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The thirty-five year old righty spent his first year with the Angels this year after being traded to the team on March 29, 2021 from the Marlins for cash. He spent the year mostly with the AAA Salt Lake Bees and bounced between the major league club and them for nine games of playing time.
His numbers in the minors saw him finishing the year with a 9.42 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched and 33 games. He had a 1-2 record, 36 strikeouts, and a 2.01 WHIP. Nearly all of Hoyt’s major league struggles this season were on the road and the contrast between his performances was quite stark. He pitched exactly 4.0 innings at home and away, and at home he allowed 1 hit and no runs in 5 games for a 0.00 ERA whereas on the road he allowed 11 hits and 10 runs (6 ER) in 4 games for an inflated 13.50 ERA.
Hoyt relies on a four pitch mix to be effective, most often utilizing a slider (64.8%), then a sinker (24.7%), 4-seam fastball (8.2%), and changeup (2.2%). Hoyt was one of the many pitchers the Angels cycled through as they tried to piece together an effective bullpen, and without finding consistent success, he spent most of his time in AAA.
2021 Stats:
0 Wins / 0 Losses / 6.75 ERA / 9 Games / 0 Games Started / 8.0 Innings Pitched / 11 Strikeouts / 7 Walks / 2.375 WHIP / -0.4 WAR / 12 Hits Allowed / 10 Runs Allowed / 0 Home Runs Allowed
Best Performance of the Year:
Hoyt’s best performance of the year came on June 7th against Kansas City. He went 1.0 innings, striking out two and allowing no hits and no runs. He threw a scoreless ninth inning and was able to seal the win for the Angels at home as they beat the Royals 8-3. Hoyt followed this up the next night with another scoreless appearance to contribute to a second team win.
Roster Status:
On October 21, Hoyt was outrighted to the Salt Lake Bees, along with two other players, and on November 7th, he elected free agency and had not signed with an MLB team prior to the lockout. On November 16th, Hoyt was activated by the Toros del Este, a team in the Dominican Winter League. Based on his performance this past season, his future in the majors is uncertain but it seems currently unlikely that he will resign with the Angels but what they eventually decide to do will be figured out after the lockout.