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Yusei Kikuchi had a lights-out second half last season for the Houston Astros after being one of the more curious trade deadline acquisitions, but his decision to go join the Los Angeles Angels looks like it has backfired. Just taking a cursory look at Kikuchi's statistics can lead to one simple conclusion: he should have stayed in Houston.
Taking it one step further, the Astros' pitching coaches just knew how to get the best out of Kikuchi. Josh Miller, who gets a lot of criticism from fans, knew which buttons to push. Kikuchi's adjustments after coming over to the Astros from the Toronto Blue Jays last season were striking.
Yet this season's statistics (so far) show that Kikuchi, who signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Angels, is missing something. In three starts, he's 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Kikuchi has given up 10 earned runs, including four home runs, and 15 hits. He's walked eight and struck out 15 in three starts. Those numbers are not setting the world on fire for the Angels.
Yusei Kikuchi's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/nyPbqHiPvB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2025
Compare those numbers with what Kikuchi did with the Astros. In 10 starts, he went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Kikuchi gave up 22 runs (18 earned runs), walked 14, and struck out 76. He worked 60 innings in 10 starts, averaging out to 6 innings per start. Kikuchi, a left-hander, has six pitches in his arsenal, including a four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball, slider, changeup, and sinker.
Yusei Kikuchi's slow start with the Angels might leave team with a taste of buyer's remorse right now
It's obvious from watching Kikuchi struggle early this season that there might be some buyer's remorse for the Angels. Kikuchi, who chose to enter the free agent market in the offseason, is clearly missing something he found with the Astros.
8 Ks IN A ROW.
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 3, 2024
Yusei Kikuchi has tied a franchise record. pic.twitter.com/V51X65lV0i
He was a solid member of the Astros' rotation in 2024. Kikuchi proved that he could handle American League opponents, throwing them off-stride in the batter's box. Yet he's looked much more human and hasn't been able to make his adjustments from last season stick with a team that is looking to compete in the American League West Division.
The Angels are 8-4 right now after Thursday's 11-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Angels want to stay among the division leaders all season long, then they will need Kikuchi to get better soon. They cannot afford to have Kikuchi struggling start after start.
The Angels have been division dwellers for some time. Even with oft-injured outfielder Mike Trout on board, they need solid starting pitchers from Opening Day to, hopefully, postseason play.
Maybe sticking with the Astros could have been the better call for Kikuchi's career. Time will tell and Astros fans may get a front row seat as Kikuchi may very well get a start against his old team when the Angels visit Daikin Park for a three-game weekend series starting Friday night.