With news coming out today that Angels’ ace John Lackey re-injured his right arm and will miss the first month of the season, an opening in the rotation has emerged. While these seems to be devastating news for the Halos, there could be a silver lining. Top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart is in the running for a spot on the rotation. Adenhart entered the game on Saturday to replace the ailing Lackey, and proceeded to pitch four innings. While he did yield three runs on four hits, skipper Mike Scioscia called it Adenhart’s best outing of the spring. This kid certainly has the tools to be a stud this season; it’s only a matter of whether or not he has enough experience to compete at the big league level. When asked about his chances at making the rotation, Scioscia had this to say:
“If we feel he’s ready, he’s going to be a candidate. At times a young talent outplays experience. We’ve seen it with a lot of our young players. He has an incredible future. Where he is now is something we’re going to pay attention to and talk about in coming weeks. We don’t want to rush him — Nick doesn’t have the experience — but his talent will allow him to play at this level.”
This is definitely a situation to keep tabs on. If Adenhart seizes this opportunity and makes the big league rotation, he could pitch his way into a permanent role, even after Lackey’s return.
Tags: Angels, MLB Prospects, Nick Adenhart