A New Trio of Veteran Pitchers Bring Additional Depth to the Angels Organization
May 23, 2026 - Written by Cade Lalim
Alex Faedo, Nasty 84mph Slider...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/EDhsBnXX6Q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2023
Pitching has been a dire need for this Los Angeles Angels ball club for a while now. The organization added one of the best pitching coaches in the game over the offseason in Mike Maddux. Even though some pitchers have seen some encouraging improvements, the staff as a whole owns a 4.94 ERA -- good for 27th in all of the majors.
The rotation has had some bright spots between José Soriano and Walbert Ureña but the bullpen has been a serious problem thus far. There have been very few reliable arms that Kurt Suzuki has been able to go to when needed. The Angels bullpen owns a -0.8 fWAR which is good for 27th between all teams.
Recently the Angels signed three veteran arms to minor league deals, bolstering their pitching depth -- Rob Kaminsky, Alex Faedo, and Taijuan Walker. Kaminsky and Faedo have already reported to Angels Arizona complex, while Walker is expected to report there soon. Out of the bunch, only Walker has pitched in the majors this year.
Rob Kaminsky (LHP)
Kaminsky has represented team Israel twice during the World Baseball Classic (2023 and 2026). The 31-year old is a veteran of 13 minor league seasons with five different organizations. Surprisingly his only major league stint came back in 2020 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He tossed 4.2 innings over five games. Last year within the Cardinals organization, he only threw four innings due to injuries and was released on June 2.
In his small sample size with the Cardinals in 2020, Kaminsky worked with a four-seam fastball, slider, and a changeup. He’s not gonna overwhelm batters with velocity but won’t allow a lot of hard-contact. During his time in the minors, Kaminsky barely allowed any home runs hence his 0.5 HR/9 ratio. He hasn't shown the ability to get a lot of swing and miss resulting in a mediocre 7.7 K/9 ratio.
Alex Faedo (RHP)
Faedo has logged three major league seasons -- all with the Detroit Tigers. He spent his first two seasons primarily as a starter making 24 starts over 27 appearances. His last season in 2024 is when he saw a lot more action in relief. He played in 37 games with 31 of those coming as a reliever. Detroit designated for assignment last January and he was then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. He didn’t see any time in the majors last year as he battled shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm.
He owns a career 4.51 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 175.2 innings. Faedo features a three-pitch arsenal consisting of a slider, four-seam fastball, and a changeup. He won't strike out a plus amount of opponents and has the tendency to issue a below-average number of walks. Faedo is a flyball pitcher which has led to a high 1.4 HR/9 ratio. His stuff however is effective and he’s been able to get a good amount of whiff while limiting hard-contact. Faedo has the most upside of the new signings and has a good chance to see major league time this year.
Taijuan Walker (RHP)
Walker is the most established pitcher out of the group. He made his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2013. He’s since pitched in 14 seasons spending time with five organizations. Walker has primarily been a starting pitcher his whole career, but has recently seen some relief appearances. Walker struggled with the Philadelphia Phillies the last four seasons pitching to a 5.12 ERA. 18 of his 89 appearances with Philadelphia came in relief.
He started this year with the Phillies but was released on April 23 after a disastrous start -- Walker owned a 9.13 ERA across 22.2 innings. Yet Angels have decided to take a flair on the former all star. He was working with six different pitches this year. His metrics have been abysmal the last few years. Walker has had some good seasons in the past but has really stumbled since signing with the Phillies in 2023. He is only 33-years old and will get another opportunity to work his way back to the majors with the Angels.
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