Angels Pitch Arsenal Breakdown: José Fermín’s Best and Worst Pitches

As the Los Angeles Angels evaluate their bullpen depth heading into the offseason, right-hander José Fermín stands out as one of the most intriguing hard throwing arms in Anaheim. After making 40 appearances as a rookie in 2025, the 24-year-old took a noticeable step forward during the 2026 campaign. He lowered his ERA from 4.46 to 3.86 across 53 games while striking out 62 batters in 53.2 innings.

A deeper look into Fermín’s Baseball Savant profile reveals a heavily skewed four- pitch arsenal that relies on significant velocity separation and sharp horizontal movement. While one specific offering has emerged as a legitimate swing-and-miss weapon, another continues to get hit hard by major league hitters.

Let's take a look at what worked, and did not work, for Fermin in 2026.

Best Pitch: The Power Slider

There is zero debate regarding Fermín’s premier offering. His power slider is the engine that drives his his success, accounting for 58 percent of his total pitches thrown during the 2026 season.

Most big league right -handers throw their sliders around 87 mph, yet Fermín fires his at a well above average velocity of 90.5 mph. That elite velocity allows the pitch to tunnel seamlessly off his mid 90s fastballs before darting away from right handed hitters. He leans on the slider 70 percent of the time against right handed batters, while still trusting it 44 percent of the time against lefties.

The results speak for themselves. Fermín’s slider generated a +6 Pitch Run Value in 2026, anchoring a Breaking Run Value that ranked in the 81st percentile in all of Major League Baseball. It is the primary reason he posted a 29.8 percent whiff rate (82nd percentile) and a 32.1 percent chase rate. When Fermín needs a strikeout in a high leverage spot, the slider is unquestionably his put away pitch.

Worst Pitch: The Sinker

Sep 12, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Fermin (65) throws during the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite possessing upper- echelon arm strength, Fermín’s primary fastball—his sinker—has consistently been his biggest liability. This in noteworthy as Walbert Urena and other young Angels hurlers are thriving while throwing the sinker.

Fermin throws the sinker 30 percent of the time at an impressive average velocity of 96.4 mph, ranking in the 81st percentile for fastball velocity.

However, velocity alone does not guarantee success when hitters square the ball up. Fermín’s sinker produced a -3 Pitch Run Value in 2026, dragging his overall Fastball Run Value down to -6 (15th percentile). While the pitch features 14.8 inches of arm-side tail and helps him induce a strong 46.3 percent ground-ball rate, it often catches too much of the plate.

When opponents make contact against Fermín, they do serious damage. His 90.6 mph average exit velocity and 42.9 percent hard hit rate both ranked in the bottom 15 percent of the league in 2026. Hitters sit on the sinker to combat his dominant slider, turning his 96-mph heater into loud contact.

The Supporting Cast

Fermín rounds out his mix with two seldomly used pitches that serve purely as show me offerings. He mixes in a four seam fastball at 96.6 mph (7 percent usage) and a firm 93.0 mph changeup (5 percent usage). His changeup actually posted a +1 Pitch Run Value in 2026, giving him a potentially useful weapon against left handed hitters if he chooses to throw it more often.

Ultimately, Fermín’s ceiling in the Angels bullpen hinges on his fastball command. If he can refine the location of his 96 -mph sinker to prevent hard contact, his devastating 90 mph slider gives him the profile of a late inning weapon. But if the sinker continues to get hit hard, he will slide into a lower leverage role until the Angels are able to replace him.

Given the new direction of the Angels pitching staff it will be interesting to see how Fermin develops in 2027. With Joel Hurtado and Walbert Urena having both improved their sinker in recent years, Fermin could be the next to follow suit. Or the team could look to get more use out of the four seam fastball and cut back on the sinker.

The power slider is such a legitimate weapon that it will not take much improvement on the secondary pitches to see Fermin thrive. But the hard contact rate on the sinker is more than enough to see him relegated to low leverage situations or eventually replaced.

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