Angels' Reid Detmers Still Believes He Can Be Frontline Starter in MLB

If the Los Angeles Angels didn't believe in Reid Detmers, they wouldn't have placed his locker between Kyle Hendricks and Yusei Kikuchi at spring training.

Perhaps, placing him between two veteran pitchers will help him get back on track and unlock the potential the Angels see in him.

It appears to be working.

“The last four or five days we’ve been here, it’s been unbelievable,” Detmers said Friday. “Talking to these guys, and just picking their brains. I’ve got a good spot. Let’s just say that.”

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Detmers believes he has what it takes to be a frontline starter for the Angels. He is battling it out in camp this spring for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

“I’m not going to put anything out there,” Detmers told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “It’s just me going out there and getting outs whenever we need outs, having fun while I’m doing it.

"The last couple years have been a little stressful. Put a little bit too much pressure on myself. This year, I took the time to really work on stuff, work on my stuff, work on my mind, and just kind of get back to having fun. It was fun to go out there and compete every five or six days. That’s the main goal.

“I still think I can be a front-end starter. I will say that’s one of the goals. I will definitely say that.”

Maybe expectations for Detmers were too high once he threw a no-hitter in his 11th major league start but that game gave the Angels a glimpse of pure dominance.

REID DETMERS THROWS A NO-HITTER ‼️#GoHalos | @rdetmers | @angels pic.twitter.com/WO64pwtg5P
— FanDuel Sports Network West (@FanDuelSN_West) May 11, 2022

However, with that dominance, misery has followed.

Last season, Detmers spent three months in Triple-A, a tough consequence of his struggles, posting a 6.14 ERA in his first 12 starts, including a 9.72 mark over his last seven before being demoted.

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He ended the season with a 6.70 ERA across 17 starts. Upon returning from Triple-A, Detmers had a start that encapsulated both his potential and his challenges. He struck out 12 in five innings against the Texas Rangers but also allowed four runs, three of them home runs.

“It is what it is,” he said. “After the year I had last year, nothing’s guaranteed. I just kind of approach it the same way I would always approach it. Not overthinking it. Going out there and competing every day, which is what I love to do.”

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