Reid Detmers (SP, LAA) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Reid Detmers was playing college ball until 2020 when he was drafted 10th overall by the Angels, and now at the age of 22, the Louisville lefty is already considered a top-100 prospect and was in this year's Future's Game. The Angels have made a lot of call-ups to try and get off the ground, but at 60-61 and pretty far back in the postseason picture, it appears time to let the prospects take flight in another unsightly season for the Angels pitching staff. Going right from the NCAA to upper-level minor leagues, Detmers expertly navigated the learning curve through Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake, finishing with a 3.15 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, commanding the zone to the tune of just 2.7 BB/9 and a scorching 15.9 K/9, and tallying 60.0 IP across 13 starts, slowly building himself up to the major league work load. His first two MLB starts did not go well, allowing 11 ER, four walks, 13 hits, and three HR with just seven strikeouts over 9.1 IP. But, his last start against the Astros was extremely encouraging, allowing one ER off of a single blast, just five combined hits and walks, and six strikeouts over the course of 6.0 IP, picking up his first major league win in the process.

Detmers is next in a growing line of Louisville Cardinal pitchers finding MLB success. He needs to limit opponents on their power, and while this gets tough when he allows 47% fly balls, he's been forcing 30% hard contact with 18% soft contact on batted balls by opponents, and his limitation of batted balls that drop for base-hits via grounder (30.6%) or liner (22.4%) demonstrates the sustainability of his .261 BABIP and will keep the paths clear if someone takes him deep. He's showing that he can make adjustments, control the zone, come back strong after ugly outings, and go deeper into starts. This isn't just talent or potential; that's mental toughness, emotional maturity, baseball intelligence, humility, and coachability, and at the age of 22 after a couple minor league pitstops (I think he was just taking a bathroom break?). A lot of young, talented prospects will get the late-season call to the show from now until September, but out of the prospect arms, Reid Detmers has the complete mental/physical package and the positioning in the Halo pitching staff to be a significant contributor for the remainder of the 2021 campaign.

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