Los Angeles Angels

Predicting Los Angeles Angels' 2017 Starting Rotation

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Los Angeles Angels season is finally coming to a close with a record of 73-87. Since the 2016 season is all but forgettable, why not have a little fun and predict the Angels’ 2017 starting rotation.

The Los Angeles Angels season wasn’t very pretty. At one point in the season the Angels lost 11-straight games. Who’s to blame for their unsuccessful season? Well, some of it has to fall on the Angels’ starting rotation this year.

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At first glance, the Angels had a solid starting rotation. It would feature names such as Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney and it looked like it would be a strength of the Angels.

But, then the injury bug happened. Angels’ ace Garrett Richards would go down with an arm injury, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano would soon follow.

Not only that, but, starting pitchers Jered Weaver and Matt Shoemaker would face their share of struggles as well.

Just like that the Angels were in a desperate state. So desperate that they would go out and sign players such as Tim Lincecum and Jhoulys Chacin to help save the season. But those plans failed. Miserably.

However, there is still some optimism for this ball club. With Tyler Skaggs coming back from injury and Ricky Nolasco pitching extremely well as of late, maybe we shouldn’t panic.

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Without further delay, we will predict the Angels’ 2017 starting rotation. Injuries, contracts and trades will all be considered when making a decision for the starting rotation.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Richards

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Garrett Richards will pitch in 2017.

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Richards’ stem cell procedure is going as planned and he has began pitching simulated innings. You can find his article here.

Arguably the Angels’ ace, It is a good sign that the Angels have the possibility of getting Richards back off injury so soon. When Richards went down with his injury on May 4, it seemed like it took the winds out of the Angels’ sails and the starting rotation would never recover. Having him back for the 2017 season would do wonders for the Angels and their pitching staff.

In Richards’ last three seasons with the Angels, his ERA has sat at 2.61, 3.65 and 2.34 which is very good. His WHIP has also been good at 1.038, 1.240 and 1.327.

If the Angels want to get back to their winning ways and make a 2017 playoff push, they’ll need their ace back.

Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Shoemaker

Although being placed on the 60-day disabled list with a small skull fracture on Sept. 4, Matt Shoemaker will be in the starting rotation for the Halos during the 2017 season.

Shoemaker has been one of the most loved/hated players for the Angels and It’s all because of his inconsistency.

At times, Shoemaker has pitched so awful that it has lead him to be shipped down to the minors to practice his release and control. But then once he is promoted back to the starting lineup, he flourishes.

So far during his 2016 season, Shoemaker has an ERA of 3.88 and a WHIP of 1.225. But those numbers do not do him justice.

Shoemaker got off to a rough 2016 start which would inflate his ERA and WHIP. But after being promoted back to the starting lineup after a recent minor league visit, Shoemaker has been lights out for the Angels.

He is penciled in as the #2 starter for me. At times Shoemaker can be inconsistent, but for some reason Shoemaker always has the knack of finding his good stuff and becoming a solid starter.

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Skaggs

After coming back from a Tommy John surgery that would have him sit for the entire 2015 season and most of the 2016 season, Tyler Skaggs is ready to have a breakout 2017 season.

So far on his 2016 campaign, Skaggs got off a rough start, which is to be expected. However, he has come on strong as of late and looks to be a solid rotation piece for the Angels in the 2017 season.

Skaggs was originally drafted by the Angels in the 1st round of the 2009 amateur draft. He is still very young and fresh. He has yet to complete a full MLB season which can be a concern going into the 2017 season.

I have Skaggs penciled in as the #3 starter. His main weakness here is he lacks experience. Since he only has 40 starts under his belt, there is a major concern if he can last an entire MLB season. But, I’ll remain optimistic.

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky Nolasco

Ricky Nolasco may be the biggest question mark of the entire starting rotation.

He’s played in 11 seasons with six different teams. As you may expect, he’s been a below-average starter for most of his MLB career.

However, he’s played his best baseball as an Angel.

So far with the Angels, his ERA is 3.21, his career is 4.52. His WHIP with the Angels is 1.068, his career is 1.314.

I’m not sure what the Angels have done, but Nolasco may have found a home in Anaheim due to his recent dominating play.

Nolasco was recently acquired in a trade that would see fan favorite Hector Santiago be shipped to the Minnesota Twins. Not many fans expected Nolasco to make the impact that he has made which is why he is a real candidate of making the Angels’ 2017 starting rotation.

I have Nolasco penciled in as part of the back end rotation for the Angels. His biggest weakness is his past history. If Nolasco plays the way he has been, there should be no problem. If he plays like he has in the past, expect the Angels do abandon ship quickly.

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Out of house option?

The Angels will have some money to spend this off-season. With both C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver becoming free agents and another year off the putrid Hamilton contract, the Angels could make a move concerning their rotation.

One move the Angels could make is sign starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

Hellickson is set to be a free agent this year and is currently 29 years old. His ERA with the Phillies is at 3.71 and his WHIP is 1.153. in 32 games played.

He’s been a solid, not spectacular, starting pitcher that comes at a reasonable price. This year he signed a 1yr/$7M contract with the Phillies and he pitched admirably.

Hellickson could be that back-end, consistent starter that the Angels are looking for.

Another free agent the Angels could look to is starting pitcher Ivan Nova.

Much like Hellickson, Nova comes at a reasonable price. This year, he signed a 1yr/$4.1M contract with the Yankees which is definitely affordable.

He’s also relatively young at 29 years old and currently has an ERA of 3.06 with a WHIP of 1.098 after being traded to the Pirates during the trade deadline.

Nova is not a shutdown ace, but a solid back-end piece that could help provide the Angels with a band-aid while they get their farm system up and running.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jered Weaver

One of the greatest Angels pitchers of all time, Jered Weaver will become a free agent after the 2016 season. I don’t expect him to return to the Angels however.

At age 34, his stuff has been on a decline. His fastball cannot reach over 90 and his ERA is currently 5.06 with the Angels. Weaver aims to pitch in 2017, but don’t expect it to be with the Halos.

C.J. Wilson

Like Weaver, C.J. Wilson is set to become a free agent after the 2016 season. However, Wilson hasn’t pitched in almost two years. Having multiple injury issues has made the Wilson signing look like a bust.

Wilson is not near the capability of starting anytime soon and he is about to turn 36 years old. If anything, I expect Wilson to retire relatively soon.

Jhoulys Chacin

Jhoulys Chacin has not been a very good starting pitcher for the Angels. He is also set to be a free agent after the 2016 season. However, Chacin has been an excellent addition to the Angels’ bullpen.

I don’t expect Chacin to see any starting pitching time with the Angels. But, he has been a very solid bullpen option and the Angels could bring him back to do just that.

Nate Smith

Arguably the Angels’ best pitching prospect, there has been rumors of Nate Smith possibly seeing the starting rotation soon enough.

Unfortunately, I just don’t believe Smith is quite there yet. Smith started 26 games in AAA this year for the SLC Bees and has a record of 8-9 with an ERA of 4.61. His WHIP sits at 1.40. Not very good.

Unless Smith has a spectacular spring training, I expect him to stay in the minor leagues at the beginning of the 2017 season.

Alex Meyer

One of the more exciting players, Alex Meyer was acquired in the Hector Santiago trade and there has been a lot of buzz around Meyer.

So far with the Angels, he has pitched well which is very encouraging. But, Meyer is still very raw and I expect him to see sometime in the minors before he becomes a serious pitching candidate.

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