that selection and then the minors were wiped out by the pandemic in 2020, delaying his professional debut.

He has since been working his way through the system with a grounder-heavy approach. He has thrown 326 innings in the minors to this point in his career with a 5.44 earned run average. His 19.1% strikeout rate in that time is subpar but he’s limited walks to a 7% clip and has had strong ground ball rates at every stop so far. Major league average is at 42.4% this year but Kochanowicz has been between 48 and 63% at every stop of his career so far. His .317 batting average on balls in play and 61.4% strand rate are both a bit on the unlucky side, so perhaps he’ll be able to have some better results with stronger defenders behind him.

Kochanowicz was added to the Angels’ 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America and FanGraphs both currently list him as the club’s 13th-best prospect, highlighting his high-90s velocity. MLB Pipeline is a bit more bullish and has him up in the #7 slot while Keith Law of The Athletic had him in the #12 spot coming into the year.

The Angels recently lost Patrick Sandoval to season-ending surgery while guys like Reid Detmers, Chase Silseth and Zach Plesac have struggled and been optioned to Triple-A, with Daniel now in that pile as well. The rotation currently consists of Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, José Soriano and Roansy Contreras. Kochanowicz will take the ball tomorrow, though it’s unclear if it’s just a spot start or if he’ll get a lengthy rotation audition. He still hasn’t pitched at Triple-A but the Halos will skip him over that level for now. With the All-Star break next week, they could survive with a four-man rotation for a time and call someone else up to take the fifth spot once needed.

It’s possible that the Angels will make some trades at this year’s deadline that thin out that group. The club is 37-54 and clearly in seller mode going into the deadline. Their farm system is poorly regarded, which will perhaps make it tough to contend in the seasons to come. That should leave the front office open to considering trades of players even if they have some club control beyond the current campaign. Anderson has one year left on his deal, for instance, while Canning has one year of arbitration remaining.

Some recent reporting has suggested that the club prefers to hold onto Anderson, Canning and other players with similar windows of control, though it’s possible that’s posturing for negotiation purposes. The trade deadline is July 30.

Angels Designate Aaron Hicks For Assignment, Select Cole Tucker

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The Angels announced a series of roster moves today, recalling right-hander Davis Daniel from Triple-A Salt Lake and selecting the contract of infielder Cole Tucker. In corresponding moves, they optioned right-hander Zac Kristofak to Salt Lake and designated outfielder Aaron Hicks for assignment.

Hicks, 34, was a pretty low risk pick-up for the Angels, at least from a financial perspective. His contract is still being paid by the Yankees, since they released him last year. The Angels added him to their roster but would only have to pay Hicks the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Yankees are paying.

There was a decent chance of them seeing a positive return on that investment, since Hicks seemed to bounce back with the Orioles last year. The O’s picked him up after the Yanks let him go, then Hicks went on to hit .275/.381/.425 in his time with Baltimore. That production translated to a wRC+ of 129 and Hicks also stole six bases in six tries.

But he’s looked far worse since donning an Angels uniform. Through 18 games this year, he’s produced an ugly line of .140/.222/.193 while striking out in 36.5% of his 63 plate appearances. His 9.5% walk rate is a bit above league average but below his career rate and even last year’s clip.

As Hicks has struggled, other outfielders have been in decent form. Both Mike Trout and Taylor Ward have been healthy and productive so far this season, while Jo Adell seems to finally be enjoying his long-awaited breakout.

Adell, 25, was selected 10th overall in 2017 and was a top 100 prospect on his way up the minor league ladder, but he struggled badly with strikeouts in his attempts to establish himself in the big leagues. He got sporadic playing time in the majors from 2020 to 2023 but was punched out in 35.4% of his plate appearances while hitting .214/.259/.366. This year, however, he’s hit .327/.382/.592 so far for a wRC+ of 174. Some regression is certainly forthcoming since he won’t be able to maintain a .382 batting average on balls in play, but he’s only striking out at a 23.6% clip so far this year.

The Angels are seemingly going to ride the hot hand and go with Adell next to Ward and Trout. Mickey Moniak is hitting a dismal .143/.200/.214 on the year but his .189 BABIP will surely come up over time. He’s striking out 30% of the time but that’s actually an improvement over last year’s 35% rate, when he rode a .389 BABIP to a line of .280/.307/.495. Since he’s younger than Hicks and comes with three additional years of cheap control, in addition to being out of options, he will hang onto the fourth outfielder job while Hicks is bumped off the roster.

By getting rid of Hicks, the Angels will add to their infield by selecting Tucker. Anthony Rendon and Michael Stefanic are on the injured list while Brandon Drury and Miguel Sanó have each missed a few games due to minor injuries in the past week. Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Luis Rengifo have been the club’s three healthy infielders getting regular playing time, while Ehire Adrianza has picked up some playing time with Drury and Sanó banged up.

Coming into the season, the 27-year-old Tucker was in a similar position as Adell, a former first-round pick who hadn’t lived up to the hype. Selected 24th overall by the Pirates in 2014, Tucker has a batting line of just .216/.266/.318 in 479 major league plate appearances, scattered over the past five seasons.

He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners back in January but was granted his release back in March. He tells reporters today, including Sam Blum of The Athletic and Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, that the Mariners offered him a coaching position after he was reassigned to minor league camp. But he wasn’t ready to quit playing yet and secured a minor league deal with the Angels.

He reported to the club’s Triple-A squad in Salt Lake and has been in great form of late. He’s made 42 plate appearances over 10 games, drawing eight walks and striking out nine times for rates of 19% and 21.4%, respectively. His .313/.439/.469 batting line translates to a wRC+ of 132, even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

That’s a fairly small sample size relative to Tucker’s larger career struggles. In addition to his aforementioned major league work, he hit a tepid .243/.350/.363 in the minors over the 2021 to 2023 period. Regardless of his offensive abilities, Tucker can provide the Angels with some cover all over the diamond. He has played all four infield positions in his career and spent some time in the outfield as well. As mentioned, the club has various moving parts with the infield injuries, so Tucker can bounce around as needed.

He is out of options and will have to stick on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man entirely if he gets squeezed from the club’s plans down the road. But if he manages to have a long-awaited breakout like Adell, he can be controlled for many seasons beyond this season since he has just over two years of major league service time.

The Angels will have a week to trade Hicks or pass him through waivers. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while retaining the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2025. Any club willing to give him a roster spot would be in the same spot as the Angels just were, only having to pay the prorated league minimum with the Yanks on the hook for the rest.

Angels To Recall Davis Daniel For MLB Debut

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The Angels are planning to recall right-hander Davis Daniel prior to today’s game, reports Sam Blum of The Athletic. The Halos currently have tonight’s starter listed as TBD, so it would seem the 26-year-old Daniel is in position to make his big league debut.

A seventh-round pick back in 2019, Davis originally had his contract selected to the big league roster last summer but didn’t appear in a game before being optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s spent the bulk of the season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain but returned to the mound in early August. He’s worked 25 1/3 innings between rehab stints with the Angels’ Rookie-ball and Class-A affiliates, pitching to a 1.78 ERA with an outstanding 37-to-5 K/BB ratio in that time (against much younger and less experienced competition, of course).

While Daniel has spent this year rehabbing and facing only lower-level minor leaguers as he ramps back up, he did log 102 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level a year ago. In that time, he pitched to a 4.49 ERA in a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment, striking out 19.4% of his opponents against a 7.5% walk rate.

Daniel ranked among the Angels’ top 30 prospects on most publications heading into the 2022 season, but his velocity and strikeouts were down last year — and this year’s shoulder strain has only further led to concern. Injuries have been an issue for the former Auburn hurler, who also had Tommy John surgery during his draft season. Davis no longer ranks within the Angels’ top 30 prospects at either MLB.com or Baseball America, but FanGraphs tabs him 21st among Anaheim farmhands.

Daniel is fully rested and is stretched out to the point where he’s a clear option to start tonight’s game. He pitched 5 1/3 innings in his most recent start on Aug. 29, and he went six innings and five innings, respectively, in his two starts prior to that outing. He could also provide bulk innings behind an opener if the Halos choose to go that route. That’s not a tactic they’ve used in 2023, but they did turn to openers and bullpen games on occasion last year.

Angels To Select Kyren Paris

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The Angels plan to promote middle infield prospect Kyren Paris from Double-A Rocket City, reports Taylor Blake Ward of the Sporting Tribune (on Twitter). He’ll take one of a number of open roster spots for the Halos.

Paris, whom Baseball America recently ranked the #5 prospect in the Angels’ system, was a second round pick out of a Bay Area high school in 2019. He has been among the better prospects in the organization since then even though the canceled 2020 minor league campaign combined with hamate and leg fractures to keep him from playing regularly until 2022.

The righty-swinging infielder spent most of last season in High-A, where he hit .229/.345/.387 over 89 contests. The Angels bumped him to Double-A late in the year. He has spent all of 2023 in Rocket City, putting up a .255/.393/.417 batting line through 514 trips to the plate. It’s a solid showing for a 21-year-old overall, although Paris’ profile is fairly volatile.

Prospect evaluators praise his athleticism and plus speed. Paris has stolen 44 bases and been caught just five times this year. He has connected on 14 home runs, 23 doubles and a triple despite a fairly slight 6’0″ frame. Scouting reports raise questions about whether he has the arm strength to stick on the left side of the infield but suggest he could be a good defensive second baseman.

At the same time, there are questions about Paris’ inconsistency making contact. He’s striking out at a near-30% clip in the minors. His youth and lack of professional experience have surely played a role, but Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in June that Paris is always likely to have well below-average contact skills because of middling bat control.

Even for an organization that is very aggressive about promoting prospects, jumping Paris past Triple-A when he’s striking out so frequently in Double-A is a surprising decision. He’ll likely have some growing pains in his initial look at big league pitching. The Angels are content to live with potential early struggles to get Paris some experience as they close out another disappointing season.

Paris could step in as the primary shortstop with Zach Neto on the injured list. The Halos have been playing Luis Rengifo there. The utilityman is capable of moving around the diamond and could see increased outfield reps after Hunter Renfroe was moved on waivers.

Also taking a 40-man roster spot is right-hander Davis Daniel. The Angels reinstated him from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake this afternoon. Daniel has missed the entire season with a shoulder strain. He was called to the majors for a point last summer but has yet to make his MLB debut. Los Angeles still has three open 40-man spots.

Angels Sign Matt Moore

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The Angels added veteran help to their bullpen Thursday, announcing the signing of left-hander Matt Moore to a one-year, $7.55MM contract. Right-hander Davis Daniel, who’s dealing with a shoulder strain, was placed on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Moore is represented by Apex Baseball.

Moore began his career in 2011 as a starting pitcher for the Rays and pitched effectively, even earning an All Star appearance and down-ballot Cy Young award votes in 2013. Unfortunately, Moore missed most of the 2014 season after receiving Tommy John surgery, and struggled to remain effective as a starter following the procedure. In 557 2/3 innings across the 2014-19 seasons, Moore struggled to a 5.08 ERA (83 ERA+) while spending time as a member of the Rays, Giants, Rangers, and Tigers.

These struggles led Moore to Japan, where he pitched well as a reliever during the 2020 season. In 2021, he returned to stateside ball, but struggled once again in a swing role for the Phillies, posting a 6.29 ERA (67 ERA+) in 73 innings. The following offseason, Moore had to settle for a minor league contract with the Rangers, who he had previously pitched for during the 2018 season. That minors deal proved to be a stroke of genius by the Rangers front office, as Moore posted an astonishing 1.95 ERA (203 ERA+) across 74 innings in 2022.

Moore’s extreme success last season wasn’t entirely supported by his peripherals. He allowed a BABIP of just .257, nearly 40 points below his career norms, and his FIP came in more than a full run higher than his ERA. That same FIP is still a strong 2.98, however, and many underlying metrics reveal plenty of reason for optimism about Moore’s future headed into his age-34 season. His fastball gained an average of 1.5 mph in velocity in 2022, which allowed Moore to rack up far more strikeouts than he had previously. In 2021, Moore struck out just 18.9% of batters faced, but 2022 saw that figure climb all the way to 27.3%.

In addition, his began to allow much weaker contact in 2022, with his hard contact rate dropping from 35.5% all the way to 22.5% while his soft contact rate leapt from 14.3% up to 22%. Striking out batters at a clip similar to that of Luis Castillo (27.2% strikeout rate) while generating nearly as much weak contact as Max Scherzer (22.7% soft contact rate) is certainly a recipe for success, so it’s easy to see why the Angels would want to add Moore to their mix at the back of a bullpen that currently features Carlos Estevez, Ryan Tepera, and Aaron Loup among its top options.

With that being said, the Halos are almost certainly hoping they can find a way to help their new reliever limit his walks. Moore’s walk rate of 12.5% was third worst in the majors among all pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched, ahead of just Yusei Kikuchi and Caleb Smith. Moore’s sensational 2022 proves that if you can strike batters out at an elevated clip while limiting hard contact it’s still possible to have success even when you walk too many batters, as does the success of pitchers like Jorge Lopez and Dylan Cease. Nonetheless, Moore’s penchant for allowing free passes puts more pressure on the rest of his skills to hold up at their current top-tier levels if he’s going to remain among the best relievers in the game, as he was in 2022.

Moore’s signing continues what has been a fairly aggressive offseason from the Angels. While the club didn’t sign a marquee free agent or swing a blockbuster trade, they’ve added much-needed depth to a roster that already had plenty of star power and made important upgrades to almost every position on the roster. Moore and fellow free-agent acquisition Estevez strengthen the bullpen, while the signing of Tyler Anderson improves the rotation. Meanwhile, the lineup is bolstered by the additions of Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, and Brandon Drury.

The Halos still have an uphill battle in the AL West this year, as the 2022 World Series champion Astros don’t appear to be slowing down, the Mariners are still on the upswing, and the Rangers had a second straight offseason full of splashy additions. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Moore makes the Angels better, even in spite of his age, walk rate, and lacking track record prior to 2022. If he manages to have a season resembling the one he had last year again, it’s easy to see a world where Angels fans no longer miss old closer Raisel Iglesias, who was sent to Atlanta at last year’s trade deadline.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the Angels and Moore were nearing an agreement. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported it was a one-year contract.

Angels Make Several Roster Moves

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The Angels have made five roster moves, including optioning outfielder Jo Adell and left-hander Jhonathan Diaz to Triple-A.  Infielder Luis Rengifo returns from the paternity list, while the Halos also selected the contract of right-hander Davis Daniel.  To create room for Daniel on the 40-man roster, Anaheim designated outfielder Dillon Thomas for assignment.

One of the game’s top prospects, Adell was first optioned to Triple-A in early May, and then called up again last week when Taylor Ward was placed on the 10-day IL.  Adell posted a .902 OPS over 21 plate appearances during this latest stint, a positive showing considering how overmatched Adell has looked against MLB pitching since debuting back in 2020.

To that end, it is a little surprising to see Adell on the way back to the minors, yet it could simply be a case of roster construction.  Ward has been recovering well from his hamstring strain and is aiming to return on Tuesday, while Mike Trout was back in the lineup today after missing three games with a sore groin.  With less of a need in the outfield and with Shohei Ohtani monopolizing the DH spot, there isn’t a real everyday spot for Adell, and the Angels would prefer to see him get regular action in Triple-A rather than playing only sparingly in Los Angeles.

Thomas had his contract selected three days ago in another flurry of moves from the Angels, and the outfielder ended up appearing in one game during his cup of coffee on the active roster.  The 29-year-old inked a minor league deal with Anaheim during the winter.  Thomas has posted some big numbers at the Triple-A level for the Mariners’ and Angels’ affiliates in 2021-22, but that performance has only earned him five MLB games (the first five of his pro career).  Primarily a corner outfielder with some experience in center, Thomas could possibly get the attention of another team in greater need of depth on the grass.

Today is Daniel’s 25th birthday, and he’ll receive an unforgettable gift in the form of his first call to the big leagues.  A seventh-round pick for the Angels in the 2019 draft, Daniel has a 3.84 ERA over 161 2/3 innings in the minors, starting 31 of his 32 career games.  This includes a 3.64 ERA over 47 Triple-A innings this season, though Daniel has a modest 19.3% strikeout rate.

Daniel could now be lined up for a start in the Angels’ six-man rotation, though it remains to be seen exactly how the Angels may reshuffle their pitching order with an off-day coming on Monday.  An extra arm will be needed in some fashion, as the Halos have a doubleheader coming up on June 18.

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