(NYTimes): Tyler Skaggs trial turns focus to new question: How valuable was he as a pitcher?
October 31, 2025
(NYTimes): Tyler Skaggs trial turns focus to new question: How valuable was he as a pitcher?
7 comments
“Matt Birch, who has been in Angels PR for more than a decade, testified that Skaggs was not in the All-Star Game mix, always struggled in the final two months of every season, and was rarely the subject of media interview requests.
“The No. 1 (pitcher) is what’s known as your ace,” Birch testified. “That’s your best pitcher that you want starting on Opening Day or in big games. Tyler stacked up as one of our back-end of the rotation guys; he would be in that four or five spot.”
Skaggs family attorney Daniel Dutko used that line of questioning to press Birch during his redirect examination.
Dutko pulled out a printed version of the Angels’ 2019 pitching staff from the website Baseball-Reference.com, and entered it into evidence. Birch’s characterization of Skaggs as the Angels’ fourth or fifth best starter — citing his ERA — did not hold up.
Skaggs’ 4.29 ERA was the best of the starting rotation. He was also on pace to finish with the most innings on the staff. On a team with very poor pitching, Skaggs objectively had the best statistical profile.
“You would agree with me that the best pitcher on Angels baseball in 2019 was Tyler Skaggs,” Dutko asked.
“He’s one of the better pitchers,” Birch said, to which Dutko responded by asking him to point to a better one.
This is going to look like arbitration. We love you, but let us tell you why you suck and deserve little money. But, we still believe in you
Looking at 2019 rotation: Dear god what is this pitching staff
I think he had the best ERA on the team and most innings pitched, or on track to be, that year
Should he be our ace? Absolutely not. Was he? Maybe yeah probably.
This kind of trial was always going to happen, but it always sucks when it actually arrives. Just hammers home that no matter who “wins” this trial, there are no real winners.
He was one of the best pitchers on the team, but that doesn’t make him good by any objective measures.
7 comments
“Matt Birch, who has been in Angels PR for more than a decade, testified that Skaggs was not in the All-Star Game mix, always struggled in the final two months of every season, and was rarely the subject of media interview requests.
“The No. 1 (pitcher) is what’s known as your ace,” Birch testified. “That’s your best pitcher that you want starting on Opening Day or in big games. Tyler stacked up as one of our back-end of the rotation guys; he would be in that four or five spot.”
Skaggs family attorney Daniel Dutko used that line of questioning to press Birch during his redirect examination.
Dutko pulled out a printed version of the Angels’ 2019 pitching staff from the website Baseball-Reference.com, and entered it into evidence. Birch’s characterization of Skaggs as the Angels’ fourth or fifth best starter — citing his ERA — did not hold up.
Skaggs’ 4.29 ERA was the best of the starting rotation. He was also on pace to finish with the most innings on the staff. On a team with very poor pitching, Skaggs objectively had the best statistical profile.
“You would agree with me that the best pitcher on Angels baseball in 2019 was Tyler Skaggs,” Dutko asked.
“He’s one of the better pitchers,” Birch said, to which Dutko responded by asking him to point to a better one.
This is going to look like arbitration. We love you, but let us tell you why you suck and deserve little money. But, we still believe in you
Looking at 2019 rotation: Dear god what is this pitching staff
I think he had the best ERA on the team and most innings pitched, or on track to be, that year
Should he be our ace? Absolutely not. Was he? Maybe yeah probably.
This kind of trial was always going to happen, but it always sucks when it actually arrives. Just hammers home that no matter who “wins” this trial, there are no real winners.
He was one of the best pitchers on the team, but that doesn’t make him good by any objective measures.