Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6’2” 225 lbs. DOB: 9/27/86
(Salt Lake): 11-13, 4.64 ERA, 29 BBs, 160 Ks, 184.1 IP
(Majors): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 BBs, 5 Ks, 5.0 IP
The original Angels pitcher with a beard, Matt Shoemaker is well known to Angels fans, having attended our Spring Training Fanfest in 2012. Last year, fans got a chance to see him in Major League action near the end of the season, when he made a start against the Mariners on September 20th.
Shoemaker can best be described as a pitcher who pitches to contact. Over the course of his Minor League career with the Angels, he has given up 832 hits in 761.0 innings. This has led to a high ERA, especially when the defense behind him could not help him out with key plays.
Last year, though, Shoemaker had a breakthrough with his cutter, which led to a drop in the number of walks he gave up and a substantial increase in his strikeouts. His fastball sits in the low 90s, and he throws a slider, change and curve. All of his pitches are league average, although the cutter has the potential to be a swing and miss pitch.
Matt Shoemaker’s role with the Angels will be as emergency depth for the team in Triple-A at the start of the season. The recent release of Joe Blanton would not have been possible without the emergence of Matt Shoemaker as a viable candidate to make a spot start and give the Angels a good chance to win a game. Expect to see Matt be one of the top candidates to come up from Salt Lake if the Angels rotation needs a fresh arm.