Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #13 (6/30-7/6)
July 7, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan & Brayden Zielke
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
Another week has passed, which means it’s time for another Who’s Hot, Who’s Not. Each week Brayden and I choose a couple players who have been doing well and a couple who haven’t. We dive into stats, film, and metrics to figure out what’s been going on and how these players can keep doing well or turn things around.
Last week, the Angels posted a record of 2-4, dropping the series in Atlanta and getting swept by the Blue Jays, with two of those losses coming off walk-offs in extra innings. Just as the team got up to .500, they dropped one of the most important series of the season, as they were just two games out of the Wild Card. Now, the Angels sit at 43-46, dropping below the Rangers to fourth place, while the Blue Jays now sit at first in the AL East. The Halos are 11.5 games out of the division and 4.5 games out of the Wild Card. This week, they’re going back home, playing another important four-game set against the Rangers. After that they host the fourth place Diamondbacks, who are also 11.5 games out of first in the NL West.
Hitters: Kian
Last week, the Angel’s lineup slashed .222 / .325 / .325 while managing to strike out an average of over 11 times per game. They had decent plate discipline, however, drawing 28 walks, an average of almost five per game. Jo Adell continues to crush it, while players like Zach Neto and Logan O’Hoppe have hit a cold streak. Gustavo Campero, Travis d’Arnaud, and Christian Moore were players who had multiple plate appearances this week and did not collect a hit. The lineup had a hard time producing, as there were just two qualified players who batted over .240 on the week.
Hot! Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward did exceptionally well last week in all categories, but he did even better in the on-base department. In his six games, he slashed .391 / .517 / .478 while limiting strikeouts to just one per game on average, which is a huge step in the right direction in that area. Ward drew six walks, but the one I want to briefly talk about is the one on July third against Bryce Elder.
As I have mentioned countless times in these articles, Taylor Ward has a problem with taking fastballs and swinging at breaking pitches away. Looking at the available film, there was just one instance of a swinging strikeout on a breaking pitch, and that was against a great movement pitcher in Aaron Bummer. Upon seeing the walk against Bryce Elder, I noticed that it seems Ward has done a complete 180 in his approach. It was a 3-2 count, and Elder throws the pitch he knows that’ll get Taylor out: a slider down and away. In a shocking turn of events, Taylor Ward takes the pitch for ball four. Maybe this was a fluke, or Ward is finally seeing the ball better.
It was an amazing week for Taylor Ward, as we got to see a glimpse of his 2022 self, hopefully he can keep this up to finally get back on track and have a solid season for the rest of the month. I know it hasn’t been talked about, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the trade block as we get close to the deadline.
Not… Nolan Schanuel
Last week, we did not get to see the Nolan Schanuel we know and love. The on-base machine didn’t get on base, as he posted a .276 OBP in 16 at-bats. On top of that, he put up a batting average below .200, while recording just one extra base hit. Nothing too concerning with him, as he struck out just three times in six games.
Schanuel is not the type of guy that hits the ball hard, but he hits it in the air. A comparable to this I remember is David Fletcher, except Fletcher hit the ball on the ground, allowing him to get more base hits and reach base more. A small tweak in Schanuel’s swing can allow him to hit more ground balls and line drives, giving the opportunity to get more hits or at least get on base more. It was a rough week for Schanuel; hopefully he can bounce back and continue the solid year he’s been having.
Pitchers: Brayden
Despite a 2-4 record this week, the Angels pitching was pretty solid this week. The pitching staff kept us contending during the Toronto series, but unfortunately the bats couldn’t come through. Outside of the 2nd game in the Atlanta series, I am overall happy with how our pitchers performed this week.
Hot! José Soriano and Reid Detmers
José Soriano rebounded after a bad start against Washington, tossing 7 innings and giving up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 0 runs, while also striking out 7 hitters. These rebounds are starting to become a very common occurrence, along with Soriano having a rough game every few starts.
Reid Detmers pitched in 3 games this week, putting in 3.0 innings of work, giving up 3 hits with 0 runs, and striking out 3 hitters. Detmers now has 21 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. The last time Detmers allowed an earned run was on May 17th, when he threw 2.0 innings against the Dodgers. Detmers has been dominant and shows no signs of slowing down.
Not… Ryan Zeferjahn
Zeferjahn pitched in 2 games this week, combining for 1.2 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. This is an ERA of 27.00 for the week. Even though he didn’t give up any earned runs in his second appearance, he still didn’t pitch well. Ryan Zeferjahn had an ERA under 4 for the month of June, so hopefully he can channel that for the rest of July.
Overall, it was a rough week for the Halos. Still, one side of the ball is showing up, while the other side struggles. The team has to find a middle ground so they can hopefully get back into the wild card race. See you next week on Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!
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