Who is Reid Detmers? Meet Angels pitcher who became MLB's 25th rookie to throw a no-hitter

Author Photo
(Getty Images)

Could Reid Detmers be a starter the Angels have prayed for?

For at least one night, he was. On May 10, the 22-year-old lefty tossed a no-hitter, the 12th in Angels franchise history and the second by a rookie for the franchise in 60 years.

Detmers joined an exclusive group of neophytes to throw a no-hitter in MLB, becoming just the 25th rookie pitcher in the modern era to accomplish the feat.

After a rough start to his career in 2021, Detmers is making good on his prospect hype so far in 2022, even before the no-no. He was considered a top prospect for the Angels — and one of the top prospects in all of MLB — which is good news for a team that's been starved for legitimate starting pitching help for about a decade now.

MORE: How Angels' Reid Detmers made MLB, club history with no-hitter vs. Rays

Here's what you need to know about the history-making rookie:

Who is Reid Detmers?

Detmers, 22, is just 11 starts into his MLB career, with just six of those starts coming in 2022. His rookie status is intact through the 2022 season, making him a potential Rookie of the Year candidate.

After being selected by the the Braves in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, the lefty opted to go to the University of Louisville. He improved his draft stock by 36 rounds after Louisville, as the Angels selected him No. 10 overall in the first round in 2020.

After a hot finish to his college career, Detmers was placed in Double-A in 2021, starting 14 games between Double- and Triple-A before getting the call to the majors in August 2021, making four starts before being placed on the injured list. He finished his 2021 season with a 7.90 ERA in five games (20 2/3 innings), 6.36 FIP and a 1.790 WHIP. 

Prior to his graduation from prospect lists, Detmers was considered a top-25 prospect across MLB. He offers a four-pitch mix: a fastball that tops out at around 94 mph, a slider, a curveball and a changeup. Detmers traditionally pitches to contact, with 20 strikeouts through 31 1/3 innings pitched in 2022. 

Detmers' father, Reid, played minor league baseball.

MLB rookies to throw no-hitters

Detmers joins a pretty exclusive group of rookie pitchers to throw no-hitters. He's just the 25th rookie pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-no, and the first since Arizona's Tyler Gilbert in 2021 to accomplish the feat.

Player Team Date
Bumpus Jones Cincinnati Reds Oct. 15, 1892
Christy Mathewson New York Giants July 15, 1901
Nick Maddox Pittsburgh Pirates Sept. 20, 1907
Jeff Tesreau New York Giants Sept. 6, 1912
Charlie Robertson Chicago White Sox April 30, 1922
Paul Dean St. Louis Cardinals Sept. 21, 1934
Vern Kennedy Chicago White Sox Aug. 31, 1935
Bill McCahan Philadelphia Athletics Sept. 3, 1947
Sam Jones Chicago Cubs May 12, 1955
Bo Belinsky California Angels May 5, 1962
Don Wilson Houston Astros June 18, 1967
Vida Blue Oakland Athletics Sept. 21, 1970
Burt Hooton Chicago Cubs April 16, 1972
Steve Busby Kansas City Royals April 27, 1973
Mike Warren Oakland Athletics Sept. 29, 1983
Wilson Alvarez Chicago White Sox Aug. 11, 1991
Jose Jimenez St. Louis Cardinals June 25, 1999
Bud Smith St. Louis Cardinals Sept. 3, 2001
Anibal Sanchez Florida Marlins Sept. 6, 2006
Clay Buccholz Boston Red Sox Sept. 1, 2007
Chris Heston San Francisco Giants June 9, 2015
Tyler Gilbert Arizona Diamondbacks Aug. 14, 2021
Reid Detmers Los Angeles Angels May 10, 2022
Author(s)
Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.