I'm a bit disappointed with Tyler Skaggs

[Angelsjunky]

He's been mediocre at best. A 4.65 ERA is well above league average, which, without checking, I believe is around 4.00. I knew there would be a learning curve, but I was hoping he'd be at least league average this year.

 

I don't mean to be hyperbolic, but I'm not seeing the future #2 starter we hoped for - maybe more like a #3 if everything breaks right (~3.50 ERA).

[tdawg87]

I expected a breakout year from him. Unfortunately he has been pretty much the exact same pitcher he was in Arizona. He's still young, but man he has been disappointing this year.

[Angelsjunky]

Well I wasn't expecting breakout - this is his first season, after all. But he hasn't shown flashes of dominance like a future dominant pitcher should show.

 

On the other hand, one comp I've heard for a ceiling is Dan Haren, and Haren was hardly mowing them down at age 22 - a 5.08 ERA in 14 starts in his first year. Haren didn't become good until age 24 and didn't become excellent until age 26, so maybe we should be patient.

[eaterfan]

Well I wasn't expecting breakout - this is his first season, after all. But he hasn't shown flashes of dominance like a future dominant pitcher should show.

 

On the other hand, one comp I've heard for a ceiling is Dan Haren, and Haren was hardly mowing them down at age 22 - a 5.08 ERA in 14 starts in his first year. Haren didn't become good until age 24 and didn't become excellent until age 26, so maybe we should be patient.

 

 

Richards didn't look great his first few years in the bigs either.

[disarcina]

I don't think we expected him to be a Number 2 rotation guy........

 

He was expected to be a number 4 guy at best and perhaps a guy who needed a year at SLC to get there.

 

In today's game he pitched pretty well -- and with the new pen additions, well, I probably would have pulled him at the 90 pitch mark with guys on base.........

 

I might NOT have done that two/ three weeks ago--- but now we have reinforcements in the pen -- of course, we've also just played two consecutive extra inning games -- so 28 innings over the past two games...........

 

Skaggs has pretty much done what we've asked........he wasn't an ace, not a number 2 or even 3 guy - asked to keep us in games through 5/6 as the number 4/5 guy --- I think he's done that.

 

Skaggs and Santiago were the low cost alternative chances we were taking with the rotation........you get what you pay for.

[Chuck]

Richards didn't look great his first few years in the bigs either.

 

This! 

[laagamer]

This! 

 

And how does that help us now? 

[m0nkey]

He'll be fine. He was cruising innings 2-6.  

[eaterfan]

And how does that help us now? 

 

He could turn it on at any time. Richards started to pick it up in the second half last year. Even though he's younger, Skaggs could now. As was pointed out he cruised in innings 2-6 today. In a lot of his starts he has had stretches where he's looked really really good. It's clear the pieces are there. He just has to put them together.

[laagamer]

He could turn it on at any time. Richards started to pick it up in the second half last year. Even though he's younger, Skaggs could now. As was pointed out he cruised in innings 2-6 today. In a lot of his starts he has had stretches where he's looked really really good. It's clear the pieces are there. He just has to put them together.

 

And how does that help us now? 

[eaterfan]

And how does that help us now? 

 

Well Skaggs can't come into the game right now since he's been removed. I guess it can't help us now.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I missed most of the game. Know he was hit in the first, but looked like he did ok after until the 7th.

Should he have started the 7th? I didnt see how he looked thr last few innings prior.

[Inside Pitch]

He's been mediocre at best. A 4.65 ERA is well above league average, which, without checking, I believe is around 4.00. I knew there would be a learning curve, but I was hoping he'd be at least league average this year.

 

I don't mean to be hyperbolic, but I'm not seeing the future #2 starter we hoped for - maybe more like a #3 if everything breaks right (~3.50 ERA).

 

Year isn't over yet.   He's got a 3.59 FIP, 3.76 xFIP.   Unless he's the second coming of Blanton, chances are his raw ERA will fall more in line with his periphs.   His LOB% is pretty low, 61.%, and that likely is a sign of a young guy who hasn't yet figured out how to put a guy away.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[nate]

Skaggs has been on the lower end of my expectations but that is OK.  I figured the Angels were at best an 80 win team before the season because of the starting pitching, but Richards elevation to the ace of the staff has really made up for some deficiencies.

[Jeff Fletcher]

The day the Angels acquired him I wrote that a scout said his "best-case scenario" was a No. 3 starter, and worst-case a No. 5.

I think he's been very much in line with that. He's going to go up and down and right now he's down.

He's also 23 (as of last week). Garett Richards I believe wasn't even in the majors yet at 23. And certainly not at 22.

I would expect Skaggs to finish this year somewhere around 4.15-4.40 and next year be more like 3.75-4.00.

[LAAMike]

C'mon this guy is replacing Blanton for God's sake.  He has done a great job. 

[Jason]

I thinks it's still early for him. No doubt he has good stuff but he needs some consistency with it. He seems to be having a hard time putting guys away when he's ahead in the count. I think that will come with time. It just sucks watching him pitch the way he has been during a year the Halos can get to the post season.

[HaloCory22]

He's 23. How is anyone worried about him? Not every young pitcher is going to come in and be Jose Fernandez. I think we expect way too much from these young pitchers now because of a few phenoms.

[Blarg]

In 1971 the Mets had a 24 year old pitcher that finally logged 150 innings but had an ERA close to 4 with a 1.56 Whip. He had control issues and his innings fluctuated from stud to dud in the same game. They traded him for an aging shortstop. Idiots.

How does Skaggs help us this year? He learns the league, the ballparks, the grind and how to pitch out of problems and never look to the bullpen for help.

And when the dust clears, if he logged a year with a mid four ERA he has done his job as a back of the rotation starter. The Angels can win with that considering the offense they have this season.

And next season he will be like Richards, more comfortable and confident on the mound. Something he is not going to develop in Salt Lake.

[arch stanton]

I'd just like to know how a lefty can be that bad at holding runners.

[Adam]

There is a lot of reason to be optimistic. He cruises for long stretches during games. He's done it a lot. That means his stuff is good and he keeps the ball down. His problem is clearly the big inning, which he should figure out. His lines aren't great but how he has gotten those lines should give us some hope that he'll be solid. 

[seenoevil]

so you want to go back to Blanton ha?

 

Skaggs was pegged as a 5th starter or maybe not even make the rotation before the season. I think he's done fine, giving the Angels innings pitched. Actually he is better than I expected.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I'd just like to know how a lefty can be that bad at holding runners.

im not sure exactly what it is, but that shirt he was wearing after the game yesterday cant help it or anything else very much.

[ten ocho recon scout]

so you want to go back to Blanton ha?

Skaggs was pegged as a 5th starter or maybe not even make the rotation before the season. I think he's done fine, giving the Angels innings pitched. Actually he is better than I expected.

Good point. I remember everyone wondering if hed be ready for the bigs this year or starting at AAA

[bloodbrother]

I remember when we had people getting frustrated with Lackey when he struggled his first few seasons after his 2002 debut. Not everybody bursts onto the scene.

 

He's doing well enough and is still incredibly young. He shows good control but is still working on command(too many times he gets into quick 0-2 counts and then just gets too much of the plate on the next pitch)

 

He has good groundball rates, doesn't walk batters(2.37 BB/9). There's a lot to like. This is still just his first full season as an MLB starter, so growing pains should have been expected

Edited July 21, 2014 by bloodbrother