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Team personnel assist the Angels’ Tommy La Stella off the field after he fouled a ball off his right leg while at bat during the top of the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Trevor Cahill (53) reaches down to touch the number 45 on the back of the mound as he prepares to work against the Texas Rangers in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. The number honors Tyler Skaggs who passed away on Monday in Southlake, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Some members of the Los Angeles Angels hold the jersey of Tyler Skaggs as they observe a moment of silence before a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 02: Justin Bour #41 of the Los Angeles Angels hangs the jersey of Tyler Skaggs #45 of the Los Angeles Angels in the dugout before taking on the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 02, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus sits on the bench in front of the jersey of Tyler Skaggs during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 02: A view of a Los Angeles Angels jersey with a patch to honor Tyler Skaggs #45 of the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 02, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Suarez kneels behind the mound before working against the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The number 45 is displayed on the scoreboard during the first inning of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. The number honors Tyler Skaggs. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Suarez adjust his cap that has a written message on it referring to teammate Tyler Skaggs during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Suarez adjust his cap that has a written message on it referring to teammate Tyler Skaggs during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Suarez (54) works against the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers’ Elvis Andrus (1) tips his helmet to the Los Angeles Angels dugout before walking up to the plate for an at-bat in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor (23) throws to the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout (27) wears a black patch with the number 45 on it as he takes an at-bat against the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A black patch with the number 45 on it sits above the team logo as Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout walks through the dugout in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. The entire team and staff wore the same patch honoring Tyler Skaggs. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers’ Elvis Andrus (1) talks with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy, right, before an at-bat in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is unable to reach a double by Texas Rangers’ Nomar Mazara in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo steals second ahead of the attempted tag by Los Angeles Angels second baseman Tommy La Stella (9) in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 02: Team personnel assist Tommy La Stella #9 of the Los Angeles Angels after he was injured while at bat against the Texas Rangers in the top of the sixth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 02, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 02: Luis Rengifo #4 of the Los Angeles Angels bobbles a ball hit by Elvis Andrus #1 of the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 02, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Angels manager Brad Ausmus, left, and other members of the team observe a moment of silence to honor teammate Tyler Skaggs before Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas. The 27-year-old Skaggs died on Monday. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, Texas — With Tyler Skaggs’ jersey hanging in their dugout, the Angels attempted to regain some semblance of normalcy by playing a baseball game on Tuesday night.
Returning to action just a day after Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room, the Angels were able to put aside their grief long enough to piece together a 9-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.
After it was over, the normal postgame handshake line was supplemented with plenty of firm embraces.
Even in the win, the Angels were dealt a little more adversity, although the more mundane variety.
Tommy La Stella, the Angels’ improbable All-Star, fouled a ball off his right shin and had to be helped off the field in the fifth inning. He was diagnosed with a contusion, and he will undergo a CT scan on Wednesday. Brian Goodwin also suffered a wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch. He also came out of the game and will undergo a CT scan on Tuesday.
Kole Calhoun was responsible for the game’s most poignant moment, as he pointed to the sky after touching the plate following his eighth-inning two-run homer.
Before the game, Manager Brad Ausmus had said playing could be a refuge from reality for a few hours, although there were still reminders of Skaggs throughout.
His No. 45 jersey hung in the dugout. It had been carried on to the field during a pregame moment of silence by Andrew Heaney, one of Skaggs’ closest friends on the team, and Cam Bedrosian.
Many Angels players had their own ways of remembering Skaggs, with his number or initials inscribed on their cap or equipment.
Rangers players asked the Globe Life Park entertainment staff to dispense with the walk-up songs for the night, so left-hander Mike Minor warmed up in relative silence to throw the game’s first pitch.
When Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus came to the plate for the first time, he stopped and tipped his helmet toward the Angels dugout. He then tapped the No. 45 on catcher Jonathan Lucroy’s chest protector.
The Rangers grounds crew pained a red No. 45 on the back of the pitcher’s mound.
The Angels sent rookie José Suarez to that mound to face Minor, who has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this year.
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But the Angels had been grinding out at-bats all night. They drew four of their 11 walks against Minor, knocking him out with 110 pitches in the fifth.
Lucroy then lined a two-out, two-run single into right field, tying the score at 3-3.
In the sixth, the Angels scored four runs, one on a hit by Upton and two more on a single by Justin Bour, who inherited a 3-and-2 count after La Stella had to come out of the game.
Calhoun padded the lead in the eighth with his homer, belting a ball through the wind and over the right-center field fence. Calhoun paused as he stepped on the plate and looked upward, having given the team a five-run lead as they neared the first victory what could be a challenging final three months.
More to come on this story.


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Around the tight world of baseball, they got pinged by their texts and their e-mails and their social media, early on Monday afternoon.
They looked at the screens and blinked.
Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs, 27, was found dead in a Southlake, Texas hotel room.
They looked again, read again, shook their heads as if it were some exotic language, or maybe one of those word pyramids where they bury the sentence in a forest of letters.
Was there another Skaggs, another Tyler? Is this a fake account?
“That’s not right,” Eddie Bane said.
It isn’t. But it was painfully correct. Skaggs, from Santa Monica High, a tall and talented kid whom Angels fans watched from the beginning of his cocoon, is no longer with us. The details were nonexistent and, for now, irrelevant.
Skaggs got married to Carli last October. He was showing signs of becoming a high-rotation starter. Just last week he predicted the Angels’ inconsistent rotation would begin to catch up with the healthy offense and cause a “meteoric rise.”
His final pitch was in the fifth inning Saturday night, at home against Oakland, and it produced a groundout. It was also his 91st pitch, and Skaggs was removed for Trevor Cahill, and he was agitated in the first place because he’d been called for a balk, and then Matt Chapman homered off Cahill for a 3-0 Oakland lead. Skaggs rose and walked down the tunnel, his emotions unmasked, as usual.
“One thing about him,” said Marcel Lachemann, who has been advising Angel pitchers since the 1970s. “He didn’t like to come out of games.”
But Skaggs was coming on. He had ditched his slider and was throwing more four-seam fastballs and changeups. He had fought through two major injuries, including Tommy John surgery, and a trade to Arizona and then back to Anaheim. And, as Bane kept saying on Monday, he was 27.
“I watched that game,” said Bane, the scouting director who supervised that 2009 draft, now a special assistant with the Red Sox.
“They showed the dugout and there was Tyler, laughing and imitating the way Justin Upton was running. He just looked so comfortable and I thought, there you are. You’re a big-leaguer now, no question. It happens so fast.”
That’s 10 years, happening so fast. In 2009 Angels fans adorned the ballpark plaza with flowers and mementos for Nick Adenhart, who was taken by a runaway drunk driver. Fans began doing that on Monday for Skaggs.
How many wins and awards and dollars would Adenhart have by now? Those questions endure to this day and now will be asked in tandem.
“It’s hard,” Lachemann said. “As a coach or manager, you really don’t know what to say. You’re as shocked as anyone else. Nobody really wants to play when this happens. The baseball is pretty insignificant at this point.”
The fans felt proprietary. Skaggs went to Santa Monica. His mom Debbie was the softball coach there; his stepdad built a mound in the backyard. Debbie had pitched well in her day, and she pointed out things with every start.
As a sophomore, Skaggs pitched in a CIF championship game at Dodger Stadium, but lost 7-1 to Charter Oak. “We didn’t play well behind him that day,” said Kevin Brockway, Santa Monica’s coach at the time. “He was throwing 90-91 that day and he always had that curveball. He was skinny, but that curve was what they all liked.”
Dave Serrano, the Cal State Fullerton coach, liked it a lot and got a commitment from him. But as Skaggs got stronger and faster, the pro scouts converged.
Bane saw Skaggs throw slow, looping curves on his visit.
“I don’t like him,” he told Bo Hughes, the area scout.
“Go back again,” Hughes said, “and you’ll see the real curve.”
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“Before Tyler filled out, he looked like he had the body of a skateboarder,” said Serrano, now the coach at Cal State Northridge. “But he always had that swag going.”
Skaggs was looking forward to another start in Dodger Stadium, on July 23 or 24. The Angels will be blindsided by such forfeited moments, such former opportunities, for years.
We all think baseball careers will end organically, either by performance or injury or, in rare cases, the player’s own choice. Now we’re consigned to remember Skaggs for what he could have been instead of what he was.
Monday wasn’t right.
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Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room on Monday afternoon, just hours before the club was scheduled to play a game against the Texas Rangers.


The Southlake Police Department said Skaggs was declared dead at the scene.

Tonight’s game between the Angels and Rangers was canceled and will be made up sometime in August. No decision has been made yet about the remaining three games of this week’s series.



Following the news, members of the MLB community shared their reactions on Twitter:













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Tyler Wayne Skaggs
Born: 7/13/1991 in Woodland Hills, Ca.
High school: Santa Monica High, where he played football, basketball and baseball
Married: To Carli Miles on New Year’s Eve, 2018.
Drafted: First round by the Angels in 2009 (40th player chosen overall)
Signed: August 7, 2009
Career transactions:
• August 7, 2010: The Angels sent Skaggs to the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete an earlier deal made on July 25, 2010. That trade sent a player to be named later, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and Joe Saunders to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Dan Haren.
• December 10, 2013: Traded as part of a three-team trade by the Diamondbacks to the Angels. The Chicago White Sox sent Hector Santiago to the Angels, and a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks. The Angels sent a player to be named later and Mark Trumbo to the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks sent Adam Eaton to the Chicago White Sox. The Angels sent A.J. Schugel (December 13, 2013) to the  Diamondbacks to complete the trade. The White Sox sent Brandon Jacobs (minors) (December 13, 2013) to the Diamondbacks to complete the trade.
Notable:
• Spent the entire 2015 season on Angels disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on Aug. 13, 2014. Missed final 53 games of 2014 after exiting start July 31 at Tampa Bay with a left forearm strain.
• Made Angels debut April 5, 2014 at Houston and became the seventh starting pitcher in club history to pitch 8-plus innings with zero earned runs in team debut, joining Rudy May, Curt Simmons, Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Jerry Reuss and Shawn Boskie.
• Had a 7-7 record with a 4.29 earned-run average, 78 strikeouts and 28 walks and an opponents’ batting average of .242 in 15 starts in 2019.
• Established career highs in wins (8), starts (24), innings pitched (125.1) and strikeouts (129) in 2018.
• Was active in numerous Angels community events, including hospital visits, Moving Day and the annual Kids Holiday Party. … During Angels road trip to Minnesota in June 2018, visited patients at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare (non-profit hospital in St. Paul, MN) alongside Andrew Heaney, Blake Parker and Andrew Bailey. … Tyler’s mother, Debbie, was longtime softball and volleyball coach at Santa Monica High… Signed by Angels scout Bobby Dejardin.
Tyler Skaggs archive:
Tyler Skaggs helps Angels to victory in final game of Albert Pujols’ return to St. Louis Angels win behind Tyler Skaggs’ gem, get back to .500 Tyler Skaggs’ outing spoiled by two-strike homers in Angels’ loss Angels’ Tyler Skaggs once again pitches well in Kansas City Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs goes on IL with sprained ankle Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs has abandoned his sinker, and he isn’t alone Tyler Skaggs satisfied with first outing of the season for the Angels Angels’ Tyler Skaggs looks to erase a forgettable finish after a great start last year Photos:

Tyler Skaggs poses during photo day at the Angels’ Spring Training facility in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pitcher Tyler Skaggs watches from the dugout during the Angels’ Spring Training home-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, AZ on Saturday, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Pitcher Tyler Skaggs poses during the Angels’ Photo Day at Spring Training in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pitcher Tyler Skaggs watches from the dugout during the Angels’ Spring Training home-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, AZ on Saturday, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tyler Skaggs throws to the plate during workouts at the Angels’ Spring Training facility in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tyler Skaggs poses during photo day at the Angels’ Spring Training facility in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Joseph Silver, 8, of Victorville gets his opportunity for an autograph from Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs at the Angels Moving Day event in 2015. In addition to autographs, all fans received a coupon for a free ticket. (Photo by PAUL RODRIGUEZ, Orange County REGISTER/SCNG)

Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was on hand go give autographs to fans that came out for the Angels Moving Day event IN 2015. (Photo by PAUL RODRIGUEZ, Orange County REGISTER/SCNG)

The Angels’ Tyler Skaggs poses during photo day at Tempe Diablo Stadium IN 2016. (PHOTO BY KEVIN SULLIVAN, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Los Angeles Angels’ starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs looks to the dugout against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Angels’ pitcher Tyler Skaggs poses during the annual Spring Training Photo Day at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Los Angeles Angeles’ Tyler Skaggs #45 during photo day at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to the Oakland Athletics during a baseball game Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Pitcher Tyler Skaggs poses during the Angels’ Photo Day at Spring Training in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to an Oakland Athletics batter during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs flips the ball to first in time to get Tampa Bay Rays’ Travis d’Arnaud out during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 13, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws a pitch during first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, June 23, 2019, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Los Angeles Angels’ Tyler Skaggs pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 13, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs, right, talks to catcher Dustin Garneau during the fourth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 10: Tyler Skaggs #45 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim delivers a pitch in the third inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 10, 2014 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 28: Tyler Skaggs #45 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 28, 2014 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs gave up one run in 7-1/3 innings in their 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night in Toronto, becoming the first Angels pitcher to throw more than seven innings in a game this season. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs delivers a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
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Some of them approached in tears. Some knelt. Some closed their eyes and spoke softly in prayer.
They brought red carnations and roses, rally monkeys and baseball caps. Many wrote solemn messages that ended with #45, a tribute to Tyler Skaggs, the 27-year-old  Angels pitcher who was found dead Monday afternoon at the team’s hotel in Texas.
Angels fans felt compelled to come to the Big A  upon hearing about Skaggs’ death. Many of them talked about how sad it was to see the makeshift memorial in the same spot – the bricked mound in the stadium’s plaza – where they had left flowers for Nick Adenhart, the Angels pitcher killed by a drunk driver in 2009.
“I had to drop everything and come immediately,” said Alex Ramirez of Santa Ana. “It really hit me. It happens too frequently with the Angels.”

Mourners gather around aa memorial for Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019. Skaggs died in Texas at the age of 27. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

An emotional Amanda Wojciechowski, right, and her son Mason, 4, drove from Long Beach to visit a memorial for Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019. Tyler Skaggs died in Texas at the age of 27 (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Bob Horan of Anaheim leaves flowers at a memorial outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019 in memory of Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs who died in Texas at the age of 27 (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

An electronic sign at the entrance to Angel Stadium has Tyler Skaggs birth and death year in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019. Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in Texas at the age of 27. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bob Horan of Anaheim pauses at a memorial outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019 in memory of Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs who died in Texas at the age of 27. “I’m shocked and stunned,” said Horan. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Nancy Dodson of Garden Grove pauses to say a pray at a memorial outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019 in memory of Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs who died in Texas at the age of 27. Dodson was on the way to Angel Stadium to pick up free tickets when she heard on the news that Tyler had died. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

An impromptu memorial is set up on the pitchers mound outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019 in memory of Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs who died in Texas at the age of 27. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Angel fans, front to back, Reza Agahi, Grant Gaynor, both of Anaheim and William St.Marseille of Orange leave flowers at a memorial outside Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, July 1, 2019 in memory of Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs who died in Texas at the age of 27. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Expand Bob Horan of Anaheim took a knee and stared at the message board that read: Tyler Skaggs, 1991-2019. He brought a bouquet.
“I’m shocked and stunned at another tragedy that has befallen the Angels,” said Horan, an Angels fan since 1961 and a season ticket holder. “It seems like this happens a lot to this organization. The only thing I could do was come down here with the flowers.”
Skaggs. Adenhart. Lyman Bostock. Donnie Moore. Mike Miley. The list of Angels and former Angels who died tragically is too long.
“Again, tragedy with the Angels,” said Ernie Morales of Orange. “Why so young? He (Skaggs) was just coming into his own.”
Grant Gaynor of Anaheim said he met Skaggs during spring training. The Angels pitcher took the time to talk with him and gave him an autographed baseball.
Monday afternoon, Gaynor placed a baseball on the makeshift memorial.
“He gave me a baseball, so I brought one for him,” Gaynor said.
James Reynolds had brought his wife and two sons for a tour of the stadium when the news broke about Skaggs’ death.
“It’s sad for someone so young and their life to be taken so easily,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds sat next to his sons in silence.
“I don’t know how to explain that one to them,” he said. “I’m at a loss for words.”
Ricky and Michael Martinez, brothers from Santa Ana, placed the first roses on the makeshift memorial. They brought a plastic Angels batting helmet that said “LTBU in heaven Tyler.” LTBU refers to lights on the Big A in the parking lot and the way announcer Victor Rojas proclaims an Angels victory, “Light that baby up.”
“He was an amazing player,” Ricky Martinez said. “He had his whole career ahead of him.”
Roberto Gutierrez of Corona brought a hat from the Corona Pirates, his son’s Little League team.
“The guy has been there for us,” Gutierrez said. “We’ve got to be there for him and his family. He’s a good guy. The Angels always have time for us fans. When I heard the news, I told myself I’ve got to go down there.”
Ashley Flores of Anaheim was tearful as she took pictures of the memorial with her phone.
“I’m devastated,” she said. “You don’t think something like this is going to happen.”
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ANAHEIM — Outside of baseball circles, “kinematic sequence” and “rotational velocity” sound like biology buzzwords that hopefully, for most of us, will not be on the test. Even inside baseball circles, the popularity of these terms only spread recently and rapidly.
They took center stage Friday in the Angels’ bullpen, where Matt Harvey was hooked up to a pair of 4D Motion sensors – a wireless system that uses a pair of wearable devices to produce a digital representation of an athlete’s body in motion. Harvey wore one strap over his shoulders, and another around his waist, while throwing off the mound Friday.
The two straps measure when a pitcher’s hips accelerate, and by how much; when his arm accelerates, and by how much; and also how the two measurements relate to each other. On this day, Harvey said he was paying attention to when his hips accelerated relative to his arm.
“The separation wasn’t what it used to be,” he said.
The goal is to hopefully unlock some of the velocity that’s been missing from Harvey’s repertoire this season. He’s been on the injured list since May 25, with an upper back strain with a minor league rehab stint in his near future. Harvey’s fastball was touching 96 mph in March but had dipped to 94 in his last start before going on the IL.
“I think velocity certainly helps,” Manager Brad Ausmus said. “I don’t think that’s a secret. It’s definitely not the only answer. I’ve been around plenty of pitchers who threw hard but had no command, or no secondary, and could not be successful. I’ve been around guys without velocity, with command, or secondary, who were very successful. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.
“The ideal is to have velocity and command of the secondary.”
Whether the 4D Motion system can help Harvey achieve his goal is unclear. According to the 4D Motion website, the technology is designed to help golfers, hitters, and pitchers alike unlock the power of their kinematic sequence. It’s a recent innovation, so independent research on its effectiveness with pitchers is scant – if it exists at all. The Angels aren’t the first major league team to give it a try, however.
Ausmus emphasized that unlocking the missing velocity is just part of the solution for Harvey, who turned 30 in March.
“The pitchers who really stand the test of time, who pitch for 15 to 20 years, there is an adaptation that takes place at some point,” he said, “because you’re not going to have, generally speaking, the same velocity at 25 that you will at 35 – Nolan Ryan withstanding, Justin Verlander withstanding – but generally there’s going to be a little bit of erosion in terms of velocity, and I think the pitchers who last are the ones who are able to adapt, change, develop a new pitch, improve command, and that’s why they gain that longevity.”
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Outfield prospect Jo Adell was selected to participate in the Futures Game on July 7 in Cleveland. The annual exhibition game showcases the top minor league prospects in each team’s system. This year’s game will be limited to seven innings. Adell was selected to the Futures Game for the second time. In 25 games this season since returning from a sprained ankle and strained hamstring, he is hitting .348 with a 1.046 on-base plus slugging percentage at Double-A Mobile. … Pitcher Keynan Middleton, on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, was not scheduled to throw to live hitters, as Ausmus stated previously. He threw a bullpen session Friday. … Ausmus said that catcher Kevan Smith, on the 10-day IL with a sprained metacarpal bone in his left hand, will swing a bat Saturday for the first time since he was hurt.
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Tyler Skaggs, 7-6, 4.30 ERA) vs. A’s (LHP Brett Anderson, 7-5, 4.26 ERA), Saturday, 7 p.m., Fox Sports West, 830 AM
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By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

ANAHEIM — Shohei Ohtani will throw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since having offseason Tommy John surgery, the Angels announced Tuesday during their game against the Reds.
The star two-way player had the procedure done in October by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in L.A. and missed the first 34 games of the season. He was activated from the IL on May 7, returning to the batter’s box only, where he was hitting .276 entering Tuesday with nine home runs in 41 games.
Angels manager Brad Ausmus said before Tuesday’s game that Ohtani began throwing during the team’s 11-game road swing, which was ahead of schedule for the second-year player’s recovery. Ausmus added the team intends to continue Ohtani’s throwing program, which includes four days of throwing a week.
The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year hit .285 last season with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs while pitching in 10 starts with a 3.31 ERA. He joined Babe Ruth as the only MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season.
The Angels continue a six-game homestand Wednesday at 5 p.m. against the Reds.
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By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
Much has been spoken about the Angels emergence of arms this year, but the last two weeks has shown the Angels hitting prospects make a mark – thirteen hitters had an OPS over 1.000 meaning not all could even make the hotlist, so the honorable mention list could be its own hotlist after this one.
1) Jarrett Parker – RF/1B, AAA: 
With Puello now in Miami, Parker is one step closer to the big leagues, and his recent performance has only further stressed that. Parker has homered in six straight games, giving him 18 on the year in 251 plate appearances, paired up with a .364/.453/.909/1.362 slash in the last two weeks. Additionally, Parker has added 1B to his defensive portfolio, giving him added usefulness to help the Angels should Bour again falter, or Pujols’ health give out.
2019 hitting (AAA): .307/.438/.639/.1.077 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 45 BB, 64 K in 57 G/251 PA
2) Matt Thaiss – 3B, AAA:
Thaiss continued building his momentum (he had an .800 OPS from mid-April leading up to 6/10) by posting one of his hottest two-weeks to date; .372/.518/.791/1.309 with 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 walks to 7 strikeouts – with only a .355 BAbip in that time – all while playing exclusively 3B. Thaiss currently leads the Pacific Coast League with 52 walks, tied for tenth in HR with 13, and tied for sixteenth with 132 total bases.
2019 (AAA): .273/.387/.475/.862 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 52 BB, 55 K in 71 G/333 PA
3) Jo Adell – CF/RF, AA:
Adell has continued to assert himself as one of the game’s top prospects, completely dominating AA since his return. Over the last two weeks, Adell has slashed .395/.477/.684/1.161 in 11 games, clubbing 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and only striking out five times – matched by five walks. Soon enough, it will simply just become a matter of time before Adell finds himself in Anaheim.
2019 (A+/AA): .361/.430/.651/1.081 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K in 22 G/93 PA
4) Orlando Martinez – CF/LF/RF, A+:
Vaulting into the prospect hotlist, and perhaps a new prospect legitimacy, Martinez has started showing some power in the last two weeks – six doubles, three home runs – during his recent .367/.456/.673/1.130 slash – adding to an already longstanding offensive profile of good contact and good discipline. The 2018 signee out of Cuba is almost undoubtedly in the mix for a future 4th OF job, but this increased power could bring him into an everyday conversation.
2019 (A+): .302/.377/.466/.842 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 29 K in 26 G/130 PA
5) Jared Walsh – 1B/LHP, AAA:
Walsh has taken his AAA demotion in stride, picking up right where he left off with significant offensive production. Walsh has slashed .364/.481/.591/1.072 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight walks to 11 strikeouts. With Bour back in Anaheim, Walsh might be in Salt Lake for a lengthy stint, but should remain a versatile option at the ready.
2019 hitting (AAA): .306/.399/.566/.965 with 18 doubles, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 29 BB, 68 K in 60 G/258 PA
2019 pitching (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K across 6 IP in 6 games
Honorable mention, hitters:
Brennon Lund (OF, AAA): .459/.500/.757/1.257 with 5 2B, 2 HR –  yup, even a 1.257 OPS couldn’t crack the top 5.
Jose Verrier (3B/2B, Orem Rk.): .321/.500/.750/1.250 with 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Jeremiah Jackson (SS,  Orem Rk.): .286/.386/.657/1.044 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
Rainier Rivas (RF, DSL Rk.): .407/.500/.519/1.019 with 3 2B with 5 BB, 4 K
Michael Stefanic (SS/2B, A+): .310/.396/.619/1.015 with 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K – starting to adjust to A+
Taylor Ward (LF, AAA): .268/.423/.585/1.008 with 2B, 4 HR but only 8 BB, 11 K – playing only LF recently
Jose Rojas (2B/3B, AAA): .289/.382/.622/1.004 with 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 13 K
Jordan Zimmerman (3B, A+): .341/.391/.610/1.001 with 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – a 1.109 slash in June now
Franklin Torres (C/2B, A+): .378/.431/.533/.965 with 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K – splitting time between C and 2B
Gareth Morgan (OF, A+): .256/.298/.605/.903 with 5 HR, 1 BB, 26 K in 47 PA
Spencer Griffin (RF, A): .351/.385/.614/.898 with 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 3-3 in SB attempts
Jahmai Jones (2B, AA): .318/.362/.500/.862 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, in 48 PA
D’Shawn Knowles (OF, Orem Rk.): .278/.400/.444/.844 with 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-4 SB attempts
6) Hector Yan – LHP, A: 
You can’t really be much better over a two-week span than what Hector Yan has done. Two starts, 11.1 innings pitched, zero runs – and zero hits allowed. Yan also struck out 12, but did allow five walks, a sign of his continuing issues of control and durability which could limit his ceiling, but the 20-year old lefty continues to climb up the ranks of Angels pitching prospects.
2019 (A): 3.07 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 31 BB, 78 K across 55.2 IP in 14 G/10 GS
7) Cooper Criswell – RHP, A+: 
The 6’6″ righty threw his most dominant game 6/22, striking out nine in 5 IP – capping a two-week span where he made three appearances, striking out 21 in 11.2 IP, allowing only 3 walks and nine hits, including a .209 BAA – despite a .409 BAbip. While his overall results have been mixed, Criswell comes with the right frame and decent repertoire to pitch himself into the top Angels pitching prospect discussions if he continues his June production.
2019 (A+): 4.82 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA, 20 BB, 54 K across 52.1 IP in 13 G/10 GS
8 ) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Castillo continues to place among the Angels top pitchers on the prospect playlist – his consistency has led him to lead the Angels org – majors including – in innings pitched, and his ERA has now dropped to an even 3.00. Over the last two weeks, Castillo made two starts and two one-inning relief appearances – combining for 14 innings, 1.29 ERA, and 1 BB with 8 K – perhaps hinting at some potential usefulness as a reliever on the MLB depth charts.
2019 (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .264 BAA, 18 BB, 55 K, only 3 HR allowed across 75 IP in 16 G/12 GS
9) Cole Duensing – RHP, A:
The miraculous rebirth of the 2016 draft pick’s career continued over the last two weeks as he made three appearances, led by a 6.2 IP start against Clinton where he struck out 8 and walked zero, and followed by two relief appearances – one good (4 IP, 0 BB, 4 K, and one not so good (0.2 IP, 3 BB), further demonstrating the volatility of the lanky righty’s stuff. Duensing might be best suited in the future as a high-lev, multi-inning relief arm.
2019 (A): 4.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .241 BAA, 36 BB, 55 K across 58.1 IP in 14 G/9 GS
10) Alejandro Duran – RHP, DSL Rk.:
Little is known about the equally diminutive (5’11”, 150) 17-year old Venezuelan righty, but he’s made quite an intro to the Angels Dominican summer league team, making four appearances, throwing 18 innings, striking out 20, and only walking two, surrendering a 3.00 ERA in that time.
2019 (DSL Rk.): 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .119 BAA, 2 BB, 20 K across 18 in 4 G/2 GS
Honorable mention, pitchers:
Isaac Mattson (RHP, AA): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 games – no signs slowing now that he’s in AA
Luis Alvarado (RHP, A): 11.2 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
Danifer Diaz (RHP, DSL Rk.): 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA in 2 GS 
View the full article

David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
When I was in high school, I had an economics teacher who used to say to us (often at random times) “Class, it’s time to get in touch with the sounds of the universe.” At the time, we all thought he was a bit crazy. Now, as I’m older, I realize, he was just a bit “eccentric.”
My old economics teacher probably was onto something, though. There are times when the universe is clearly trying to tell us something. I wrote about one such sign from baseball a few years ago. It was my proof that there is a G-d, and that G-d is a baseball fan. You can read it here.
Last week, I was extremely busy. I didn’t have time to watch every Angels game and have only recently caught up on them all. I saved the games on my DVR, because I knew that one of them would be Tim Mead’s last game with the Angels.
Anyone who has spent any time on AngelsWin.com knows how much Tim meant to this site. I consider him a friend and a role model. He is honest and kind. He takes the time to get to know and understand people. He listens and helps where and when he can.
AngelsWin.com will forever be indebted to him. As will I.
Over the past few days, I had time to catch up on the Angels games. I watched Tim’s last game against the Dodgers. It was emotional for him to get through the interview with Victor and Gubi. And, it was emotional watching it as a friend and as a fan.
If there is any place where Tim belongs, other than with the Angels, it has to be the Hall of Fame. The outpouring of love from around and across the baseball world shows that Tim is a Hall of Fame member for the Front Office part of the game.
And, if there is anything that could pull Tim away from the Angels, it had to be Hall of Fame. There is no doubt that Tim loves the Angels. He bleeds Halos red through and through. But, if there is anything that he might love more, it’s the game of baseball itself. He respects and treasures it. He will protect it and all the players who enter into the Hall of Fame.
As Tim was interviewed by Victor and Gubi, he said he would love to see more Angels getting into the Hall of Fame. Certainly Pujols and Trout will get there (although I’m in no rush to see Trout inducted anytime soon–I’d rather see him continue a long and productive career with the Angels). As a fan, I’d love to see more Angels in the Hall of Fame.
In the next day’s game, against the Rays, something interesting happened. And, as I thought about it, I realized that it was a sign. The game after Tim Mead left the Angels for the Hall of Fame, Shohei Ohtani hit for the cycle–the first Japanese born player to do so in the Major Leagues. The very next Hall of Fame worthy event in baseball came from the Angels. The very first item that Tim will get to curate for museum will be from his beloved team. This wasn’t irony. This was a sign that the universe agreed with his decision to move.
I will miss Tim’s presence when I go to the ballpark. And I know AngelsWin will forever miss his talks with us.
But sometimes, it seems, we really do need to listen to the sounds of the universe.
View the full article

David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
When I was in high school, I had an economics teacher who used to say to us (often at random times) “Class, it’s time to get in touch with the sounds of the universe.” At the time, we all thought he was a bit crazy. Now, as I’m older, I realize, he was just a bit “eccentric.”
My old economics teacher probably was onto something, though. There are times when the universe is clearly trying to tell us something. I wrote about one such sign from baseball a few years ago. It was my proof that there is a G-d, and that G-d is a baseball fan. You can read it here.
Last week, I was extremely busy. I didn’t have time to watch every Angels game and have only recently caught up on them all. I saved the games on my DVR, because I knew that one of them would be Tim Mead’s last game with the Angels.
Anyone who has spent any time on AngelsWin.com knows how much Tim meant to this site. I consider him a friend and a role model. He is honest and kind. He takes the time to get to know and understand people. He listens and helps where and when he can.
AngelsWin.com will forever be indebted to him. As will I.
Over the past few days, I had time to catch up on the Angels games. I watched Tim’s last game against the Dodgers. It was emotional for him to get through the interview with Victor and Gubi. And, it was emotional watching it as a friend and as a fan.
If there is any place where Tim belongs, other than with the Angels, it has to be the Hall of Fame. The outpouring of love from around and across the baseball world shows that Tim is a Hall of Fame member for the Front Office part of the game.
And, if there is anything that could pull Tim away from the Angels, it had to be Hall of Fame. There is no doubt that Tim loves the Angels. He bleeds Halos red through and through. But, if there is anything that he might love more, it’s the game of baseball itself. He respects and treasures it. He will protect it and all the players who enter into the Hall of Fame.
As Tim was interviewed by Victor and Gubi, he said he would love to see more Angels getting into the Hall of Fame. Certainly Pujols and Trout will get there (although I’m in no rush to see Trout inducted anytime soon–I’d rather see him continue a long and productive career with the Angels). As a fan, I’d love to see more Angels in the Hall of Fame.
In the next day’s game, against the Rays, something interesting happened. And, as I thought about it, I realized that it was a sign. The game after Tim Mead left the Angels for the Hall of Fame, Shohei Ohtani hit for the cycle–the first Japanese born player to do so in the Major Leagues. The very next Hall of Fame worthy event in baseball came from the Angels. The very first item that Tim will get to curate for museum will be from his beloved team. This wasn’t irony. This was a sign that the universe agreed with his decision to move.
I will miss Tim’s presence when I go to the ballpark. And I know AngelsWin will forever miss his talks with us.
But sometimes, it seems, we really do need to listen to the sounds of the universe.
View the full article

TORONTO — Andrelton Simmons won’t be returning quite as quickly as it seemed.
During the second day of his rehab assignment on Wednesday night, Simmons had “a noticeable limp,” Manager Brad Ausmus said Thursday, so the Angels sent him back to Anaheim to slow down the rehab.
Ausmus said Simmons will not be active this weekend in St. Louis, as seemed likely a couple days ago, but still could be activated on the upcoming six-game homestand.
Simmons suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain lunging to try to beat a play at first on May 20. Although the Angels never gave a specific timeframe for Simmons to return, other similar injuries have required rehab periods of eight to 12 weeks. Simmons is not even five weeks removed from the injury.
After progressing quickly, the Angels sent him to rookie-level Orem (Utah) to play games on Tuesday and Wednesday. He was then to be re-evaluated to determine if he was ready to be active.
Sean Johnson, one of the Angels trainers, was in Orem and detected the limp.
“He noticed it so he made the call that we probably should back him off for a couple days and then re-evaluate him,” Ausmus said. “That being said, I texted Simba and he said he’s fine.”
Ausmus added that this doesn’t look like a serious setback.
“We don’t expect it to be anything long term,” he said. “We know he can play a game. we want to make sure he is prepared to play multiple games. That’s more what it’s about.”
SMITH TO IL
Catcher Kevan Smith was placed on the injured list because of a sprain in his left hand. The Angels do not have a timeline for Smith’s return. He left the team to see a hand specialist.
Ausmus said Smith felt something on a check swing during Tuesday night’s game.
“It bothered him then it bothered him the rest of the game,” Ausmus said. “He came in the next day and barely could hold a bat out in front of him because he was sore.”
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ALSO
Shohei Ohtani had a night off on Thursday because the Angels wanted to get Justin Upton a start at designated hitter. Upton is just returning from missing two and a half months with a sprained toe, so Ausmus had him just start two of the four games in the outfield on Toronto’s artificial turf. …
Mike Trout came into Thursday’s game with a career .631 slugging percentage at Rogers Centre, the highest for any opponent with at least 120 plate appearances.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 2-3, 3.93) at Cardinals (RHP Michael Wacha, 4-3, 6.00), 5:15 p.m., Fox Sports West
View the full article

Angels shortstop Luis Rengifo throws to first to retire the Blue Jays’ Freddy Galvis in the third inning of Tuesday’s game in Toronto. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to a Toronto Blue Jays batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Toronto Blue Jays’ Danny Jansen flies out to right during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs winds up during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim reacts as a foul ball goes into the crowd in the first inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout (27) is out at second as Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis throws to first for the double play on Shohei Ohtani during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Brian Goodwin #18 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on after striking out in the third inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounds out to second against Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. celebrates after hitting a home run off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Justin Upton #8 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and teammates react after Kole Calhoun #56 hits a home run in the fifth inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim runs home after hitting a home run in the fifth inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Brian Goodwin #18 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a home run in the fifth inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels’ Brian Goodwin watches his home run off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Angels’ Brian Goodwin (18) celebrates his home run off Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman pitch with Luis Rengifo (4) as Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen (9) stands at home plate during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Brian Goodwin #18 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrates a home run with teammate Luis Rengifo #4 in the fifth inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Tommy La Stella tags out Toronto Blue Jays’ Randal Grichuk during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim reacts after walking in the fourth inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen catches a foul ball by Los Angeles Angels’ Luis Rengifo during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO, ON – JUNE 18: Tyler Skaggs #45 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim delivers a pitch in the first inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Show Caption of
Expand TORONTO — Tyler Skaggs delivered the kind of performance he had been expecting of himself.
Skaggs, who has insisted for a year that he could be the kind of pitcher he was in the first half last year, gave up one run in 7-1/3 innings in the Angels’ 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Skaggs became the first Angels pitcher this season to go more than seven innings. His best outing of the season, along with homers by Kole Calhoun and Brian Goodwin, lifted the Angels (37-37) back to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8.
Starting pitching has been the biggest issue for the Angels throughout the first half of the season, and Skaggs had been one of the key pitchers not living up expectations.
Last season he had a breakthrough in the first three months, carrying a 2.57 ERA into the All-Star break. The second half of the season was ruined by a pair of groin injuries, and Skaggs has been trying to rediscover that form ever since.
He had an ERA of 5.00 heading into his 13th start of the season on Tuesday night, but he came out firing.
Skaggs retired the first 11 hitters before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a homer. He got into a jam in the fifth, allowing two hits and another batter to reach on an error. However, Calhoun threw out Randal Grichuk trying to go from first to third on a single, and then Luís Rengifo caught a line drive and doubled off Rowdy Tellez, ending the inning.
Perhaps seeing the hard contact in that inning, Manager Brad Ausmus had Cam Bedrosian warming in the sixth, which Skaggs started with just 60 pitches.
Skaggs zipped through the Toronto hitters in the sixth, finishing by throwing his hardest pitch of the season, a 95 mph fastball past Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He retired the side in order on 11 pitches in the seventh, just the fifth time this season an Angels pitcher finished seven.
Skaggs started the eighth with a strikeout of left-handed hitting Tellez, and then Ausmus handed the game to Ty Buttrey, who got the final two outs of the eighth. Hansel Robles worked the ninth to seal the Angels’ sixth victory in their last eight games.
More to come on this story.



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Angels infielder Tommy La Stella remains atop the All-Star fan voting at second base, with less than a week to go in the first round of voting.
In results released on Monday, La Stella had 1,020,912 votes, ahead of José Altuve 923,117. La Stella merely needs to be in the top three by the end of the “primary” voting on Friday at 1 p.m. PT in order to qualify for the 28-hour final vote starting June 26. Jonathan Schoop, who is in fourth, has 362,504 votes.
Shohei Ohtani needs some help if he is going to make it into the top three. Ohtani is fourth among AL DH candidates, with 362,947 votes. Nelson Cruz is in third with 506,211.
Mike Trout, of course, is comfortably leading all AL outfielders, with 1,904,273 votes. Trout was passed by Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger (2,184,251) for the overall lead.
The fans will pick the starters via the final vote next week, and the rest of the All-Star rosters will be filled out via the players vote and selections from the commissioner’s office.
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Angels to activate Justin Upton on Monday in Toronto Angels still come up short of .500 after road loss to Rays Rookie Jose Suarez pitches Angels to victory over Rays Angels designate reliever Cody Allen for assignment Angels’ bullpen endures rough night in loss to Rays  
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  José Suarez is continuing to show the stuff that encouraged the Angels to bring the 21-year-old to the majors.
Suarez was dominant for most of his outing in the Angels’ 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon, the team’s fourth victory in five games.
Suarez gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings, all the runs scoring on a homer by Yandy Diaz in the sixth. Suarez has allowed eight runs in 16 innings, but he’s had stretches within each game that showed how much better he could be.
He needed just 64 pitches to get through the first five innings Saturday, without allowing a run. He struck out three and allowed just two singles.
Leaning heavily on his changeup, Suarez sliced through the Rays hitters twice through the lineup.
In the sixth, though, the Rays got their third look at him, and the results were different. Avisail García lined a solid single to left and then Tommy Pham dumped a blooper into right. Austin Meadows then hit a fly ball to the warning track in center.
The ballpark barely held that one, but it couldn’t hold Diaz’s drive to right-center on a 3-and-1 changeup. The three-run homer erased much of a 4-0 lead.
Relievers Cam Bedrosian, Ty Buttrey and Hansel Robles made the lead hold up, a day after the bullpen had blown a four-run lead.
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Angels designate reliever Cody Allen for assignment Angels’ bullpen endures rough night in loss to Rays Angels facing roster crunch as Justin Upton nears return Shohei Ohtani hits for the cycle in Angels’ victory over Rays Angels expect Andrelton Simmons back this month This time, the Angels built a four-run lead with a quick burst against Charlie Morton, the fourth game in a row the Angels took at least a four-run lead by the fifth inning.
David Fletcher hit a two-run homer in the second and Justin Bour hit a solo shot in the fourth. Bour has hit homers in each of the two games he’s started since coming back from Triple-A.
Kevan Smith added a solo homer in the eighth to get the Angels an insurance run after Diaz cut the lead to one.
The Angels’ last four victories have all been by the same score.
More to come on this story.
View the full article

(Photo Cred: Travis @BullPenSeats)
by: Adrian Noche, AngelsWin.com Columnist
1.) Jo Adell – OF, AA:
There were no cobwebs for Jo Adell upon his return from an ankle sprain and hamstring strain sustained in spring training. Adell is hitting .333/.388/.622 in 11 games this year with 3 stolen bases. On a double header played on June 9th, Adell collected 4 hits in 7 at-bats with a double, a homer, 4 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases.
2019 hitting (High-A, AA): .333/.388/.622 
2.) Hector Yan – RHP, Low-A:
On June 9th, Hector Yan recorded a season-high for strikeouts with 12 in 5.0 innings pitched. Yan is currently in 4th place in strikeouts in the midwest league with 66 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. After a rough start to the season, Yan has only given up 10 earned runs in his last 34.2 innings pitched.
2019 pitching (low-A): 44.IP, 3.86 ERA, 66 SO, 26 BB, .220 AVG., 1.40 WHIP
3.) Jose Soriano – RHP, Low-A:
Jose Soriano has been brilliant this year. Soriano is currently tied with the aforementioned Hector Yan in strikeouts with 66 across 58.0 innings pitched.  Soriano’s ERA stands at 2.48 while hitters are only hitting .205 against him this season. Soriano’s last two starts saw him pitch a combined 11.1 scoreless innings while striking out 11 and only giving up 4 hits and 4 walks.
2019 pitching (low-A): 58.0 IP, 2.48 ERA, 66 SO, 31 BB, .205 AVG, 1.24 WHIP
4.) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Jesus Castillo is continuing to put his rough 2018 campaign behind him. Over Castillo’s last 8 starts, his ERA has lowered from 8.62 to 3.39, the lowest it has been all season. Castillo pitched 11.2 innings while only giving up a single earned run in his last two starts, striking out 8 while only walking 2.
2019 pitching (AA): 61.0 IP, 3.39 ERA, 47 SO, 17 BB, .252 AVG, 1.23 WHIP 
5.) Denny Brady – RHP, AA:
Denny Brady has been as consistent as they come for the Inland Empire 66ers. Brady has never given up more than 3 earned runs this season. In 53.0 innings pitched, Brady has struck out 65 batters with 20 walks. His ERA sits at 3.06 on the season with a WHIP of 1.25. Brady struck out 8 batters and walked none in 5.0 innings pitched of one-run ball in his last start.
2019 pitching (High-A): 53.0 IP, 3.06 ERA, 65 SO, 20 BB, .228 AVG, 1.25 WHIP
6.) Brett Hanewich – RHP, AA:
Brett Hanewich capped a breakout campaign in 2018 by representing the Angels in the Arizona Fall League. Hanewich has managed to improve on his impressive 2018 numbers so far this season. Across 2 levels, (High-A and Double-A) Hanewich has struck out 32 batters in 23.1 innings pitched. His ERA stands at 0.77 with a WHIP at 0.99 while hitters are only hitting a miniscule .152 against him.
2019 pitching (High-A, AA): 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 32 SO, 11 BB, .152 AVG, 0.99 WHIP
7.) Brandon Sandoval – OF, AA
Sandoval has been a hitting machine as of late. During his last 8 games, Sandoval has seen his average climb from .264 to .297. Overall, Sandoval’s slash line is .297/.344/.360 in 51 games for the Baybears this season.
2019 hitting (AA): .297/.344/360
8.) Aaron Hernandez – RHP, High-A:
Aaron Hernandez missed almost all of May due to injury. In his two starts since returning, Hernandez has thrown 6.2 IP while striking out 8, walking 2 and giving up 2 earned runs. Hernandez was shut down upon being drafted in the 3rd round last season. (a trend for plenty other pitchers in the system )Hernandez has a 3.95 ERA in 27.1 IP and 29 strikeouts in his first year of professional ball with the 66ers.
2019 pitching (High-A) 27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 29 SO, 19 BB, .286 AVG, 1.79 WHIP
View the full article

(Photo Cred: Travis @BullPenSeats)
by: Adrian Noche, AngelsWin.com Columnist
1.) Jo Adell – OF, AA:
There were no cobwebs for Jo Adell upon his return from an ankle sprain and hamstring strain sustained in spring training. Adell is hitting .333/.388/.622 in 11 games this year with 3 stolen bases. On a double header played on June 9th, Adell collected 4 hits in 7 at-bats with a double, a homer, 4 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases.
2019 hitting (High-A, AA): .333/.388/.622 
2.) Hector Yan – RHP, Low-A:
On June 9th, Hector Yan recorded a season-high for strikeouts with 12 in 5.0 innings pitched. Yan is currently in 4th place in strikeouts in the midwest league with 66 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. After a rough start to the season, Yan has only given up 10 earned runs in his last 34.2 innings pitched.
2019 pitching (low-A): 44.IP, 3.86 ERA, 66 SO, 26 BB, .220 AVG., 1.40 WHIP
3.) Jose Soriano – RHP, Low-A:
Jose Soriano has been brilliant this year. Soriano is currently tied with the aforementioned Hector Yan in strikeouts with 66 across 58.0 innings pitched.  Soriano’s ERA stands at 2.48 while hitters are only hitting .205 against him this season. Soriano’s last two starts saw him pitch a combined 11.1 scoreless innings while striking out 11 and only giving up 4 hits and 4 walks.
2019 pitching (low-A): 58.0 IP, 2.48 ERA, 66 SO, 31 BB, .205 AVG, 1.24 WHIP
4.) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Jesus Castillo is continuing to put his rough 2018 campaign behind him. Over Castillo’s last 8 starts, his ERA has lowered from 8.62 to 3.39, the lowest it has been all season. Castillo pitched 11.2 innings while only giving up a single earned run in his last two starts, striking out 8 while only walking 2.
2019 pitching (AA): 61.0 IP, 3.39 ERA, 47 SO, 17 BB, .252 AVG, 1.23 WHIP 
5.) Denny Brady – RHP, AA:
Denny Brady has been as consistent as they come for the Inland Empire 66ers. Brady has never given up more than 3 earned runs this season. In 53.0 innings pitched, Brady has struck out 65 batters with 20 walks. His ERA sits at 3.06 on the season with a WHIP of 1.25. Brady struck out 8 batters and walked none in 5.0 innings pitched of one-run ball in his last start.
2019 pitching (High-A): 53.0 IP, 3.06 ERA, 65 SO, 20 BB, .228 AVG, 1.25 WHIP
6.) Brett Hanewich – RHP, AA:
Brett Hanewich capped a breakout campaign in 2018 by representing the Angels in the Arizona Fall League. Hanewich has managed to improve on his impressive 2018 numbers so far this season. Across 2 levels, (High-A and Double-A) Hanewich has struck out 32 batters in 23.1 innings pitched. His ERA stands at 0.77 with a WHIP at 0.99 while hitters are only hitting a miniscule .152 against him.
2019 pitching (High-A, AA): 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 32 SO, 11 BB, .152 AVG, 0.99 WHIP
7.) Brandon Sandoval – OF, AA
Sandoval has been a hitting machine as of late. During his last 8 games, Sandoval has seen his average climb from .264 to .297. Overall, Sandoval’s slash line is .297/.344/.360 in 51 games for the Baybears this season.
2019 hitting (AA): .297/.344/360
8.) Aaron Hernandez – RHP, High-A:
Aaron Hernandez missed almost all of May due to injury. In his two starts since returning, Hernandez has thrown 6.2 IP while striking out 8, walking 2 and giving up 2 earned runs. Hernandez was shut down upon being drafted in the 3rd round last season. (a trend for plenty other pitchers in the system )Hernandez has a 3.95 ERA in 27.1 IP and 29 strikeouts in his first year of professional ball with the 66ers.
2019 pitching (High-A) 27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 29 SO, 19 BB, .286 AVG, 1.79 WHIP
View the full article

(Photo Cred: Travis @BullPenSeats)
by: Adrian Noche, AngelsWin.com Columnist
1.) Jo Adell – OF, AA:
There were no cobwebs for Jo Adell upon his return from an ankle sprain and hamstring strain sustained in spring training. Adell is hitting .333/.388/.622 in 11 games this year with 3 stolen bases. On a double header played on June 9th, Adell collected 4 hits in 7 at-bats with a double, a homer, 4 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases.
2019 hitting (High-A, AA): .333/.388/.622 
2.) Hector Yan – RHP, Low-A:
On June 9th, Hector Yan recorded a season-high for strikeouts with 12 in 5.0 innings pitched. Yan is currently in 4th place in strikeouts in the midwest league with 66 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. After a rough start to the season, Yan has only given up 10 earned runs in his last 34.2 innings pitched.
2019 pitching (low-A): 44.IP, 3.86 ERA, 66 SO, 26 BB, .220 AVG., 1.40 WHIP
3.) Jose Soriano – RHP, Low-A:
Jose Soriano has been brilliant this year. Soriano is currently tied with the aforementioned Hector Yan in strikeouts with 66 across 58.0 innings pitched.  Soriano’s ERA stands at 2.48 while hitters are only hitting .205 against him this season. Soriano’s last two starts saw him pitch a combined 11.1 scoreless innings while striking out 11 and only giving up 4 hits and 4 walks.
2019 pitching (low-A): 58.0 IP, 2.48 ERA, 66 SO, 31 BB, .205 AVG, 1.24 WHIP
4.) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Jesus Castillo is continuing to put his rough 2018 campaign behind him. Over Castillo’s last 8 starts, his ERA has lowered from 8.62 to 3.39, the lowest it has been all season. Castillo pitched 11.2 innings while only giving up a single earned run in his last two starts, striking out 8 while only walking 2.
2019 pitching (AA): 61.0 IP, 3.39 ERA, 47 SO, 17 BB, .252 AVG, 1.23 WHIP 
5.) Denny Brady – RHP, AA:
Denny Brady has been as consistent as they come for the Inland Empire 66ers. Brady has never given up more than 3 earned runs this season. In 53.0 innings pitched, Brady has struck out 65 batters with 20 walks. His ERA sits at 3.06 on the season with a WHIP of 1.25. Brady struck out 8 batters and walked none in 5.0 innings pitched of one-run ball in his last start.
2019 pitching (High-A): 53.0 IP, 3.06 ERA, 65 SO, 20 BB, .228 AVG, 1.25 WHIP
6.) Brett Hanewich – RHP, AA:
Brett Hanewich capped a breakout campaign in 2018 by representing the Angels in the Arizona Fall League. Hanewich has managed to improve on his impressive 2018 numbers so far this season. Across 2 levels, (High-A and Double-A) Hanewich has struck out 32 batters in 23.1 innings pitched. His ERA stands at 0.77 with a WHIP at 0.99 while hitters are only hitting a miniscule .152 against him.
2019 pitching (High-A, AA): 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 32 SO, 11 BB, .152 AVG, 0.99 WHIP
7.) Brandon Sandoval – OF, AA
Sandoval has been a hitting machine as of late. During his last 8 games, Sandoval has seen his average climb from .264 to .297. Overall, Sandoval’s slash line is .297/.344/.360 in 51 games for the Baybears this season.
2019 hitting (AA): .297/.344/360
8.) Aaron Hernandez – RHP, High-A:
Aaron Hernandez missed almost all of May due to injury. In his two starts since returning, Hernandez has thrown 6.2 IP while striking out 8, walking 2 and giving up 2 earned runs. Hernandez was shut down upon being drafted in the 3rd round last season. (a trend for plenty other pitchers in the system )Hernandez has a 3.95 ERA in 27.1 IP and 29 strikeouts in his first year of professional ball with the 66ers.
2019 pitching (High-A) 27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 29 SO, 19 BB, .286 AVG, 1.79 WHIP
View the full article

(Photo Cred: Travis @BullPenSeats)
by: Adrian Noche, AngelsWin.com Columnist
1.) Jo Adell – OF, AA:
There were no cobwebs for Jo Adell upon his return from an ankle sprain and hamstring strain sustained in spring training. Adell is hitting .333/.388/.622 in 11 games this year with 3 stolen bases. On a double header played on June 9th, Adell collected 4 hits in 7 at-bats with a double, a homer, 4 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases.
2019 hitting (High-A, AA): .333/.388/.622 
2.) Hector Yan – RHP, Low-A:
On June 9th, Hector Yan recorded a season-high for strikeouts with 12 in 5.0 innings pitched. Yan is currently in 4th place in strikeouts in the midwest league with 66 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. After a rough start to the season, Yan has only given up 10 earned runs in his last 34.2 innings pitched.
2019 pitching (low-A): 44.IP, 3.86 ERA, 66 SO, 26 BB, .220 AVG., 1.40 WHIP
3.) Jose Soriano – RHP, Low-A:
Jose Soriano has been brilliant this year. Soriano is currently tied with the aforementioned Hector Yan in strikeouts with 66 across 58.0 innings pitched.  Soriano’s ERA stands at 2.48 while hitters are only hitting .205 against him this season. Soriano’s last two starts saw him pitch a combined 11.1 scoreless innings while striking out 11 and only giving up 4 hits and 4 walks.
2019 pitching (low-A): 58.0 IP, 2.48 ERA, 66 SO, 31 BB, .205 AVG, 1.24 WHIP
4.) Jesus Castillo – RHP, AA:
Jesus Castillo is continuing to put his rough 2018 campaign behind him. Over Castillo’s last 8 starts, his ERA has lowered from 8.62 to 3.39, the lowest it has been all season. Castillo pitched 11.2 innings while only giving up a single earned run in his last two starts, striking out 8 while only walking 2.
2019 pitching (AA): 61.0 IP, 3.39 ERA, 47 SO, 17 BB, .252 AVG, 1.23 WHIP 
5.) Denny Brady – RHP, AA:
Denny Brady has been as consistent as they come for the Inland Empire 66ers. Brady has never given up more than 3 earned runs this season. In 53.0 innings pitched, Brady has struck out 65 batters with 20 walks. His ERA sits at 3.06 on the season with a WHIP of 1.25. Brady struck out 8 batters and walked none in 5.0 innings pitched of one-run ball in his last start.
2019 pitching (High-A): 53.0 IP, 3.06 ERA, 65 SO, 20 BB, .228 AVG, 1.25 WHIP
6.) Brett Hanewich – RHP, AA:
Brett Hanewich capped a breakout campaign in 2018 by representing the Angels in the Arizona Fall League. Hanewich has managed to improve on his impressive 2018 numbers so far this season. Across 2 levels, (High-A and Double-A) Hanewich has struck out 32 batters in 23.1 innings pitched. His ERA stands at 0.77 with a WHIP at 0.99 while hitters are only hitting a miniscule .152 against him.
2019 pitching (High-A, AA): 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 32 SO, 11 BB, .152 AVG, 0.99 WHIP
7.) Brandon Sandoval – OF, AA
Sandoval has been a hitting machine as of late. During his last 8 games, Sandoval has seen his average climb from .264 to .297. Overall, Sandoval’s slash line is .297/.344/.360 in 51 games for the Baybears this season.
2019 hitting (AA): .297/.344/360
8.) Aaron Hernandez – RHP, High-A:
Aaron Hernandez missed almost all of May due to injury. In his two starts since returning, Hernandez has thrown 6.2 IP while striking out 8, walking 2 and giving up 2 earned runs. Hernandez was shut down upon being drafted in the 3rd round last season. (a trend for plenty other pitchers in the system )Hernandez has a 3.95 ERA in 27.1 IP and 29 strikeouts in his first year of professional ball with the 66ers.
2019 pitching (High-A) 27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 29 SO, 19 BB, .286 AVG, 1.79 WHIP
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Tommy La Stella, who has surprisingly been one of the Angels best offensive performers this year, has joined perennial All-Star Mike Trout among the leaders in the All-Star voting.
The first results were released on Monday morning.
La Stella leads the voting among American League second basemen, with 487,598 votes, ahead of the Houston Astros’ José Altuve (448,131).
Trout, an All-Star in each of his seven full seasons, leads all vote-getters with 951,002 votes.
This is the first year of a new election process. “Primary” voting continues through June 21, then the top three candidates at each spot will compete again in a final election over 28 hours starting June 28.
La Stella has never been an All-Star. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs for a minor leaguer in November, La Stella is hitting .315 with 15 homers. He is one homer by behind Trout, who leads the Angels.
Shohei Ohtani is fourth among the candidates at AL designated hitter.
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SEATTLE — The Angels will promote left-hander José Suarez to make his major league debut Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, according to a source, meaning the Angels’ top two pitching prospects will both be in the majors.
Although Suarez may be up for just one start, he will join Griffin Canning, the team’s consensus top pitching prospect, in the majors.
Suarez, 21, has a 3.91 ERA at Triple-A Salt Lake, with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 innings. He would be coming off his worst start of the season, a game in which he gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Tacoma, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle team he’ll face Sunday.
Last season, Suarez rose from Class-A to Double-A to Triple-A, combining for a 3.92 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 117 innings.
He was added to the 40-man roster over the winter, but he missed most of his first big league camp with a shoulder issue. He pitched a scoreless inning in his only outing in a big league spring training game.
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Angels roll to rare easy victory after scoring in first 5 innings Angels manager Brad Ausmus gives Shohei Ohtani a day off instead of having him face Yusei Kikuchi Cody Bellinger, Mike Trout setting pace one-third of the way into 2019 MLB season Trout-less Angels outlast A’s in wild 11-inning game Mike Trout expects to return to Angels lineup on Thursday, end ‘slump’ soon Once he began his season at Triple-A, he posted a 1.86 ERA through his first four starts. Although the Angels needed a pitcher Tuesday in Oakland, they instead turned to Nick Tropeano. Manager Brad Ausmus said Suarez wasn’t even considered because “I’d like him to get a little more work down there.”
The Angels developed another hole in their rotation for Sunday when they decided to push struggling Trevor Cahill back one day to start Monday in a makeup game against the Cubs in Chicago.
More to come on this story.
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