Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #6 (5/10-16)
May 18, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan
Photo Credit: @Angels - X
Another week has passed, so it’s time for another Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Every week, I take four players–two who have been doing well, and two who have been playing poorly. I dive into the stats and film to figure out what’s happening, why, and what these players should do moving forward.
Last week, the Angels went an even 3-3, beating the Dodgers on Friday to kick off the Freeway Series. As a team, the Angels are slashed .215 / .300 / .395 and have left a total of 33 men on base in the span of six games. Multiple hitters did well this week, with Taylor Ward seeming to bounce back after the poor season he’s had. Nolan Schanuel has also put up great contact numbers while also limiting strikeouts.
The pitching staff, however, has done exceptionally better this week than usual. In the 52 innings pitched, they had an ERA of just 3.29. There's still a long way to go from the staff’s 5.02 mark on the season, but it seems that some guys have finally stepped up or have started to figure it out. The rotation has been doing great, while the bullpen still has to make much-needed adjustments.
Hitters:
Hot! Matthew Lugo
Outfielder Matthew Lugo has exploded onto the scene since making his debut May 9th and taking his first at-bat at the start of last week. He went 6-16 (.375) and mashed four extra base hits (2B, 3B, 2 HR), including the 7th inning go-ahead home run in Tuesday's walk-off loss at Petco Park. In the hits he’s collected, he’s shown a willingness to wait a little longer for offspeed and breaking pitches. On the 10th, Lugo crushed a triple to dead center on a Kyle Gibson sweeper on the outer part of the zone, hitting the top of the wall for his first major league hit. He hit it just a tad early due to the pitch’s location, but it still shows how much power Lugo still has. This past week, he slugged an astounding .938.
Angel’s fans have seen this before. Kyren Paris got off to a hot start to the season, but is now one of the worst-qualified hitters in the league. The team hopes Lugo doesn’t mimic the same process and can produce for the team year-round.
Not… Kyren Paris
Speaking of Kyren Paris, it’s his second week on this list. This week, he’s done even worse, collecting just one hit in 13 at-bats while striking out nine times. Beyond The Halo took to X to give their opinion on the Paris situation:
This is one of the few times I believe they are, without a doubt, 100% correct. The story is different if an established veteran, like Taylor Ward, is having these struggles. Kyren Paris is 23 years old; he still has multiple years left to develop. The Angels have a track record of quickly bringing up prospects to the Majors, and Paris is one of those players. As mentioned, he’s played just 37 games in AAA (2024), and he hasn’t done too well in those games, either. He hit just .209 with 52 strikeouts. That same year in AA, he did worse, hitting below .100 with a strikeout rate over 33%. A trip down to the Minors for possibly the rest of the season is needed, as guys like Scott Kingery and Carter Kieboom have done outstanding in AAA, with an OPS of 1.126 and .919, respectively. It’s time to give these guys the chance they deserve and let the young prospect develop in the minors for the rest of 2025.
Pitchers:
Hot! Jack Kochanowicz
Jack Kochanowicz had two starts last week and dominated in both. In 12.1 innings, he gave up just two earned runs, striking out nine, and only giving up two extra base hits. He excelled at keeping the ball on the ground, as he produced 26 ground balls in both starts (out of 31 total pitches hit in fair territory). He had his sinker working most of the time while also throwing his changeup more in his start on Friday against the Dodgers, and it saw some success. While it has less horizontal movement than the average changeup, he was able to throw it effectively to set up pitches or get outs.
Even with his recent success, Kochanowicz still lacks full command of his pitches. In both starts, his strike percentage was below 50% (per Baseball Savant), and he let eight batters reach base via walks. As he throws his changeup more, he’d gain command. However, the main pitch that needs to be fixed is his sinker. Since he throws it just under 50% of the time, he must get a hold of his command when throwing the sinker. He’s gone from a pitcher who walked virtually nobody in 2024 (3.8 BB%) to a pitcher who constantly gets behind in counts and hands out too many free passes. From a statistical perspective, pitching to contact seems like the best move for him, as he’s great at keeping the ball out of the air and has been better at that recently. The Angels can only hope that last week marked a turnaround for Kochanowicz, and he can finally start performing for the rotation.
Not… Ryan Zeferjahn and Kenley Jansen
On May 13th, the Angels were up 4-2 against the Padres going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Jose Soriano pitched a great game, and Ryan Zeferjahn came to relieve him. His outing went as follows: Walk, out, walk, strikeout, single (run scored), walk (run scored on wild pitch during the PA). The game is now tied, and the Angels are still not out of the inning. Héctor Neris gets out of the jam. When the 8th inning was over, the Padres' win percentage had gone from 16% to 50%. After a scoreless 9th from the Angels lineup, Kenley Jansen came in to hold the lead–except, he didn’t. He walked Elias Díaz and lost the game on a home run from Fernando Tatis Jr.
This is a showcase of how the Angels’ bullpen has been doing this season. Call-ups and free agent additions are strongly needed to win the Halos some games. The rotation can only do so much–in the end, it’s on the bullpen to close out close games and instill confidence back in the team.
It was fun to watch the Angels in action last week. There’s another rookie on the rise, and Taylor Ward seems to have turned things around. Tyler Anderson and Jose Soriano continue to have great seasons, but they’re being overshadowed by the struggles in the bullpen. I’m excited to see how the rest of Rivalry Weekend turns out, for both the Angels and the rest of baseball. See you next week on Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!
Disclaimer : (1) All photos are not owned by InsideHalos and have been given proper credit beneath each photo. (2) Links of players are property of MLB, MiLB, and Baseball Reference. (3) InsideHalos is a fan-made site not affiliated with Angels Baseball.
