Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #8 (5/24-30)
June 1, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan
Photo Credit : @MLBTradeRumors - X
Another week has passed, which means it’s time for the eighth edition of Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Each week, I pick out a handful of players who have been doing very well or very poorly. I dive into stats and film and figure out why they’ve been performing the way they have, and what they need to do to keep doing well or get out of their slump.
Last week, the Angels followed their eight-game winning streak with a five-game losing streak, capping off the week with a win against the Guardians on Friday. (Editor Note: This does not include Saturday or Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians) Interestingly, this is the first week I’ve seen where the pitching staff hasn’t been the problem. In the six games, the staff posted an ERA under three (2.83), averaged over seven strikeouts a game, and gave up just three home runs. Key performers from the bullpen were Brock Burke and Reid Detmers, who both appeared in three games and did not give up a run. Five more bullpen arms appeared in games and locked it down, including Robert Stephenson who, sadly, exited his second appearance due to injury. The starters produced as well, but this week we won’t be looking at that.
The lineup was the problem last week. Angels’ hitters posted an OPS of .566 while striking out over ten times per game. They left a total of 40 runners on base. Multiple players hit below .200, with just three players who played multiple games and hit above .250. Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, and Taylor Ward each struck out nine times, which only proves the amount of inconsistency the heart of this lineup possesses. Scott Kingery had a decent game, going 1-3 with a double and a walk, collecting his first hit since April 29, 2021. An unexpected player did very well last week, and he’ll be the headline of the “Hot” category.
Hitters:
Hot! Jo Adell
Jo Adell was the last person I expected to do well during a week like this. After advocating to designate him for assignment, I was astonished to see him go 7-19 (.368) while striking out just once. He did what he does best, and that’s crush the inside pitch. Even when the pitch isn’t inside, he still stays inside the ball to drive it the opposite way. For example, on a 3-2 fastball down the middle from Carlos Rodón, Adell still stayed quiet in his mechanics, delivering a strong swing to hit a 109.6 EV line drive into right field for a single. He posted an average EV of 91.9 and hit ten balls over 95 MPH, with seven of them being over 102. There were times that he got unlucky, like when he hit a hanging sweeper off Janson Junk 107.7 MPH, which was caught by the third baseman, ending in a double play. Adell has been doing a tremendously better job at hitting the fastball, while also waiting just long enough for the breaking balls.
Jo Adell has not been having a great season, so don’t let the hot streak fool you. Fans, management, the front office, and Adell himself can only hope that what he’s doing in the cage will turn his season around and finally shape his career to what it was supposed to be.
Not… Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward went right back to how he was before his monstrous week a little bit ago. He slashed .143 / .240 / .190 while striking out nine times, eight swinging. Of those eight, only one pitch was in the zone according to Baseball Savant, but on the broadcast, it seemed like it barely clipped it. He’s fallen victim to both strikeout pitches: fastball up and breaking ball down. It seemed like once he got to two strikes, he went into auto-swing mode. He also made a lot of weak contact, posting an average EV of just 82.1 MPH.
Ward has been very inconsistent as of late. For a few games, he does well, and in others, he collapses. Fans can only wonder if the front office regrets not trading him last offseason. Hopefully, Ward can produce more consistently–he’s a key contributor to this Angel’s lineup.
There isn’t much to say about this lineup, as is the case in many weeks. They have to find a middle ground on this rollercoaster of streaks.
Pitchers:
Hot! Reid Detmers
Reid Detmers found the success he’s been looking for out of the bullpen, pitching three innings, giving up one hit, one walk, zero runs, and striking out six. He has the fastball working against righties, and his slider working against lefties. The one hit he gave up was a 73.4 EV double on an almost-perfect 2-2 curveball just below the zone. Anthony Volpe was just able to stop himself long enough to put a bat on it, placing it in a weird spot down the left-field line to get that extra base.
Detmers did well in the beginning of the season, before struggling after being put in high-leverage spots. In all honesty, the Angels don’t deserve him. If he’s not going to be in the rotation, or at least in long relief, he needs to be traded to a place that needs him. He’s still a high-value arm, as he’s only 25 years old and a first-round pick who’s still been able to produce. A case that’s been positive is Griffin Canning, who was traded to the Braves after the 2024 World Series, non-tendered, and signed by the Mets. In 2025, he’s 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA. Someone in the pitching lab figured out something that the Angels couldn’t, which is usually the case for most pitchers. The Angel’s pitching lab might not be able to find something out with Detmers, and maybe another team can. Some teams need him and could give him the success he deserves, and it could make for a trade for either prospects or top bullpen arms.
Not… Jack Kochanowicz (5/26, top of the 4th inning)
For the rest of the game, Jack Kochanowicz pitched exceptionally well. If you take out the 4th inning, he gave up no runs, one hit, one walk, and struck out three. He did very well at keeping the ball on the ground as well. If he did so well the rest of the game, what happened in the 4th?
To start the inning, he gave up three straight singles, all hit over 103 MPH. All three pitches were non-competitive fastballs, especially since he was ahead in the count in two of the three at-bats. The fourth plate appearance ended in a four-pitch walk. Next, he was able to strike out Jasson Domínguez on a good sinker outside. Then, he got to 0-2 on Anthony Volpe but couldn’t get the fastball high enough, which he was punished for. Volpe hit a 104.8 MPH EV ball in the right-center field gap, just a few feet shy of a home run. This cleared the bases, making for four runs in the inning. A couple of batters later, Kochanowicz got out of the inning.
Even with his newfound success, Jack Kochanowicz still has trouble putting hitters away while ahead in the count. The Volpe double was a prime example of him being unable to get fastballs up and out of the zone as of late. It seems that he has the bulk of his problems figured out, and if he can fine-tune something like strikeout pitches, then he should be back on track in no time.
It was a rough week for the Halos, but that doesn’t mean players didn't shine through the cracks. Hopefully, the team can turn it around by the end of next week. See you next time on Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!
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