Under is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Los Angeles Angels. Scouting experiences had been compiled with info offered by business sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fifth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated reduction roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column under: MIRP for multi-inning reduction pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning reduction pitchers. The ETAs listed typically correspond to the yr a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Guide changes are made the place they appear applicable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means may be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview may be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location affords that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from varied sources) than this text and integrates each staff’s checklist so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm programs. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Be aware
Grouped by sort and listed so as of desire inside every class.
Fringe Place Gamers
Cole Fontenelle, 3B/1B
Gustavo Campero, C/OF
Joe Redfield, OF
The gamers on this group would have a greater case for the principle part of the checklist if they might extra comfortably play a premium place. I appreciated the switch-hitting Fontenelle in highschool and would have given him $500,000 or so to signal. He ended up going to school and bounced round, going from Washington, to McClennan JC (TX), after which lastly to TCU for his draft yr. He went within the 2023 seventh spherical for just a little over $250,000 and was off to an okay begin at Double-A in 2024 when he suffered a number of completely different extreme accidents to his leg on a slide into second base. The 22-year-old missed the remainder of the common season after which actually struggled to acknowledge spin within the Arizona Fall League. He seems to be like a 30-hit, 50-power, 40-glove nook utility man proper now (principally an org man), however be aware that it is a fairly younger switch-hitter who has handled change and instability principally yearly since he left highschool.
The highly effective 5-foot-6 Campero is among the higher Colombian gamers in professional ball and has carried out properly by the higher minors; he obtained a cup of espresso this yr. He had some prospect clout a few years in the past when he was nonetheless growing behind the plate, however now that he’s completely a nook outfielder, he matches into extra of a fringe 40-man function. Redfield transferred from Temple School to Sam Houston and had an absurd 2023 draft spring, slashing .402/.485/.683 with as many walks as strikeouts. He seems to be much like former Mississippi State outfielder Jake Mangum, a tweener defender and line drive hitter.
Younger Pitchers
Davidxon Lara, RHP
Dioris De La Rosa, RHP
These two had been up from the DSL for instructs in Arizona. Lara is an undersized 18-year-old Venezuelan righty with a plus curveball. He sat 90-92 as a DSL reliever final yr and threw a ton of strikes. It could be attention-grabbing to see him stretched out as a starter to see if his little body can nonetheless develop velocity in that function. De La Rosa was 17 in the course of the 2024 season, however he’s a comparatively mature-bodied prospect with below-average velocity.
Energy Solely
Eric Wagaman, 3B/1B
Niko Kavadas, DH
Randy De Jesus, OF
Alexander Ramirez, OF
This group has energy however not sufficient different stuff to make the principle part of the checklist. Wagaman was a minor league Rule 5 decide from the Yankees final yr. He had a robust efficiency at Rocket Metropolis and Salt Lake, and was added to the lively huge league roster late in 2024. A robust nook bat, Wagaman’s Double- and Triple-A knowledge was moderately robust (above-average contact charge, plus peak exit velocities), however a visible evaluation of his really feel to hit leads one to take the beneath. Kavadas was an awesome faculty hitter at Notre Dame and has generated enormous hard-hit charges in professional ball (together with a 50% mark in 2024). He’s a stiff, dense, DH-only athlete with a sub-70% contact charge. De Jesus (19) and Ramirez (22) are younger nook outfield prospects with monumental uncooked energy, however each have posted A-ball strikeout charges of 29% or extra, and have struggled sufficient towards breaking stuff to conclude that’s prone to proceed.
My Favourite Couple of Extras
Caleb Ketchup, UTIL
Chris Clark, RHP
Nick Mondak, LHP
Dawry Segura, RHP
I had a glove-driven fringe 40-man grade on Ketchup final yr when he regarded like a plus shortstop defender with plus pace (however little or no offense). In 2024, he made a number of errors in April and was moved off of quick for many of the remainder of the yr. He nonetheless did a bunch of ridiculous stuff on protection at second base, however I’d prefer to see him play quick once more, please. Clark was a 2023 fifth rounder out of Harvard. He’s a low-90s sinker/sweeper starter with a unfastened, whippy arm motion, unfastened sufficient that there’s an opportunity he’ll but throw tougher. It regarded like his changeup was bettering late in 2024. He’s a depth starter sort who may development right into a backend starter grade subsequent yr if it seems he’s discovered a 3rd pitch. Mondak is a 26-year-old vert slot lefty with a sneaky low-90s fastball and good changeup. Segura is a projectable 21-year-old low-slot righty with a tailing 89-92 mph fastball and a promising changeup.
Depth Arms
Brett Kerry, RHP
Eric Torres, LHP
Victor Mederos, RHP
Luke Murphy, RHP
Nick Jones, LHP
Kenyon Yovan, RHP
Hayden Seig, RHP
Kerry is just a little beginning pitcher who signed for simply shy of $300,000 out of South Carolina in 2021. He sits about 91 mph with upshot angle created by his lack of dimension, and he instructions an above-average mid-80s slider. Kerry’s bat-missing capability took a nosedive after he was promoted to Salt Lake in 2024, however he throws sufficient strikes to be within the depth/spot starter convo getting into 2025. Torres is a unfastened 25-year-old southpaw with a misleading low-slot supply that helps his 88-90 mph fastball play means, means up. He didn’t pitch with a frequency wherever near what can be required of an enormous league reliever, however he missed a ton of bats throughout 35 innings at Double-A in 2024. A well-known prospect since his highschool underclass years, Mederos threw 5.1 huge league innings in 2024 after debuting the yr earlier than. He flashes plus breaking stuff and has a 94-97 mph fastball, however his lack of command has induced his pitches to minimize since he first burst onto the scene.
A pure reduction prospect since his faculty days at Vanderbilt, Murphy has a 93-95 mph fastball that Double-A hitters couldn’t lay off of final yr. He hides the ball properly and persistently lives on the high of the strike zone with it. He additionally has a median slider, which features extra as an in-zone pitch than it does a chaser. The lanky, 6-foot-6 Jones sits 90-93, and the 25-year-old’s low slot makes his common slider further robust on lefties. Yovan was a great two-way beginner prospect who started his professional profession as a hitter and has now reached Triple-A as a reliever. He sits 93-94 and has a reasonably nasty cutter/slider. Seig is a brilliant bizarre undrafted arm (St. Joe’s) from 2021 who has carried out into the higher ranges of the minors. He’s a 6-foot-5, low-ish slot man who produces a downhill fastball due to his peak and upright supply. He fills the zone along with his funky sinker/slider combo.
System Overview
The Angels’ strategy to drafting and growing has, particularly on the high of their courses, tended to prioritize polish and proximity moderately than pure expertise and upside. This has been the case since 2021, the yr of the “All Pitchers” draft, although the Angels have completed a reasonably good job mixing in an over-slot highschool pitcher or two in every of the drafts since then. They hit it huge on Caden Dana, and three outstanding younger members of their present farm system (Trey Gregory-Alford, Dylan Jordan, and Barrett Kent) had been picked in comparable vogue. It felt as if a part of the rationale this technique was employed was to hurry help to the massive leagues in an effort to win whereas Shohei Ohtani was nonetheless a part of the org, however the Angels have continued drafting this manner regardless that Ohtani is gone. A part of the rationale their farm system is so mild up high is because of this technique. Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel graduated so quick that they’re not a part of the system anymore, whereas many different groups’ gamers from the 2022 and 2023 drafts nonetheless are. Prospect graduations are a great factor, however they detract from the way in which your prospect group seems to be on paper.
Nonetheless, there’s no getting round it — this isn’t an excellent system. Do not forget that the Angels had been nonetheless making patrons’ offers within the 2022-23 offseason and on the 2023 deadline for one final Trout/Ohtani playoff push. Not all of who they dealt away has turn into consequential, however Elvis Peguero had a pleasant 2024, and Edgar Quero and Ky Bush are nonetheless related prospects. Maybe worst of all, the Halos failed to comprehend Reynaldo López’s potential as a starter (although kudos to them for seeing that José Soriano might be one). After all, who is aware of what they might have gotten for Ohtani at that deadline had they determined to maneuver him (Junior Caminero is a standard business rumor). I believed it was defensible to maintain Ohtani and attempt to sneak into the postseason, however the system may look very completely different had they determined to promote. After all, Ohtani obtained harm and the plan instantly failed, and now we’ve got a 99-loss staff with a below-average farm system.
This technique is stuffed with potential high-leverage relievers and lots of up-the-middle hitters who’re very younger and dangerous. Perry Minasian and Co. have been including cogs to the massive league staff as in the event that they’re going to compete in 2025, and maybe if all of their key gamers can really keep wholesome — and if Dana rapidly turns into the affect starter I believe he’ll ultimately be (one thing the rotation actually wants) — they’ll have a greater shot to compete in a cool AL West than any of us would care to foretell at this second.
