Who’s Hot, Who’s Not #2 (4/12-18)
Apr 20, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan
Photo Credit : @D1SCHER - X
Welcome back to Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Every week, I dive into the metrics to find out which players have been hot and which players have not. This week, the Angels found themselves in a four-game losing streak. However, this doesn’t mean players haven’t shone through the struggles.
Hitters:
Hot! Nolan Schanuel
While his batting average was pedestrian last week (.273), that’s not the focus. Nolan Schanuel is proven to have been hitting the ball a little harder while also squaring it up more, and it shows. Last week, of his six hits, three were for extra bases (1 2B, 2 HR). This made for a slugging percentage close to .600 on the week, bringing his season number up to .451.
In both of his homers, Schanuel turned on inside fastballs and pulled them over the right-field wall. Both were hit over 370 feet, making them home runs in 28 of the 30 MLB ballparks (homer on 4/12: 30/30 ballparks). The exit velocity on the two were 103.3 and 99.0 MPH, respectively.
While still low, his average exit velocity is higher (87.1 MPH) than prior seasons. However, this has caused him to become more aggressive at the plate, increasing his chase rate from just 21.5% in 2024 to 26% so far in 2025. If he can be like how he was in the past seasons, waiting for his pitch, he’ll end up having a breakout year in 2025.
Not… Mike Trout
Mike Trout has been getting off to a slow start this season, but last week was especially brutal for him. Last week, he had only two hits (singles) in 22 at-bats (.091). Over this course, he’s also struck out 13 times, making for 22 on the season already. There's no doubt that Trout still has the power he did when he was in his prime, but he’s not able to use it because he’s not squaring up the ball. His Squared-Up rate is just 23.4%, down in the 38th percentile. One contribution to this is how much he’s swinging and missing. He has an outrageously high whiff rate, at 29.7% (27th percentile). Right now, Trout needs to focus on putting the bat on the ball, without worrying about power numbers. With Zach Neto back and the others getting settled in, he can rely on the guys behind him to produce with the bat.
Note: He’s still getting adjusted to right field, he’s not a bad fielder. Oneil Cruz is worse.
Pitchers:
Hot! Tyler Anderson
After two shaky starts to begin the season, Tyler Anderson has figured it out–for the most part. In his two starts last week, he did not give up a single run, let up just four hits, and struck out 12 in 11.2 innings, as he picked up his first two wins of the season (2-0 record).
One thing that Anderson’s been able to do well is throw his change-up anywhere in the zone and have it complement his fastball. He throws his change-up 33% of the time, making it almost like a second primary pitch. In both starts, he worked it east-to-west, instead of only north-to-south. This helped him get strikeouts, whether it was with his change-up or rather him setting up other pitches using his change-up.
One thing that is concerning, however, is the amount of walks he gave up in these two games. He walked six batters, with three coming in just one inning (4/12, 4th inning). A big factor in these instances is the lack of control Anderson has over his cutter. Although he doesn’t throw it a lot, a pitcher of his archetype should have command over all his pitches. It seems like a quick fix, but if he gets it done soon, he’ll have even greater success against hitters moving forward.
Not… Jack Kochanowicz
In his start at Globe Life on Thursday, Jack Kochanowicz went just 4.2 innings. He gave up eight hits, and four earned runs (one HR), all while striking out only one batter. This outing made for a loss, making him 1-2 on the year, as well as bringing up his ERA to a whopping 6.20 through four starts. The main problem with his outing was how many fly balls he was giving up, as he had 13, versus seven ground balls. According to the statcast pitch arsenal on BaseballSavant, his sinker and 4-seam fastball are left up in the zone, causing hitters to catch it early and barrel it up. Kochanowicz has a 9.9% barrel rate on the season as a result.
Another problem Kochanowicz has is with his slider. BaseballSavant has a section for pitchers called the “Movement Profile” which shows every pitch’s induced break, as well as the league averages. Kochanowicz’s slider has two inches less horizontal movement than the league average, and he doesn’t make up for it with vertical movement. It’s the same with his sweeper, except it’s closer to four inches less movement. This problem causes pitches to be left in the middle of the zone, making them susceptible to being hit in the air, turning them into home runs, as he’s given up four already this season.
This could be a feeling problem with the baseball or a mechanics problem with his throwing motion. If Kochanowicz wants to stay in the rotation, or in the league, he has to figure out the problem with his breaking balls, or at least work with the lack of movement, using it to his advantage.
It was a rough week for the Halos, but with a win against the Giants on Friday, the team hopes to bounce back after last night and compete with the now-division leader Texas Rangers. See you next week!
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