Angels Recently-Hired Pitching Coach Has Big Plans for Reid Detmers

This might be what he needed.

Best known for a no-hitter in his 11th career start, Angels southpaw Reid Detmers could be a big part of the team's future. 

One of the few brighter spots in an otherwise murky status quo, Detmers pitches with elite spin and velocity, both of which are key aspects of an elite pitcher's skillset. 

New Angels pitching coach Barry Enright has high hopes and tremendous praise for Detmers, which he discussed in a recent interview with with Sam Blum of The Athletic: 

With seeing Detmers, that guy, we’re going to make him into a star. I have full confidence that that guy has the ability to be a star... it comes into consistency, command and knowing himself better than anyone else.

The confidence is high in Detmers, but Enright followed his praise with some areas of improvement for the southpaw: 

"He needs to be able to pump strikes and get ahead of guys. There’s times, watching righties, his inability to throw the breaking ball under the zone or into the chase counts, once he got into the two-strike counts. A lot of arm-side misses.

Things like that, there’s pieces throughout the delivery that I think can be sharpened up that are very, very easy. He’s kind of a stiff mover and a short strider. And he kind of cuts himself off at times. I need to dig in with him and see how he moves first before I throw any huge recommendations down.

But it wouldn’t be an overhaul at all. It would be a small, little adjustment to get him accelerated into his foot strike to be able to create a little bit more consistency at release. His overall athletic ability and ability to spin that baseball should come out on a more consistent fashion."

Simply put, Enright knows precisely what Detmers needs to work on, citing some necessary adjustments as a "little adjustment," and not "an overhaul." 

The former Angels pitcher turned coach's clear confidence in the youngster is a great sign that the 24-year old could show massive improvement in his 3rd full season.