Angels pitching prospect Trevor Reckling looks to rebound from rocky 2010

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Scott Kazmir isn’t the only left-hander in Angels camp looking to reestablish himself. Trevor Reckling, considered one of the organization’s top pitching prospects going into 2010, hopes to rebound from a rocky season in which he lost considerable velocity on his fastball and was demoted from triple-A Salt Lake to double-A Arkansas.

‘There’s a little bit of a mystery there,’ Manager Mike Scioscia said. ‘When a guy goes from 90-91 mph and he’s pitching at 86-87 mph and isn’t hurt, the first thing you look for is mechanical issues, and there were some of those.’

There was also some question as to whether the Angels might have rushed Reckling to triple A. He was only 20 when he started the season in Salt Lake, where he went 4-7 with an 8.53 earned-run average, 46 strikeouts and 50 walks in 14 starts.

‘He was ready for triple A last year, but not with the stuff he displayed as he got into the season, which is why he went back to double A,’ Scioscia said. ‘I expect much better things from him this season than we saw last year.’

Reckling went 4-6 with a 4.81 ERA, 54 strikeouts and 32 walks in 13 starts at Arkansas. In 2009, Reckling went 8-7 with a 2.93 ERA, 106 strikeouts and 75 walks in 23 starts at Arkansas.

Reckling went through a winter pitcher’s camp in Arizona with pitching coach Mike Butcher, and Scioscia was especially impressed with the way Reckling threw in the bullpen Wednesday.

‘We’re seeing an ease to his delivery, and the ball is coming out hot,’ Scioscia said. ‘He’s missing down with good angle. This guy spins the ball well with terrific a changeup. He has the potential to be a terrific major league starter. He’s young. His struggles last year have given him a foundation of what he needs to adjust and where he needs to be.’

-- Mike DiGiovanna in Tempe, Ariz.