By Ryan Falla; AngelsWin.com Featured Writer

Despite these long winter months feeling far and away from the deeply anticipated start to a new season of baseball there has been little rest for the grinders invested in their own success. Baseball never ends when you have true dedication to the sport, and for Angels top prospect Cam Minacci this current winter has been the most demanding of all as he stands on the cusp of a Major League future. The latest 49 innings of his professional career saw him blaze through the High A curriculum before grinding his way into greater form at AA to round out 2024, and now that he’s fully absorbed the physical and mental acclimations of a full professional season there is little else standing between him and his coming Major League assignment. While you don't want to count your developmental chickens before they hatch it's become clear that the work Minacci has put into himself on and off the field is beginning to pay major dividends as he forms his big league launchpad.

“We’re doing all we can do to get through that first full season. Because it's the first full one there’s a natural inclination to just get to the end, let’s just make it through. But it's not about just getting to the end. It's about excelling through the end. For me getting through the day is excelling. I felt great getting to turn it up at the end.” 

His uber-successful 2024 ended on a 10 game hot streak in Double A that saw the young star rally together a 2.25 ERA with 15Ks through the closing days. Overall he commanded a 3.31 ERA and 68Ks through his 49 IP on the year with half those IP coming in AA (24.2 IP 35Ks 3.28 ERA). Most of the season saw Minacci operate in a closing role as 39 of his 45 appearances saw him finish the final innings of a game with 18 overall saves on the year. Consistency was a strong suit as he posted nearly identical splits between High A and AA, and while a few tweaks will require some nailing down there is no better place to fine tune than the offseason. With Minacci's Spring Training experience in 2024 we will more likely than not see him take the stage again this coming Spring, though this time the evolutions of 2024 will command a new presence as he battles for Opening Day. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but with the track record of Angels GM Perry Minasian's promotions and affinity for high octane arms there appears to be few internal options (yet to debut) that offer as much back-end ceiling as does Minacci for this Major League roster. 

“You have a smaller margin to execute within as you rise through levels. The stuff you get away with in High A you don't get away with in AA. Hitters are better, guys make less mistakes; it's less chase. Guys have more of an approach, you face guys who they know what you're out there doing and they've planned to face you. You’re trying to be one step ahead of the hitter at all times.” 

The presence of Cam Minacci is a serious boon to this organization as it offers legitimate depth for the Angels high leverage ability, especially given their standings just outside the top ten worst bullpen ERA last year (11th with a 5.15 ERA). This number is a bit of an anomaly however as the Angels bullpen ERA vastly improved in the 2nd half with the 4th best bullpen ERA (2.84) after the All Star Break. This came on the strength of developmental pieces making their way to the Majors through the likes of Ben Joyce (2.08 ERA 34.2 IP) , Ryan Zeferjahn (2.12 17 IP), and Hans Crouse (2.84 ERA 25.1 IP), with the returning Jose Quijada rounding out the group (3.26 ERA 19.1 IP). Adding another high leverage, high octane arm of the same mold will be a huge step in reversing organizational fortunes and potentially land them in contention come 2025. While it takes more than a bullpen to carry a team across the finish line it cannot be understated how impossible the finish line becomes without a strong 'pen.

“There’s a healthy medium between the actual shapes of the pitches and location. We're working on throwing different pitches in different spots in the zone. Obviously I want to have the shapes where I want them, but it's even more important being able to throw them where they need to be in or out of the zone. That execution piece, especially as you rise through levels, is really important. You can try and throw pitches for a strike and then tweak the shape once you've got a feel for it. Or you can do it the other way, get the shape right and then worry about commanding it. It's trial and error in that department. Some pitches are easier to get the shape first and then learn how to command it. Others are easier to command and then get the shape.” 

The beginning stages of a window is taking tangible form thanks to prospects like Minacci and his incoming Trash Panda brothers. His MLB ETA currently targets the 2026 season but given the tendencies of the Angels system you can pencil him in for a jump ahead of the estimated timeframe. A successful Spring can very much put an Opening Day assignment on the table, and even if that doesn't come to immediate fruition there is still real opportunity in the near future, perhaps as close as pre-All Star Break. While the evolution of his repertoire has been a game-changer the real money comes in the care Minacci has taken to perfect his routine in effort to materialize a strong, consistent baseline in his performance. Should consistency ring true, as it tends to, a carry over from the end of Minacci's 2024 into Spring Training will put him on the map not only internally, but across all of Major League baseball as one of the hottest up and coming arms ready to take the game by storm.