Beneath is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Los Angeles Angels. Scouting studies have been compiled with info supplied by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fifth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column under: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually 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. Handbook changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means will be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview will be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location provides 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 crew’s record so readers can examine prospects throughout farm methods. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Be aware
Grouped by sort and listed so as of choice 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 primary part of the record if they may extra comfortably play a premium place. I favored the switch-hitting Fontenelle in highschool and would have given him $500,000 or so to signal. He ended up going to varsity 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 somewhat 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 appears like a 30-hit, 50-power, 40-glove nook utility man proper now (mainly an org man), however be aware that this can be a fairly younger switch-hitter who has handled change and instability mainly yearly since he left highschool.
The highly effective 5-foot-6 Campero is likely one of the higher Colombian gamers in professional ball and has carried out effectively by means of 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 appears 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 have 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 will 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 primary part of the record. 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 energetic large league roster late in 2024. A robust nook bat, Wagaman’s Double- and Triple-An information 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 incredible faculty hitter at Notre Dame and has generated big 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 more likely 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 seemed 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 brief for a lot of the remainder of the yr. He nonetheless did a bunch of ridiculous stuff on protection at second base, however I’d wish to see him play brief once more, please. Clark was a 2023 fifth rounder out of Harvard. He’s a low-90s sinker/sweeper starter with a free, whippy arm motion, free sufficient that there’s an opportunity he’ll but throw more durable. It seemed like his changeup was bettering late in 2024. He’s a depth starter sort who may pattern 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 somewhat 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 measurement, and he instructions an above-average mid-80s slider. Kerry’s bat-missing potential 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 free 25-year-old southpaw with a misleading low-slot supply that helps his 88-90 mph fastball play method, method up. He didn’t pitch with a frequency wherever near what could be required of a giant 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 large 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 brought on his pitches to minimize since he first burst onto the scene.
A pure aid 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 effectively and constantly lives on the high of the strike zone with it. He additionally has a mean slider, which capabilities 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 an excellent 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 top and upright supply. He fills the zone along with his funky sinker/slider combo.
System Overview
The Angels’ method 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 accomplished a reasonably good job mixing in an over-slot highschool pitcher or two in every of the drafts since then. They hit it large on Caden Dana, and three outstanding younger members of their present farm system (Trey Gregory-Alford, Dylan Jordan, and Barrett Kent) have been picked in comparable style. It felt as if a part of the explanation this technique was employed was to hurry help to the large leagues in an effort to win whereas Shohei Ohtani was nonetheless a part of the org, however the Angels have continued drafting this fashion despite the fact that Ohtani is gone. A part of the explanation 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 best way your prospect group appears on paper.
Nonetheless, there’s no getting round it — this isn’t an excellent system. Keep in mind that the Angels have been nonetheless making consumers’ 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 grow to be 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 appreciate Reynaldo López’s potential as a starter (although kudos to them for seeing that José Soriano may very well be one). After all, who is aware of what they may have gotten for Ohtani at that deadline had they determined to maneuver him (Junior Caminero is a standard trade rumor). I assumed 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 crew with a below-average farm system.
This technique is stuffed with potential high-leverage relievers and a whole lot of up-the-middle hitters who’re very younger and dangerous. Perry Minasian and Co. have been including cogs to the large league crew 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 shortly turns into the influence starter I believe he’ll ultimately be (one thing the rotation actually wants) — they’ll have a greater shot in a cool AL West than any of us would care to foretell at this second.
