PHOENIX — This is the pitcher the Los Angeles Angels envisioned when they drafted him in the first round in 2020 as the nation’s finest left-handed collegiate starter.
This is the pitcher the baseball world envisioned when he pitched a no-hitter as a 22-year-old rookie.
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And now, after his latest magnificent performance on Tuesday, June 16, this is the pitcher that everyone badly covets at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Say hello to Reid Detmers, who is now officially on baseball’s Most Wanted List.
Detmers, 26, is on an absolute pitching heater these days, shutting down the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-0, in his latest dominant start, allowing just three harmless singles and no walks in seven innings. He generated only four swings-and-misses, but he kept the D-backs completely off-balance with his array of 94-mph fastballs, 85-mph sliders and 72-mph curveballs. They hit the ball hard only six times the entire game, with Detmers throwing 19 of his 24 first-pitches for strikes.
“It looks that he can throw any pitch at any time,’’ Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He’s just consistently pitching ahead in the count. Earlier in the year, there were a lot of foul balls late in the count. Now, he’s starting to execute put-away pitches, put in a good spot where there’s a swing-and miss or put in play for an out weakly.’’
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The result has been utter dominance. In Detmer’s last six starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.36 ERA, yielding just 12 hits in 33 innings with 39 strikeouts and five walks. He has given up just one run in his last three starts, allowing just six hits in 20 innings for a 0.45 ERA.
“Pretty impressive,” said Angels slugger Mike Trout, who homered, doubled and drove in three runs.
The best Detmers has ever been in an Angels’ uniform?
“He had a a good run there in ’22 for a stretch in the second half,” Suzuki said, “so this is pretty damn close to it.”
Well, considering he was 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in eight starts for a two-month stretch in July and August 2022, with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks in 45.2 innings, this stretch might even be better.
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It has elevated Detmers to being perhaps the finest starting pitcher on the trade market not named Tarik Skubal.
“I’m not paying any attention to that,” Detmers tells USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t see any of it, to be honest with you. I’m not on social media. It is what it is. It’s out of my control.”
If Detmers keeps pitching like this, he might want to shut off his phone, too. He not only has become one of the most dominant left-handers in the game, but could be one of the best bargains for your buck at the trade deadline.
While Skubal is eligible for free agency this year and is seeking a record-setting contract exceeding $400 million for a pitcher, Detmers is earning just $2.7 million this year, and isn’t even eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season.
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Little wonder why clubs already are checking in with Angels GM Perry Minasian.
Well, Minasian hates to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s quite possible that Detmers isn’t going anywhere at the deadline except making his next start in an Angels uniform.
If the Angels are ever going to win again, Detmers would be an integral part of their future, so why trade him?
Besides, if the Angels aren’t going to trade a megastar like Shohei Ohtani in his walk year, rejecting several lucrative offers that included potential stars like Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, and plan to keep Mike Trout through the rest of his playing days, why would they trade away a young star under club control?
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The only time they have been a real seller at the trade deadline since their last playoff appearance was in 2022 when Angels owner Arte Moreno wanted to slash payroll. They dumped reliever Rasiel Iglesias, starter Noah Syndergaard, outfielder Brandon Marsh and utilityman Tyler Wade at the deadline, with catcher Logan O’Hoppe being the only quality piece in return.
So, while the Angels aren’t going anywhere this year, and will miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year, the best thing for their future is keeping a young potential star like Detmers.
It may have taken longer than the Angels thought, or Detmers desired, but this is the pitcher everyone envisioned when he became the only the 10th pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter in his first 11 career starts in baseball history in 2022. Yet, instead of blossoming, he took a step back, going 8-19 with a 5.30 ERA the next two seasons, walking 98 batters in 236 innings. He was relegated to the bullpen all last season.
This year, with renowned pitching coach Mike Maddux joining Suzuki’s staff, Detmers’ potential finally has emerged for the baseball world, and, yes, trade suitors, to see.
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“I’m just trying to be the best pitcher I can,” Detmers, 3-5, 3.68 ERA, said, “mostly just trying to get ahead, staying ahead, and then put them out of make them have weak contact. I wouldn’t say I’m trying to do anything different than I have been in the last couple of years. But I’ve had pretty good command of the fastball lately, and that’s helped a lot.”
The fastball has been Greg Maddux-esque of late, giving up just one hit in two of the six starts during this stretch, striking out 14 in one game, and not issuing a single walk in three others.
“It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to play behind him every single day,” Angels shortstop Zach Neto said, “and even when he’s not pitching, he’s one of the greatest teammates that we have in this locker room, just pushing every single one of us every single day to be better.”
So, would the Angels really trade a guy like this?
Sounds like a guy they plan to build around.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reid Detmers could be coveted ahead of the MLB trade deadline
