We're about six weeks into the baseball season. Don't worry, we're on the job. It will be interesting to see the ongoing impact of all the player moves. Interestingly, I don't recall a season where so many impact players remained unsigned in late February. Again, as in the past, I'll cover one division each week. Things will surely change as the season progresses, but we handle those on the fly. Remember, the Musings are intended to be interactive. Ask questions, and share your opinions. That's what we're here for. Let's get to it this week and look at the:
American League West
Reid Detmers – Los Angeles Angels: The Angels haven't had much starting pitching since Shohei Ohtani left a couple years ago. That hasn't changed much. Picking one or two to roster wasn't too tough for me. I'll take Detmers. The southpaw is at least average and probably has a little more room for growth. He moved to the bullpen last year and enjoyed a relatively successful campaign. Now back in the rotation, he is in a spot to contribute more in fantasy leagues. His command of the strike zone improved somewhat last season, and another dose of that progress would make a big difference in his overall value. He's not really overpowering (generally sitting about 93 to 94 mph), so hitting his spots consistently is a must.
Tatsuya Imai – Houston Astros: Imai caught my eye in spring training and I've been following him ever since. He
We're about six weeks into the baseball season. Don't worry, we're on the job. It will be interesting to see the ongoing impact of all the player moves. Interestingly, I don't recall a season where so many impact players remained unsigned in late February. Again, as in the past, I'll cover one division each week. Things will surely change as the season progresses, but we handle those on the fly. Remember, the Musings are intended to be interactive. Ask questions, and share your opinions. That's what we're here for. Let's get to it this week and look at the:
American League West
Reid Detmers – Los Angeles Angels: The Angels haven't had much starting pitching since Shohei Ohtani left a couple years ago. That hasn't changed much. Picking one or two to roster wasn't too tough for me. I'll take Detmers. The southpaw is at least average and probably has a little more room for growth. He moved to the bullpen last year and enjoyed a relatively successful campaign. Now back in the rotation, he is in a spot to contribute more in fantasy leagues. His command of the strike zone improved somewhat last season, and another dose of that progress would make a big difference in his overall value. He's not really overpowering (generally sitting about 93 to 94 mph), so hitting his spots consistently is a must.
Tatsuya Imai – Houston Astros: Imai caught my eye in spring training and I've been following him ever since. He is coming off a very impressive season in Japan (a 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP) and is looking to continue that success in Houston. So far, the results have been disappointing, but I think we can attribute much of that to an arm injury or arm fatigue he sustained early on. I think at full health he can at least be moderately useful. He's been on the IL, but is scheduled to make his rotation return Tuesday. He has a mid-'90s fastball and competitive breaking stuff, so the main thing is him getting and staying healthy. Hopefully he can be 100 percent by the end of May or early June.
Jeffrey Springs – Sacramento A's: Overall, I like Springs pretty well, but this is a very tricky situation. Previously, the A's played in Oakland, which was pitcher-friendly. Now, they are playing most of their home games in Sacramento, which is more hitter-friendly. Note I said most – they are scheduled to play a few games in Las Vegas in June. That will eventually be their full-time home. A new stadium is under construction and is scheduled to open for a full-season schedule in 2028. Obviously that field's play style is yet to be determined. My guess is warm, thin air with very low humidity will result in a hitter-friendly park, but that is unknown right now, and really doesn't matter until the 2028 season when the A's move in. Interestingly, the A's ownership requested trademark protection for the names Las Vegas A's and Las Vegas Athletics, but were denied. Maybe there are still details to be worked out?
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Bryan Woo – Seattle Mariners: He is currently sitting on a good, but not great ERA (4.02), and a very good WHIP (1.00), and I think the best is yet to come. He has posted better (ERAs in the 2.90s and WHIPs in the 0.90s) the past two seasons. He has the stuff to miss bats but is a bit inconsistent doing it. Those numbers are pretty good and probably earn him a spot in most fantasy rotations, but he also has a few of those intangible qualities. Woo displays exceptional focus, which means Seattle has a better than average chance of winning every time he takes the mound. That moves him up a couple notches on my list. In fact, he's rostered in the majority of my leagues. I'd like to see a few more strikeouts, but in watching him, I often get the feeling he is willing to allow weak contact in order to keep the pitch counts under control.
Jacob deGrom – Texas Rangers: You've heard me say this before, and I'm going to say it again – when healthy and in sync, deGrom is one of the best starting pitchers in the game. And, there is the stumbling block. He has surpassed 100 innings pitched in a season just once since 2019. He has a very lively arm with a fastball in the upper 90s, and his repertoire of off-speed stuff is quite capable of keeping hitters off balance. He barely pitched in 2023 and 2024 with Tommy John surgery a part of that. Then, he came back with an almost unbelievable 172 innings last year. He'll turn 38 this year, and I suspect 2026 could be a swansong season.
Next week we'll continue our pitching staff reviews with a look at the NL West.
