The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Nicolò Pinazzi. They also announced they have turned down a club option on righty Robert Stephenson, a move that was covered earlier today.

Pinazzi, 27, hasn’t taken the typical path to a roster spot with the Angels. Born in Italy, he was signed by the Reds back in 2020. He was with that club through 2023 but was released before the beginning of the 2024 season. He spent a couple of seasons pitching in indy ball and then signed with the Halos for the 2026 campaign.

His numbers this year have been outstanding. Across four different levels, he tossed 64 innings over 48 appearances, allowing 0.84 earned runs per nine. His 12.5% walk rate is certainly high but he struck out 38.9% of batters faced and induced grounders on 60.8% of balls in play, those latter two both being excellent figures.

Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs profiled Pinazzi back in August. The lefty’s fastball sits in the mid-90s but he throws his breaking ball more than half the time. Pinazzi calls this pitch a cutter but admits the label is wrong. “I say cutter, but it’s definitely a slider,” he said. “I say cutter to delude myself, I throw more strikes that way.” Gawlowski notes that Pinazzi also mixes in a curveball but this cutter/slider is the money pitch.

Given his excellent numbers, the Angels have given Pinazzi a roster spot to prevent him from returning to free agency. The club doesn’t have a lot of established relievers and might be in rebuilding mode next year. There should be lots of opportunities for unproven guys such as Pinazzi to push into the mix. He has a full slate of options and could be shuttled between the majors and the minors fairly freely. Though his profile is unusual, he will share a roster with a pitcher with some similarities. Sam Aldegheri, another Italian lefty, is also with the Halos.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images