Davis Daniel out of Auburn was selected in the 7th round of the 2019 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Angels

By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist

As with the position player version posted on Monday, I decided to expand the pitchers up to ten this week as well, in honor of the amateur draft, the Arizona League beginning play, and the rampant trade speculation that will exist over the next two weeks. With a whole bevy of newly drafted pitchers joining the ranks soon, it's time for another look at some of the Angels' top performing minor league arms over the last two weeks...

1) Reid Detmers – LHP, Rocket City, AA:

Continuing his dominance over AA hitters, Reid Detmers’ story added a new chapter this past weekend, impressing at the Future’s Game at All-Star weekend where he predictably struck out both hitters he faced. Aside from that, Detmers tallied two more starts over the last two weeks, totaling 9 IP, allowing four hits, three walks, and striking out 15, giving him 45 strikeouts against the last 82 batters faced dating back to his last handful of starts. There really is not much left to say that has not been said prior. Detmers is arguably ready to face big league hitters and figures to have a solid shot at doing so, perhaps within a couple weeks, be it in the Angels rotation or bullpen. 

Here is how #Angels prospect Reid Detmers looking in the Futures Game pic.twitter.com/0JVkfgYFUv

— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) July 11, 2021

2021 (RCT AA): 3.60 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .220 BAA, 17 BB, 91 K, 10 HR across 50 IP in 11 GS

2) Ryan Smith – LHP, Tri-City, A+:

Count Ryan Smith as another Angels arm that has had a consistently strong season. Yet to allow more than 2 ER across any of his eleven games this season, Smith has had no problem since earning a promotion to Tri-City. Posting three starts over the last two weeks, the Princeton grad limited opposing hitters to a .169 BAA and 2.84 ERA in 19 IP, while only walking two against 17 strikeouts. Smith has particularly dominated lefties, who have only mustered 6 hits in 62 PA (.107 BAA) while only walking three and striking out 27. At 5’11” and without any clear-cut dominating stuff, Smith will draw some valid questions about whether he has the stature to remain a starter, but he has the savvy to keep hitters off-balance and could open some eyes should he continue his successes when he makes it to AA.

2021 (RCT AA): 2.12 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .162 BAA, 12 BB, 85 K, 7 HR across 63.2 IP in 11 G/10 GS

3) Coleman Crow – RHP, Inland Empire, A:

One of the Angels’ biggest gets of the 2019 draft was selecting and signing Coleman Crow, a prep arm from Georgia who was seen as a tough sign. Crow, now 20, has started his pro debut sharply, punctuated by two starts in the last two weeks, tallying 11 IP, striking out 13, walking 6, and allowing a 2.45 ERA and .189 BAA. Significantly younger than his competition in Low-A West, Crow will likely wrap the season with the 66ers and depending on his performance, could find himself among the Angels better pitching prospects. 

Coleman Crow tonight for the Inland Empire 66ers: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB’s, 10 K’s.

Here are Crow’s 10 K’s: pic.twitter.com/HkGMk3znva

— Angels MiLB (@AngelsMiLB) July 11, 2021

2021 (IE A): 3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .188 BAA, 7 BB, 18 K, 2 HR across 14 IP in 3 G/2 GS

4) Adam Seminaris  – LHP, Inland Empire, A:

The 5^th round selection for the Angels in last year’s COVID-shortened draft, Seminaris’ pro debut season has been a mixed bag of results to date, but the lefty from Long Beach might have taken a developmental step forward over the last two weeks, posting two of his most impressive starts to date, striking out 18 against 2 walks in 11.1 IP. While he did allow 6 ER, a .464 BAbip against indicates his defense might have let him down a bit. Also of note, after averaging 58 pitches per appearance in June, Seminaris’ last two pitch counts were 86 and 97, a good sign as he works to establish himself as a legitimate SP prospect in the Angels’ thin ranks.

2021 (IE A): 6.11 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .307 BAA, 7 BB, 48 K, 5 HR across 35.1 IP in 10 G/8 GS

5) Davis Daniel – RHP, Rocket City, AA:

Daniel finished his first (and hopefully only) stint at Tri-City with a flourish, dominating Spokane with a 7 IP, 3 ER, 0 BB, 13 K performance, finally earning him the promotion to AA Rocket City that many Angel fans had been calling for. While Daniel’s Rocket City debut didn’t land with quite the impact as many of his Tri-City performances – 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 BB – he is one step closer to factoring into the Angels pitching depth charts – be it bullpen or otherwise. 

2021 (TRI A+/RCT AA): 2.52 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .177 BAA, 22 BB, 67 K, 5 HR across 50 IP in 10 G/10 GS

6) Jack Kochanowicz – RHP, Inland Empire, A:

Here we go. One of the most talented Angels pitching prospects, Jack Kochanowicz’ first pro season started rather poorly, with an ERA of 18.47 after his first three starts and 6 BB to 5 K. Since then, he’s started to right the ship, throwing 32 IP of 4.22 ball, punching out 29, and limiting opponents to a .190 BAA. Over the last two weeks, Kochanowicz earned consecutive wins for the first time and turned in his finest pro start to date, a 7 IP outing against Visalia which saw the 6’6” 20-year-old strike out a career high 8, while only allowing three hits and two walks. The Angels have no need to rush Kochanowicz and now that he’s found a groove over his last seven starts, he could begin to assert his place among the Angels top prospects as the year continues.

#Angels prospect Jack Kochanowicz tonight for the Inland Empire 66ers: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB’s, 8 K’s.

Here are Kochanowicz’s 8 K’s: pic.twitter.com/P9HomqahOq

— Angels MiLB (@AngelsMiLB) July 8, 2021

2021 (IE A): 6.57 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .236 BAA, 22 BB, 34 K, 4 HR across 38.1 IP in 10 GS

7) Kolton Ingram – LHP, Tri-City, A+:

Making five appearances in relief and earning himself High-A West Pitcher of the Week is Kolton Ingram, a 5’9” lefty signed last summer following a release from the Tigers organization. After allowing 2 ER on July 2^nd, Ingram went on to dominate over his next four outings, throwing 7.2 IP of one-hit, scoreless ball, striking out eleven and walking three. Ingram is now sporting a SO/9 near 14 on the season with time spent at both Inland Empire and now Tri-City. At 24, Ingram is a little advanced for his competition, but strikeouts count just the same in every league, and as one of the true relievers in the Angels lower-levels, Ingram could have ample opportunity to impress in high-leverage situations.

2021 (IE A/TRI A+): 3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .194 BAA, 7 BB, 46 K, 2 HR across 30.1 IP in 21 G

 8.) Jack Dashwood – LHP, Inland Empire, A:

Continuing a strong debut pro season is Jack Dashwood, who added 11 IP in 3 multi-inning appearances closing out games for Inland Empire, striking out 11, walking two and allowing a 2.45 ERA with a .175 BAA. The two walks Dashwood allowed in this span are the most he'd allowed, well, all season, as he had walked only one batter prior. It's too soon to tell what the Angels might have with Dashwood, but the performance has been consistently strong all season, the control has been other-wordly, and a 6'6" lefty will always draw some attention.

2021 (IE A): 3.15 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .232 BAA, 3 BB, 56 K, 3 HR across 45.2 IP in 12 G/3 GS

9) Cooper Criswell - RHP, Rocket City, AA:

Paired up with two of the Angels most heralded starting pitcher prospects, Detmers and Rodriguez, in the Rocket City rotation, 24-year-old Cooper Criswell continues to be one of the Angels more durable and consistent starters. The 6'6" workhorse of the Rocket City rotation hit the 100 pitch mark for the second time this season and added 12.2 IP of 4.26 ERA ball to his ledger, showing again his strong command of the zone by striking out 15 and limiting opponents to one walk. Criswell might not have the dominating arsenal needed to guarantee a future in the bigs, but the righty has had no issue keeping some of the better AA teams in check at the plate. For teams scouting the Angels as a destination for rentals, Criswell's name could be one that comes up, as he is the perfect lottery ticket-type arm often found involved in such deals.

2021 (RCT AA): 3.72 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .236 BAA, 7 BB, 78 K, 8 HR across 65.1 IP in 11 GS 

10) Alejandro Hidalgo - RHP, Arizona, Rk.:

Signed at the start of the 2019 international amatuer signing period, 18-year-old Alejandro Hidalgo kicked off his pro career with a couple eyebrow-raising appearances with the Angels' Arizona League team, striking out 8 in his first game across 4.1 IP. Hidalgo did allow a trio of home runs over his first 9.1 IP, as well as 6 ER, but his eleven combined strikeouts and firm fastball were enough to see why some see him as a potential Top 30 prospect in the Halos system already.

2021 (RCT AA): 5.79 ERA, .282 BAA, 3 BB, 11 K, 3 HR across 9.1 IP in 2 GS

Honorable mention, pitchers:
Dakota Donovan (RHP, IE A): 0.00 ERA, .160 BAA, 5 K across 7 IP in 3 G - another 6'6" arm in the lower levels
Robinson Pina (RHP, TRI A+): 4.50 ERA, .200 BAA, 6 BB, 15 K across 10 IP in 2 GS - showing improved command after being promoted back to Tri-City
Jaime Barria (RHP, SLC AAA): 3.38 ERA, .268 BAA, BB, 8 K across 10.2 IP in 2 GS - continues to pitch effectively in a strong offensive league. Trade bait?
Packy Naughton (LHP, SLC AAA): 1.50 ERA, .233 BAA, 5 BB, 11 K across 12 IP in 2 GS - also performing very well in a hitters' league. Trade bait?
Tyler Danish (RHP, SLC AAA): 1.29 ERA, .208 BAA, 5 K across 7 IP in 5 G - reliever with some MLB experience pitching well in SLC