Angels Pitchers Reports: Hits, Misses, and Concern Index 17 Games Into the Season

Depending on the day, the Angels have either the best current pitcher in baseball or TBD on the hill. As expected, some guys are having great years, some guys are not, and there is a solid level of concern when it comes to depth.

Let's dive in, shall we?

Jose Soriano is a huge hit.

Soriano is simply dominant right now. I thought he could have a breakout season but never envisioned this. He's already racked up 1.8 bWAR by tossing 27 innings of 0.33 ERA ball and striking out 31 batters.

At some point Soriano will regress but for now he's the biggest hit on the team.

Jack Kochanowicz is a hit.

A nifty 3.24 ERA across 3 starts puts Jack firmly in the hit bucket. His most recent start in Cincy was his best where he went 7 innings only giving up 1 run. He generated a dozen ground balls on the day and limited his walks to 4. So far, Kochanwicz has an ERA+ of 132, putting him into the upper echelon of MLB starters.

Yusei Kikuchi is a miss.

Yusei KIkich — Apr 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Projected to be the stable veteran at the front of the rotation, Kikuchi has been bad in 2026. The meatball to Aaron Judge last night put the Angels in an early 2 run hole. Then he coughed up 2 more runs. That after being tagged for 11 runs in his first 14.2 innings adds up to a really bad start to the year.

Brent Suter is a hit.

Suter saved the Angels bullpen on Saturday after George Klassen was pulled early in the game. So far this year the lefty has tossed 13 innings with a 2.08 ERA. He has struck out a batter per inning and over 3 times as many as he's walked.

The depth is a huge miss and reason for concern.

TBD is scheduled to start the last two games in Yankee Stadium. Yes, it is April and the Angels are already out of starting pitchers. A gamble on Grayson Rodriguez made sense; one on Alek Manoah less so. But depending on those two was simply poor planning at best.

George Klassen got his shot but did not do well. Ryan Johnson was on the roster due to necessity and is sick. The Angels will likely turn to Sam Aldegheri for one of those starts. After that, who knows?

Ultimately the Angels should have some decent pitching in a couple of years but for now the cupboard is already bare and the season is only about 10% completed.

Level of concern: 8

Let's face it, even if Soriano and Kochanowicz keep their current pace, the last two spots in the rotation are huge reasons for concern. Reid Detmers is doing a decent job in the 3 spot but a team simply can not have 40% of their games started by guys who are not MLB caliber.

The issues with Kikuchi are a huge concern. He's had ups and downs in his career and looks as bad now as he hever has. He participated in the World Baseball Classic so his preparation was impacted but he's a veteran with 4 starts now and simply needs to step up.

Nobody expected much from this bullpen. Adding a fresh arm in Sandlin was a good thing but Sam Bachman and Drew Pomeranz need to find some consistency.

As it sits right now, the Angels offense is doing their part but the pitching staff has the ability to bury them quickly.

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