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Matt Shoemaker
Time with Angels: 2013-2018
Stats: 40-32, 3.93 ERA, 545 IP, 490 SO, 99 ERA+, 3.93 FIP, 1.204 WHIP
Baseball Reference WAR: 6.1
FanGraphs WAR: 7.3
Combined WAR: 6.7
Matt Shoemaker’s Angels career got off to an incredible start. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting and he looked to be the next great starter for the franchise. Injuries limited his time over the next four seasons, and his production took a major decline.
During his rookie season, Shoemaker went 16-4 with a 3.04 ERA. He posted a 118 ERA+, 3.26 FIP and a 1.07 WHIP. Overall, he made 27 appearances with 20 of them being starts. As I mentioned, he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, losing to Jose Abreu. Sadly after that great rookie campaign, Shoemaker wouldn’t be the same pitcher over the remainder of his tenure.
He increased his number of starts the following year, but his production declined. Shoemaker went 7-10, and his earned run average rose to nearly 4.50. His strikeout numbers went down and his walk numbers increased.
2016 was a solid season for him. He was able to bring his ERA down to 3.88 and made a career-high 27 starts. His 160 innings thrown were also the most of his career. On September 4, 2016, Shoemaker was struck in the head by a 105 mph line drive and exited the game. Shoemaker suffered a small skull fracture and small hematoma. He underwent surgery on his skull to stop the bleeding. As expected, his season came to an end.
Shoemaker made only 14 starts in 2017, as injuries cut more than half of his season. Though he had a winning record for the first time since his rookie year, his numbers across the board still took a hit. His ERA was 4.52 and his WHIP of 1.30 was the worst of his career up to that point.
2018 was his final season in Anaheim, and this time he made only seven starts before injuries ended his season. He dealt with a forearm injury that sidelined him for some time, and was later placed on the 60-day injured list because of his. Shoemaker returned by the end of the season, but he still struggled on the mound. His ERA was just under five, and couldn’t seem to get in a groove.
That offseason, Shoemaker signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.