Angels News: Rookie Chase Silseth Reveals Biggest Change That's Working for Him

A true turnaround from the beginning of the season

Chase Silseth had a very unorthodox path to the majors. After being drafted in 2021, he made his major league debut just a season later in 2022 for a short little 7 game stint, then as 2023 rolled around, the Angels wanted to lean on him a little bit more.

In a season that has been full of injuries for the Halos, it's nice to have Silseth on the roster, but he struggled a little bit with command to start the sesaon.

As of late though, he's found his rhythm, whether it be as a starter, or as a long reliever.

But what's to blame for the change?

“Being able to land the slider,” Silseth said. “Be more consistent with the splitter, being on the plate and being able to land it in the zone to get a little bit more chase, because they have to honor it if it’s in the zone. And just fastball command. Getting my fastball where I need it to be and not really leaving it in spots where it can get damaged.”

via

OC Register

If Silseth can keep on this path of improving his stuff even at the major league level, he could wind up being a solid starter for the Halos in the future. 

Now, his role as a kind of "utility pitcher" that can both come out of the bullpen and start games might slow down his progress a little bit, because every day seems to be a different challenge.

One day he might be able to pitch 6-7 innings and strike out 12 like he did against the Mariners on August 6, or the next day, he'll only go 2 innings and be the "opener" of a game.

He seems more comfortable as a starter.

Over his last four starts, Silseth has a 1.59 ERA with 31 strikeouts over 22.2 innings spread amongst those starts.

Consistency is key to letting the 23-year-old develop into the arm the Angels want him to be.