Reid Detmers Bio
Reid Kristien Detmers (born July 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). The left-hander was born in Nokomis, Illinois, and rose through the ranks as one of the most decorated college arms in recent years before the Angels chose him with the tenth overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. He reached the major leagues in August 2021 and quickly established himself as a central part of the franchise’s long-term pitching plans.
Detmers gained national attention on May 10, 2022, when he threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming the youngest pitcher in Los Angeles Angels history to accomplish the feat. He followed that performance later in the same season with an immaculate inning, cementing his reputation as one of the most promising young starters in the American League.
Early Life and Background
Reid Kristien Detmers was born on July 8, 1999, in the small central Illinois community of Nokomis, the son of Kris and Erica Detmers. He grew up surrounded by baseball, in part because his father Kris was a pitcher who spent several seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system and was with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds at the time of Reid’s birth. As a child, Detmers often collected signed baseballs from players his father had been teammates with, and he became a devoted fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, citing David Freese’s performance in the 2011 World Series as a formative moment in his fandom.
Detmers originally attended Nokomis High School, where he made the varsity baseball team as a freshman and was named All-Prairie State Conference all three years he was on the roster. He committed to the University of Louisville during his junior season over offers from Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. After his family relocated to Chatham, Illinois, following his mother’s new job, Detmers transferred to Glenwood High School for his senior year, where he went 9–1 with a 0.84 earned run average (ERA) and 153 strikeouts, earning first-team All-State honors and a MaxPreps Medium School All-American selection.
Path to Major League Baseball
After forgoing a late-round selection by the Atlanta Braves in the 2017 MLB Draft, Detmers honored his commitment to play college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals. As a freshman, he went 4–2 with a 4.85 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 55+2⁄3 innings, then spent the following summer with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named East Division MVP at the league’s All-Star Game. He returned to Louisville as the team’s Friday night starter in his sophomore year and delivered a dominant season, finishing 13–4 with a 2.78 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 113+1⁄3 innings.
That sophomore campaign earned Detmers ACC Pitcher of the Year, first-team All-ACC, and first-team All-American recognition from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He was also selected for the United States collegiate national team in 2019. Entering his junior year, he was a Golden Spikes Award watch list member and a top prospect for the 2020 MLB Draft. He went 4–0 with a 1.23 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 22 innings before the season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, and was again named a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Reid Detmers Career
Draft and Minor Leagues (2020–2021)
The Los Angeles Angels selected Detmers with the tenth overall pick in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, and he signed with the club on June 28 for a $4.67 million signing bonus, forgoing his final year of college eligibility. Assigned to the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas to begin the 2021 minor league season, Detmers posted a 3.50 ERA with 97 strikeouts against only 18 walks in 54 innings and was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game in June 2021. He was promoted to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees soon after, where he made a single dominant start, allowing only three hits in six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a 6–0 victory over Las Vegas on July 24.
After pitching only 14 games in the Angels farm system, Detmers was promoted to the major leagues in August 2021. On August 1, the Angels selected his contract to make his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium, where he recorded an out against Mark Canha, walked Starling Marte, and struck out Matt Olson in his first three batters faced. He earned his first career win on August 15 against the Houston Astros, pitching six innings with one earned run and six strikeouts, and finished his brief 2021 season with a 1–3 record, 7.40 ERA, and 19 strikeouts across five starts.
Angels Breakthrough (2022)
During spring training in 2022, Angels manager Joe Maddon announced that Detmers had beaten out Jaime Barría for the team’s sixth starting rotation spot, and his turn was moved up to the Angels’ second game on April 8 against the Houston Astros when Patrick Sandoval missed his scheduled start. On May 10, 2022, Detmers pitched the twelfth no-hitter in Angels history, recording two strikeouts and one walk against the Tampa Bay Rays in his eleventh major league start, becoming the youngest pitcher in franchise history to achieve the feat.
After going 0–2 with a 5.67 ERA over his next six starts, Detmers was optioned to the Salt Lake Bees on June 22, where minor league pitching instructor Buddy Carlyle identified a mechanical issue during a 15-minute film session and helped him correct it. Recalled on July 8, Detmers posted a 1.13 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings over his next four starts. On July 31, he threw an immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium, joining Sandy Koufax and Mike Fiers as the only pitchers in MLB history to throw both a no-hitter and an immaculate inning in the same season, and the only one of the three to do so as a rookie. He finished his rookie 2022 season with a 7–6 record, 3.77 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 129 innings across 25 starts, with a 2.4 Wins Above Replacement that ranked third among Angels starting pitchers.
Los Angeles Angels Era (2023–2025)
Detmers was placed fourth in the Angels’ starting rotation for the 2023 season, behind Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval, and free agent signee Tyler Anderson. He opened the year 0–5 with a 5.15 ERA across his first ten starts before earning his first victory on June 8 against the Chicago Cubs. On June 20, Detmers threw seven scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up only two hits; Angels manager Phil Nevin called it the best he had ever seen Detmers pitch, while Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said Detmers pitched better than he did. He finished the 2023 season with a 4–10 record, 4.48 ERA, and 168 strikeouts in 148+2⁄3 innings.
Following the departure of two-way player Shohei Ohtani in the 2023–24 offseason, the Angels returned to a traditional five-man pitching rotation that allowed Detmers and other starters to pitch more frequently. He made his first start of the 2024 season on March 31 against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, pitching five innings with one run allowed and seven strikeouts in the team’s first win of the year. After giving up five runs to the Seattle Mariners on June 1, Detmers was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, but was recalled on September 1 after allowing only three runs in his last twenty-one innings pitched. Detmers pitched primarily out of the bullpen for Los Angeles in 2025, compiling a 5–3 record and 3.96 ERA with 80 strikeouts and three saves across 63+2⁄3 innings pitched. On September 11, 2025, Detmers was placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation and was transferred to the 60-day injured list the following day, officially ending his season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Detmers relies primarily on the four-seam fastball, using it nearly half the time in his first two major league seasons, and complements it with a slider, curveball, and changeup. As a prospect, MLB Pipeline graded his fastball at 55, slider at 50, curveball at 60, changeup at 50, control at 55, and overall profile at 55 on its 20–80 scale. He credited Angels coaching with helping him adjust his slider after entering the organization, and following the mechanical correction during his July 2022 minor league stint, he began using the slider more confidently as his primary strikeout pitch.
Notable Events and Milestones
Detmers’ no-hitter on May 10, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Rays stands as the defining moment of his early career, making him the youngest pitcher in Angels history to throw a no-hitter. His immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2022, made him the third pitcher in MLB history to record both a no-hitter and an immaculate inning in the same season, and the only one to do so as a rookie. He also carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 16, 2023, before surrendering a hit to Marcus Semien with one out in a performance that underscored his frontline potential.
Reid Detmers Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Detmers comes from a baseball family. His father, Kris Detmers, pitched for seven years in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, topping out at Triple-A before retiring from playing baseball at age 26. His mother, Erica Detmers, raised the family in central Illinois, and her career move later prompted the family’s relocation to Chatham, Illinois, where Reid finished his high school career at Glenwood High School.
Personal Life
Detmers grew up around professional baseball thanks to his father’s minor league career, collecting signed baseballs from his father’s teammates and following the St. Louis Cardinals closely. His early admiration for David Freese’s heroics in the 2011 World Series helped shape his love for the game, a passion that ultimately led him to pursue pitching as a profession.
2025 Season Performance
Detmers opened the 2025 season in a relief role for the Los Angeles Angels, transitioning from the starting rotation in which he had spent his first three major league seasons. Working primarily out of the bullpen, he posted a 5–3 record and 3.96 ERA with 80 strikeouts and three saves across 63+2⁄3 innings pitched, providing the Angels with a dependable left-handed option in high-leverage situations. His strikeout rate remained a clear strength, even as his workload shifted away from the traditional five-inning starter pattern of his earlier seasons.
His 2025 campaign, however, was cut short on September 11, when Detmers was placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation. The following day, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list, officially ending his season. The injury raised immediate questions about his health heading into the offseason, though the Angels continued to view the young left-hander as a core part of their pitching staff going forward.