On April 12 of 2018, the Los Angeles Angels had starting pitcher Nick Tropeano make his return to Major League Baseball. Tropeano had been out of action for the last two years due to Tommy John surgery, which took him out of action for part of the 2016 season and all of the 2017 season.

Nick Tropeano Returns to MLB For First Time in 633 Days

The Angels right-handed pitcher put together a rather nice start in his return to baseball on Thursday. In that start, Tropeano pitched 6.2 innings, gave up six hits, walked two batters, and struck out six. He also came away with his first win since May 23 of 2016.

“All I wanted to do was get out there and compete,” Tropeano said. “A year and a half of watching all your buddies play and all you want to do is compete. I just wanted to leave it all out on the field.”

While You Have Been Gone

Nick Tropeano had been away from baseball since July 18, 2016, and a lot has happened since he left. While Tropeano was away from baseball, the Angels earned a record of 123-121, landing themselves just above the .500 mark. To finish out the 2016 season, the team found themselves in fourth place in the AL West and were just five games away from finding themselves tied for last place with the Oakland Athletics. In 2017, the Angels finished two games below the .500 mark, but ended the year in second place behind the eventual 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros.

The Angels are off to a hot start in 2018, sitting at 13-3 and a half-game ahead of the Astros for early possession of first place.

Career Summary

Tropeano made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros on September 10, 2014. The righty has played four major league seasons, but has only managed to make 25 starts. In his career so far, Tropeano has a record of 8-7, an ERA of 3.62, has 134.1 innings pitched, 52 walks allowed, and 125 strikeouts. The Angels pitcher is currently 27 years old.

According to Baseball Reference, Tropeano is on pace for have a record of 11-9 in 2018 if he makes 32 starts. If he remains consistent, he’ll end with an ERA of 3.62, 179.0 innings pitched, 69 walks, and 167 strikeouts.

Tropeano spoke with Angles MLB.com beat reporter Maria Guardado on his start.

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