Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #14 (7/7-14)
July 17, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan & Brayden Zielke
Photo Credit: @Angels - X
Another week has passed, which means it's time for Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Each week, InsideHalos writers Brayden Zielke and Kian Behravan pick a handful of players who have been doing well or have been struggling. They dive into stats, metrics, and film to figure what’s been going on, as well as pointing out what needs to keep happening–or change.
Last week, the Angels went 4-3 with two walk off wins. They split the series with the Rangers and won the interleague series when they hosted the Diamondbacks. The team let up five runs or more every game, and their losses were by four or more runs, with the loss on July 8, being by 12 runs. Overall, the Halos still sit in fourth place in the AL West, nine games from the Astros, who have been pulling away all season. They’re four games from the Wild Card, as they return from the All-Star Break with a three-game set against the Phillies, who have been a tough team to beat all season. After that, it’s the Mets then an important four-game series with the Mariners.
Pitchers: Kian
As a whole, the Angels’ pitching staff was a disaster, as it is highlighted by a whopping 6.71 ERA over seven games. In both walk-off wins, the lineup scored multiple runs, just for the starters to give the lead right back. Hitters posted a .297 BAbip against the pitching staff, which means pitchers made non-competitive pitches and hitters saw them and hit them well. An average of 6.7 earned runs were given up per game, along with 28 of 69 hits being for extra bases. Starters weren’t able to keep leads, and most bullpen arms weren’t able to lock down hitters. However, this doesn’t mean everyone did poorly. Kenley Jansen locked it down this week, also notching a save. A few bullpen arms did well in their one inning of work, too.
Hot! Jake Eder
Jake Eder came into a long relief appearance on July 13 after Jose Soriano gave up five runs in five innings. He finished the game, pitching four innings, giving up just two hits and striking out four, all while giving up zero runs. Eder hasn’t pitched that much in 2025, but when he’s on the mound, he doesn’t disappoint.
During his appearance last week, Jake Eder missed barrels. Hitters posted an average exit velocity of 77.3 MPH, as both his he gave up were hit below 78 MPH. Only one hitter notched a barrel against him. He used his fastball effectively to set up his sweeper to get strikeouts. His pitches move slightly less than average, so he did a great job pinpointing locations to where his pitches would be the most effective.
Jake Eder was in Triple-A as a starter for a bit, but was shaky. Perhaps this appearance marks a shift in his career, as the Angels are still searching for the long reliever they desperately need with their well below average starting rotation.
Not… Starters
Angels’ Starters posted an ERA north of eight while on the mound. They gave up 42 hits, with Jack Kochanowicz giving up eight of them in 2.2 innings, in 31 innings. Yusei Kikuchi gave up three homers in 10.2 innings, while also giving up 12 hits in total. Jose Soriano walked eight batters in nine innings, while also giving up five doubles. Tyler Anderson blew a four run lead in the second inning on July 11, and Kikuchi gave the lead right back after the Angels battled early in the game on July 7. There really isn’t much to say, as this is a recurring problem that the front office does nothing about. Hopefully, with the trade deadline coming up, the Halos can add some decent arms to the rotation.
Not that great of a week for the Angels pitching, luckily the lineup was able to produce for the team to win a few games. They still need to find that sense of consistency, especially in the rotation. The bullpen seems to be getting back on their feet, now it’s up to the starters to catch up.
Hitters: Brayden
As a team this week, the Angels hit .286 with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, and had an .821 OPS. This week was super inconsistent, with the Angels scoring 10+ runs in 2 games but also allowing 10+ runs in 2 other games. Overall, the Angels lineup averaged over 5.5 runs per game, which is great to see going forward.
Hot! Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Mike Trout, and Travis d’Arnaud
Zach Neto had an amazing week for the Halos, hitting .400 (12-30) with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and 3 walks. He unfortunately struck out 10 times, but when you’re hitting .400, I give you a pass. He also scored 10 of the Angels 39 runs this week.
Nolan Schanuel also crushed it this week, hitting .417 (10-24) with 5 RBIs and 3 walks, along with scoring 2 runs. He only struck out 1 time this week, which is obviously quite impressive.
Mike Trout hit .304 this week (7-23). While the average isn’t as amazing as others on this list, his other stats are what bring him into the “Hot List”. He crushed 3 home runs, had 9 RBIs, scored 4 runs, and walked 7 times. He did strike out 6 times but he walked more than he struck out, so I won’t complain.
Travis d’Arnaud only played in 4 games this week, but man was he impressive. He hit .538 (7-13) with 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. He only struck out twice and had a walk off hit against the Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Not… Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward hit .179 this week (5-28), including 1 home run and 6 RBIs. He scored 3 runs, as well as walking once, but struck out 8 times. Even though Ward drove in a few runs, he didn’t really produce anything outside of those few plate appearances.
It was a weird week for the Halos as a whole, as the bullpen was the side of the team who shined, and Travis d’Arnaud stepped up when he got his shot. After All-Star Week, the team has to hit the ground running, as they’re in a tight race for the Wild Card spot. See you next week on Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!
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