Tyler Carpenter Could Be Nearing A Breakthrough

If Double-A is the great separator, where the true prospects reveal themselves, then Tyler Carpenter hasn’t done much statistically to separate himself.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound righthander went 4-9, 5.58 in 15 starts at Double-A Arkansas in 2016 and then 1-4, 5.59 through seven starts at Double-A Mobile this season.

But the Angels haven’t soured on Carpenter, because there are other numbers that suggest the 25-year-old has a promising future.

One is the 10 pounds of muscle Carpenter added two winters ago when he made a concentrated effort to improve his eating habits. His weight hasn’t changed much since the Angels drafted him in the 25th round out of Georgia-Gwinnett in 2014, but his body composition has.

“He re-shaped his body with diet, and his body-fat percentage and overall strength and muscle mass has moved in a positive direction,” farm director Mike LaCassa said. “It’s something we preach, and something he’s very proud of.”

Another number is a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 in four pro seasons.

Though he had run up a 5.58 ERA in 108 Double-A innings, Carpenter has struck out 71 and walked just 21 at that level.

Carpenter generates weak contact with a fastball that sits in the 91-92 mph range, and his best secondary pitch is a swing-and-miss slider. Since converting from reliever to starter in 2016, he has added a changeup he is throwing with more precision and frequency.

“He’s always been a guy with real good strike-throwing ability,” LaCassa said. “The player-development staff has always been intrigued by him, but when the things you see in bullpens and side work doesn’t show up in games, the industry doesn’t buy into him as much. Last year, he put it all together and took off.”

— Mike DiGiovanna covers the Angels for the Los Angeles Times