Three Internal Candidates to Solve One of the Angels Biggest Needs

For years, the Los Angeles Angels have tried (and largely failed) to patch their volatile bullpen unpredictable veteran free agents, generally shopping in the bargain bin. But as the front offices shifts toward young, cost effective power arms, the remedy for Anaheim's late inning woes might already be wearing a Halos uniform.

The Angels need both quantity and quality in the bullpen. And with plenty of roster holes to fill, it would be best to find some quality arms internally then spend wisely on a proven anchor for the bullpen for 2027. That would both improve the team in the near term and give the young arms a veteran to guide them through their early careers.

If the Angels decide to look internally, here are the best bets to help solve their relief pitching problem.

Nicolò Pinazzi: The Italian Strikeout Machine

Which relief pitcher had the longest scoreless streak in organized baseball this season? That would be Nicolo Pinazzi of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. A major contributor to the Southern League championship team's bullpen which was rated at the top of minor league baseball, Pinazzi has both an incredible back story and a wicked heater.

Originally from Italy, Pinazzi made his way to the states and was at one time in the Reds organization. They released him and he pitched in independent ball before catching on with the Angels. And this year he has been quite the story throughout baseball.

LHP Nicolo Pinazzi has now gone 31 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, covering 43.0 innings across three levels with 76 strikeouts and a .169 opponent average.

It’s MiLB’s longest such streak since 2016, and the longest by a left-handed pitcher since 2007. pic.twitter.com/MQTWBYlmaa
— Chris Harris (@CHarris731) September 5, 2026

During his breakout campaign with the Rocket City Trash Pandas and affiliated levels, he registered an astonishing 0.84 ERA and struck out over 100 batters in 64 innings while going over 30 consecutive outings without surrendering an earned run. At six foot two the southpaw gets great extension and whips the ball towards the plate in the mid 90s with cutting action and mixes in a quality slider and developing curve ball. He struck out 38.9% of the batters he faced this season.

With any improvement on his secondary offerings, Pinazzi will be dominant reliever. If not, his fastball/slider combination could see him land a middle relief role as early as next season.

Chase Shores: Unleashing Triple-Digit Velocity

The candidate most likely to one day be a closer, 2025 second round pick Chase Shores recorded the final out in that year's College World Series for LSU. Already equipped with a 100 mile per hour fastball, Shores has been trying to improve his fading change up enough to stick as a starting pitcher.

Shores was drafted by Perry Minasian who loved to take relievers and try to turn them into starters. This is a plan that has failed almost every time. Austin Gordon is the one exception and his Major League future is still a mystery. Under a new front office, every prospect will be reevaluated and it is quite likely the Angels new brass sees Shores the same way prospect evaluators did: as a closer.

Between Shores 60 grade fastball, 55 grade slider, and 50 grade comand he has the look of an arm that could be fast tracked to the big club if the Angels decide to go that route. If there is one relief arm in the organization to really dream on, Shores is it. Getting a pitcher with his talent into the team's pitching lab and pairing him with the new pitching coaches and analytics could really net the Angels a quality back of the bullpen arm.

Camden Minacci: The Pure College Reliever Pedigree

Yet another college closer drafted by the previous regime, Minacci closed at ACC powerhouse Wake Forest and was selected in the 6th round of the 2023 draft. He teamed with Pinazzi on the Trash Pandas championship team and has always profiled as a high strikeout reliever.

Under the tutelage of Tim Leveque, the 24 year old righty saw a major improvement in 2026. He shaved his ERA over a full run to 3.59 and his WHIP down to 1.280. Striking out 61 batters in only 47.2 innings was great but his 21 walks over that frame is still a little too high.

Unlike the others, Minacci's best offering is a 60 grade slider that he uses to set up his mid 90s fastball. Heading into this season control was his biggest obstacle and while that has improved, he still has some work to do.

But with Leveque now coaching the Angels big league club and Minacci clearly trending in the right direction, expect him to get an invitation to Major League Spring Training with an outside chance to earn a job out of camp. There will be jobs available and Minacci has the raw stuff and obvious coachability to potentially land one.

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