Los Angeles Angels: Analyzing Matt Shoemaker’s Productive Season
Matt Shoemaker started the year struggling, but since then, he’s been a bright spot on a poor Los Angeles Angels squad. How good is the 29-year-old right-hander?
Outside of Mike Trout, there has not been much to get excited about if you’re a Los Angeles Angels fan. Even with their All-Star center fielder in the midst of another MVP caliber season, fans may still be disheartened that the club is wasting some of his best years with the roster they have constructed in 2016. However, the Angels do have a pitcher that has been performing much better than his ERA may indicate, as Matt Shoemaker has been one of the hottest starting pitchers in the American League.
The 29-year-old is a littler bit older than many pitchers who are only in their third year in the majors, but nonetheless, Shoemaker has had his fair share of success in Los Angeles. The right-hander burst onto the scene in 2014, when he sparked an Angels club that finished the year as the best team in the AL. He finished that season with an ERA 3.04 in 20 starts, which was no fluke as his dominance was backed up by a strikeout rate of over 8.0 per nine innings, and a walk rate of 1.6.
Los Angeles Angels
It was a much different season for the former undrafted pitcher in 2015. He continued to be durable as Shoemaker was able to make 24 starts, but he saw pretty much every statistic rise, as his ERA jumped to 4.46 with his strikeouts and walks going in opposite directions. It wasn’t a horrific season, but it certainly limited expectations for the righty this year.
Shoemaker picked up right where he left off in 2015, as he was a victim of short outings to start the year. In fact, in four of his first six outings, the 29-year-old was only able to go four innings or less. But ever since the calendar flipped to late May, Shoemaker has been on quite the run. In 11 of his last 13 starts, Shoemaker has been able to work at least six innings, with 10 of those appearances being quality outings. The Angels ace has also seen his strikeouts and walks inch closer to the numbers he put up a few years ago.
He currently is striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings, which would be a career high for him, and he is walking just under two hitters every nine innings as well. His early season struggles have certainly affected his ERA, as it is still sitting slightly above 4.00, but his 3.51 FIP is much more indicative of how well Shoemaker has been throwing the ball for the past three months. Also, while he his letting up more hits per game than in 2015, Shoemaker has done a good job of bearing down in troubling situations because of his distinct ability to get swings and misses.
When comparing some of his numbers this season to other premier starting pitchers in the American League, he is not as far behind as some may think when just looking at his earned-run average. Shoemaker is 13th in strikeouts per nine innings among starters in the AL and he is fifth in walks per nine innings. These are two of the greatest indicators of how good a pitcher is because they are basically the only numbers pitchers can directly control. So, while he may let up more hits than you would like and he does not have a WHIP that shouts that he is an elite starting pitcher, Shoemaker is one of the best at forcing hitters into mistakes and avoiding his own.
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Looking deeper than the numbers, Shoemaker’s pitching arsenal is being drastically underrated as he has some of the best pure stuff in the league. Shoemaker averages just over 91 mph on his fastball, but is able to throw his heater in the mid-90s when needed. The Angels starter is also utilizing his nasty splitter more than he ever has. According to Fangraphs, Shoemaker only threw his splitter 21 and 22 percent of the time in the last two seasons, respectively, but that number has jumped to around 36 percent in 2016. The 6’2”, 225 lb starter often uses his splitter as a put-away pitch, and it has worked quite nicely in recent months.
Shoemaker has not seen much of a difference in the type of contact he is creating, even though he’s allowing more line drive contact and fewer fly balls, according to Fangraphs. However, even his numbers do not tell the entire story about why Shoemaker should be considered at the very least a strong number-three option in a starting rotation. Just watching him pitch, there is no denying that he has been one of the more effective American League starting pitchers in recent months.
His splitter often makes even the best hitters look foolish and he also is able to challenge hitters with his fastball all around the strike zone. Shoemaker has a compact wind-up and delivery, which should allow him to continue to pitch at a high level for many years to come. The Angels right-hander does not get major media publicity because he got off to a poor start and is pitching for a struggling team, but make no mistake, Shoemaker has been one of the better starting pitchers in the American League since the start of June.
Expect the 29-year-old to continue to be productive because of his ability to strike people out and limit free passes. His media attention should grow as he continues to rebound from a rough April. Controllable through the 2020 season, the Angels should have one of the league’s more underrated pitchers for at least a few more years.
What do you make of Matt Shoemaker’s recent production with the Angels? Does he have what it takes to lead a starting rotation? Share your thoughts below.