Angels News: Patrick Sandoval Among Most Underrated Players Heading Into 2023

Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval, who has posted a 132 ERA+ over the last two seasons, shows up on a "most underrated" list heading into 2023.

Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval didn't have a smooth start to his big-league career. He struggled in 2019, going 0-4 with a 5.03 ERA in 10 games (nine starts). The shortened 2020 season wasn't any better for the lefty, as Sandoval went 1-5 with a 5.65 ERA that season.

Things started to turn around after that, though. In 2021, Sandoval's ERA was down to 3.62, with a big factor in his improvement being his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. After allowing home runs to 4.9% of opposing hitters between 2019-20, he cut that to 3.0% in 2021. Remarkably, he cut it even more in 2022, down to just 1.3% in 148.2 innings. The end result was a 2.91 ERA last season.

Now, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report thinks Sandoval might be one of the most underrated players in baseball.

The Los Angeles Angels starting rotation has gone from a glaring weakness to a potential area of strength, and the emergence of left-hander Patrick Sandoval has been a big reason for the turnaround. ...

Over the final two months, he had a 1.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a .219 opponents' batting average, and he tossed a four-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 19 for the first complete game of his career.

Pitching behind Shohei Ohtani and free-agent signing Tyler Anderson, he'll be one of the best No. 3 starters in baseball.

For some reason, Sandoval doesn't get much notice. Maybe it's because, even in the last two seasons when he's combined for a 132 ERA+ (32% better than league average), his win/loss record is just 9-15. Obviously the Halos being on the outside looking in each October of his career hasn't helped. But Sandoval has become a legitimately good pitcher for the Angels, who play just 20 miles north of his hometown of Mission Viejo.

If Sandoval can continue to harness his late-season heroics from last year, 2023 might be the year people finally start to know his name.