While the Angels have continued to navigate an up and down second half, one of the organization's brightest developments has been the emergence of George Klassen . After spending time back in Triple-A to refine his game, the young right-hander earned another opportunity with the big league club and has taken full advantage of it. His dominant month of August has not only been a major boost for the Angels' pitching staff, but it should also provide Klassen with the confidence that he belongs at the major league level.
George Klassen's return to the major leagues couldn't have gone much better. Through his first three starts back with the Angels, the young right-hander has shown steady improvement each time he has taken the mound. He opened with four innings of one-run baseball, allowing four hits while striking out three. Although he threw 83 pitches and had a relatively short outing, it was an encouraging first step back in the majors.
His second start was even better, as Klassen worked six innings while allowing just two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out five. Then came his best performance yet against the Astros . Klassen dominated the Astros, throwing seven scoreless innings while surrendering just one hit and striking out seven. Through his first three starts since returning, Klassen owns a 2-0 record with a 1.59 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 17 innings. The biggest area for improvement remains his command, as the walks have occasionally crept up, but his progression from start to start has been exactly what the Angels were hoping to see.
When looking at why George Klassen has been so dominant, it all starts with his pitch mix. The young right-hander relies heavily on his fastball, throwing it roughly 40 percent of the time. That approach has allowed his secondary pitches to become even more effective, particularly his slider. Sitting anywhere from 89-93 mph and averaging around 91 mph, Klassen throws the pitch 28 percent of the time, and it has quickly become his go to weapon when he's looking for a strikeout.
The reason the slider has been so effective is because of how well it plays off the fastball. Hitters are forced to respect Klassen's velocity early in the count, making the hard breaking slider much more difficult to recognize. The numbers back that up. Opposing hitters are batting just .103 against the pitch, while it's generated an outstanding 49.2 percent whiff rate and a 33.3 percent put-away rate.
His changeup has added another layer to the arsenal. Klassen throws it 19 percent of the time, and after hitters have geared up for the fastball and slider, he can pull the string and completely disrupt their timing. Having three pitches that complement each other this well has been one of the biggest reasons behind Klassen's dominant stretch.
George Klassen's dominant August has been one of the most encouraging developments for the Angels in the second half. His improvement with each start, combined with a pitch mix that continues to give major league hitters problems, has shown why the organization has remained so high on the young right-hander. There will still be adjustments along the way, but if Klassen can continue building on what he's shown this month, the Angels may have found an important piece of their future rotation.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/angels/onsi as George Klassen's Breakout: The Secret Behind the Angels Rookie's Dominant August .
