May 1: "Trout expected to be out 5-8 weeks, but confident he can return on the short side of that."
June 5: "Trout's recovering taking a bit longer than expected, but still hopes to be back before All-Star Break, eight weeks after his injury."
July 1: "Trout has set-back, but hopes to return in July."
July 31: "Trout plays first game back, goes 0-4, says 'something doesn't feel right' so the Angels plan to play it cautiously."
August 7: "After sitting on the bench for the last week with slow recovery, the Angels place Trout on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 1."
August 10: "Trout needs a bit more time, but feels good and is running fine."
August 20: "Trout re-tweaks his knee, will be out a bit longer."
September 1: "Given the last place standing of the Angels, they decide to play it safe with Trout, and put him on the 60-day IL for the rest of the year. A teary-eyed Trout is hopeful and determined to come back in 2025 strong."
Well, to be fair, would you expect Wash came out and said..
"We're dogshit, we have a bad contract we can't move due to the players injury history, our Best Player doesn't have the same trade value as his contract due to his injuries. We lost a TORA and MOB and ownership wasn't going to replace him to remain competitive. So, what you see is what you get. We can improve our defensive inadequacies by repetitive practice and working on our fundamentals. Our pitching is going to have to work to be more consistent within the strikezone while pitching to contact and keeping the ball in the yard. Our hitting will come, as overall we're a young team that will take time to improve and be more consistent as the youth learns their abilities within the game. This could get ugly... But, I promise, before I leave here and retire they will have a good framework to build upon"...
That's not sexy, it's not pretty, that's where we're at.
Also, Chuck would have to rebrand the website name to Angelsmeh.com...
This team is not undisciplined, it is inexperienced. Key young players here with little minor league experience. They are trying to learn on the go, and the coaching staff is appropriate for the job. I think many of you are used to seeing free agents filter in to the team over the years. Unfortunately many of those guys failed. We have not even finished the first month of a six month season. Many of you wanted to rebuild, this is what happens as you do so. Mistakes are going to happen.
You might be right, but I'm not sure 22 games is enough to pull the plug. I think you give it another couple weeks. Also, Schanuel has 7 hits in his last four games, hitting .467. Clearly you're not sending him down right now. If he falls into another abyss, maybe.
Neto looks really lost, but who are you going to replace him with?
I hear your point, but Neto did just fine last year. He wasn't great, but he held his own. Schanuel it is less clear. He didn't play enough last year to really show that he could handle major league pitching, so I'm more open to the possibility that he's best served in the minors for a couple months. But I think his main problem is a bit of confusion about who he is as a hitter. To me, he is a contact and walks guy, yet there's been all this talk about him putting on muscle and trying to hit for more power. That's a quick route to ruining what is already a great skill set.
I agree with most of this but an argument can be made that Neto and/or Schanuel would be better off developing in the minors to achieve their best possible long-term potential. Neto especially looks completely lost right now at the ML level, especially against breaking balls. Most fans agree that Adell was brought up way too early and it may have significantly impacted his development. That could also be the case here, of course it is hard to ascertain if that is the case or not. On the other hand, Adell is having the best plate appearance of the "future" hitters (0 WAR, 110 OPS+), sans O'Hoppe, and he has the fewest starts (7). Neto has 20 starts (-0.1 WAR, 37 OPS+), O'Hoppe has 17 (0.5 WAR, 134 OPS+), Schanuel 16 (-0.1 WAR, 52 OPS+), and Moniak 12 (-0.7 WAR, 39 OPPS+). I get that part of that is due to the respective positions they play and all but it is still pretty crazy, especially considering that Adell still has a high ceiling.
I’d say they’re performing about how i’d expect at this point. Right around .500.
Personally im still huffing the hopium. I think there’s another gear in the roster we’ve yet to see.
Being around .500 with significant underperformances from guys we thought would contribute leaves the question of: how good can we be when they get into gear too?
Its early, we’re still in april.
By Scott Allen, AngelsWin.com Columnist
My family and I are blessed to live in an area with the ideal climate, extremely fertile soil, and plentiful clean, fresh water. And we can be divided into two distinct groups, the men and their orchard, and the women and their garden. For us men, the best time to plant is a tree is ten years ago. The second best time is today. These trees require a great deal of time and nurturing, but the end result is that after a few years, we have a plentiful, sustainable yield. But I do envy my wife and daughter. They plant seeds, some of which sprout in only a few days. And the crop their work yields is diverse, abundant and more immediate. And at the end of the growing season, they harvest the seeds in preparation for next year.
Most major league teams operate like an orchard. Invest now, and yield large, sustainable dividends later. It makes sense. All the best players in the world were brought up in this system. The best teams with the best players have been "orcharding" for years. And then there's Perry Minasian and the Angels. They're gardening. They don't plant an apple seed expecting the tree to mature and bear fruit any time soon. Perry and the Angels are sprouting corn and beans and seeing the fruits of their labor immediately while the rest of the baseball world sits and waits for their trees to mature.
Chase Silseth, Zach Neto, Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman, Nolan Schanuel, Kelvin Cacares, Victor Mederos. Corn and beans. Most of the players these guys were drafted alongside, are still toiling in A Ball. Yet here they are, in Anaheim, looking to carve out their space and be part of a winner. Most didn't appear in any top prospect lists, but that's by design. A tomato plant doesn't appear in any lists of the greatest looking apple trees.
So when assessing the relative strength or weakness of the Angels farm system, we should stop viewing these prospects by industry standards, and instead look at that which could immediately produce a crop. The Top 10 prospects in the system for the most part are in a position to impact the Angels in 2024, or shortly thereafter. Here are some names to look out for in late 2024 or 2025, that you won't find among the Angels top prospects.
Joe Redfield - A tall, athletic, left handed outfielder from Sam Houston that comes with plate discipline and a quiet, sturdy foundation to which he hits from. He has a whole field approach, but has the requisite tools to turn on pitches and post some decent exit velocities. Yes, he'll need to quiet his hands and strengthen his legs, but there's a platform for something more here.
Camden Minacci - Likely the best closer in college baseball last season, coming out of Wake Forest, which is the premier collegiate pitching factory for the last five or so years. He's a standard rock and fire reliever who sits in the mid-90's and get's his breaking ball over for strikes. He needs to add either more tunneling or movement to his fastball in order to make it more effective at the highest levels, but all the pieces are there for a major league reliever. He's a small adjustment away from the show.
Now, let's dig into this year's crop of top-10 prospects the way we at AngelsWin.com see them ranked as of today. We'll provide an update article by mid-season where you may see guys like Juan Flores, Cam Minacci, Victor Mederos, Walbert Urena, Randy DeJesus, Joel Hurtado, Logan Britt, Anthony Scull and perhaps Joe Redfield leapfrog others currently in our top-10 should they have productive 2024 campaigns down on the farm.
1. Nelson Rada – OF – AA Rocket City - Age 18 Season
Height/Weight: 5’8″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/L | International Signing | ETA: 2025
Nelson Rada would carry significantly more hype as a prospect if he weren’t part of the Angels minor league system, and that’s simply the truth of the matter. The Angels are known for being extremely aggressive in their prospect placement and that minimizes the wow factor of Rada’s quick progression. However, it is up to the prospect himself to perform at the aggressive placement level, and Rada did just that last season. As a 17 year old (for those keeping score at home, a high school junior), Nelson was one of the top performers in A Ball, combining an advanced approach at the plate, enough pop to keep outfielders honest, easily plus speed on the base paths and fringe plus defense in centerfield.
The Angels have decided to move him to AA Rocket City for his age 18 season, but I wouldn’t necessarily read too much into this. The organization will typically have their top offensive prospects skip a Tri-City (Advanced A Ball) assignment because of the cold weather and unfavorable hitting conditions. Still, the bottom line is the Angels have this high school senior playing in AA that already outperformed the competition in the lower levels, and he isn’t garnering much national attention at all. That’s unfortunate because baseball is missing out on getting excited over a kid that has a unique set of skills. Generally speaking, the prospects/young players that are in his class are Esteury Ruiz, Victor Scott II, and Enrique Bradfield Jr., all generally top 100 prospects in their own right, all expected to compete for a stolen base crown at the top level and provide elite level defense.
If Nelson reaches his potential, the Angels could have a generational leadoff hitter like Kenny Loftin on their hands. If he never progresses further, the Angels still likely have a major leaguer on their hands, just more of a fourth outfielder type. That’s a huge range of outcomes. The most likely result is a light hitting outfielder that gets on base and runs enough to hold onto a starting role, and that could manifest by Rada’s 20th birthday. Even if Rada “merely” develops into a Chone Figgins type of spark plug, that’s still a three-win player on average, which may not make him an all-star, but could make him valuable to a major league organization for a very long time.
2. Caden Dana – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 20 Season
Height/Weight: 6’5″, 220 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 11th Round (2022)| ETA: 2025
Don’t let the late round selection fool you, Caden Dana was one of the best prep pitchers in the nation following his senior year. Bosco Prep, where Dana is from, in New Jersey is the East Coast equivalent of a Harvard Westlake or Bishop Gorman out West. It’s a private school where players are recruited from a very young age and typically go on to play after high school. Dana had a strong college commitment to Kentucky and wasn’t expected to sign unless he was selected in the first couple rounds. As day three of the draft came around and Dana was undrafted, the Angels came calling, offering him a record setting deal outside of the first ten rounds of the draft, which was on par with an early second round selection. Not only that, the Angels mentioned that they’d like to draft his older brother Casey as well, which seemed to seal the deal for the Dana family.
Since being drafted, Caden has continued to open eyes in and out of the organization and is beginning to garner some fringe Top 100 consideration.
Already solidly built for an 18 year old, since signing his contract Dana’s frame has continued to fill out in muscle. With that physique and his long blonde flowing locks, Dana is getting lazy comps to Noah Syndergaard. Dana’s fastball, which comfortably sat 92 mph in high school has steadily climbed and is now frequently 94-95. The slider, which was fringe average before now flashes solidly fringe plus. While his change piece and curve lack consistency in command, he’s usually able to keep them in the strike zone, though I’m skeptical either pitch will ever be more than average. Still, having three average or better offerings is the starter kit for a successful major league starting pitcher. As much as anything else, it seems to be Dana’s delivery and disposition that have helped set him apart. His motion was clean looking two or three years ago and has remained so as a professional. And Caden’s demeanor runs in pretty stark contrast to many young pitchers, or even current starters on the Angels pitching staff. By watching his mannerisms, you’d be hard-pressed to find the difference between him throwing a perfect game or getting shelled.
Dana cruised comfortably through the lower levels in his first full season as a professional and now finds himself in AA. While Dana may flash his potential, there seems to be little reason for the Angels to challenge him beyond that level this season, but stranger things have occurred. If Dana reaches his ceiling, he could be one of the best starters in baseball, not only offering clean mechanics and great extension toward the plate, but a solid arsenal and plus command. At minimum, Dana appears to have two offerings that could grade out as plus if he assumed a relief role. While I understand that’s a pretty wide range of outcomes, the likely outcome here is that of a solid mid or backend starting pitcher. It’s likely that his fastball and slider will both be good pitches with good command of both. It’s also likely that Dana lacks an effective third pitch which limits his ceiling. However, he should be able to compensate for this by working deeper into games and logging high inning totals.
3. Sam Bachman – RHP – LA Angels - Age 24 Season
Height/Weight: 6’1″, 235 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (2021)| ETA: 2023
There was a lot of uncertainty heading into the 2021 MLB Draft. For starters, there wasn’t a lot to go off of, as there was no 2020 collegiate season and the 2021 collegiate season had been heavily limited by the COVID scare. Teams drafted players based off of information that was nearly two years dated. It’s understandable the Angels chose not to go that route, instead drafting Sam Bachman from Miami of Ohio. Bachman lacked a track record due to injuries and COVID, but the information the Angels did have was more recent than anything else on the board. It was known that despite playing in a weak conference and having an unconventional short-armed delivery, Bachman had high velocity readings, elite movement on all his pitches and two pitches that were graded “plus” if not “plus-plus.”
Was there risk involved? Absolutely. Many experts believed Bachman would not remain a starter as a professional, and he’d had a variety of knee problems which can derail a pitcher’s career. Still there were several details that pointed toward a potential career as a starter. To begin, Bachman had low mileage, and had never experienced a serious arm injury, which is the most common among pitchers. Second, despite the short-armed delivery, he seemed to only tire in the sixth frame or later in games. And third, once receiving professional instruction, Bachman quickly developed a changeup that was fringing on “plus.”
So in summation, the Angels had drafted a collegiate starter with three “plus” pitches with the ninth overall pick of the draft. Not bad. Unfortunately for the Angels and Bachman, that’s about as rosy as the outlook would get. Sam would suffer a variety of ailments across the next two seasons, and when he was healthy, Bachman’s once triple digit velocity seemed to fluctuate between outings where he’d top out at 93 mph or in better appearances 97. Still, he eventually made his way to the Angels last season, and in relief, one could plainly see the potential, mixed in between lots of walks.
The plan going forward is for Bachman to return to a starting role, but he’ll need to get healthy first, and even then, there’s a great deal of skepticism he could remain healthy and cover many innings on a yearly basis. Still, we’re living in an era where tons of relievers are making a successful transition into a starting role. While the success of Jose Soriano, Andrew Wantz, Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez and others remains to be seen, you can comfortably place Sam Bachman into that class of pitchers based on stuff.
If Bachman reaches his ceiling, you’re looking at a low innings, but highly effective starting pitcher. At minimum, you’re looking at an oft-injured reliever. The most likely outcome here is that Bachman finds a routine and lifestyle that keeps him on the field more often that has previously been the case, but he likely isn’t going to be a starting pitcher.
4. Kyren Paris – IF – AA Rocket City - Age 22 Season
Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 2nd Round (2019) | ETA: 2023
Kyren Paris is a high probability major leaguer (technically, he already made his debut), with the chance to become an impact player. But his path to get there will be an uphill one given some deficits within his skill set. First, the positives. Paris was an ultra-young and athletic second round selection by the Angels in 2019. Most of the players in his draft class are a year older, and the COVID shutdown caused most of those prep prospects to lose a year and not log a single competitive at bat until age 20 or 21. Paris however, is still only now entering his age 22 season. So he’s got time on his side. Kyren also does three things particularly well that make him an asset. He gets on base, as evidenced by his career .379 OBP in the minors. He’s fast, he stole 44 bags last season and was only caught five times. And third, Paris is a strong defender at second base and profiles solidly at both shortstop and even third base if necessary. He’s even logged a few innings in centerfield.
Given all that, it’s pretty much a guarantee that Kyren Paris will be a major leaguer in some capacity. But ultimately it will be Paris’ bat which will dictate his career path. When he was first developed, there was physical maturing that needed to take place. Coming back from the COVID shutdown, we saw a more athletic, muscular Kyren Paris emerge, but still, he only hit .267 in the low minors. In his first taste of AA as a 20 year old, Paris hit .359 in a 14 game stint. Small sample size, but enough to offer a potential glimpse into a high average future. This last season was really the first time we’d be able to get a long sustained look at Kyren Paris versus advanced pitching. And the results were mixed. .255 batting average, and a decent amount of pop with 23 doubles and 14 home runs. What really stood out was the OBP, which was .393. All of this was enough for the Angels to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and give him a September cup of coffee with the big league squad, where he hit .100 over sporadic at bats, but flashed excellent speed and defense.
So now the question becomes, is Paris a finished product and this is who he will be going forward? Or will his bat continue to progress further to the point where he can become an impact bat?
Rather than sending him to the hitters paradise in AAA Salt Lake, the Angels have opted for a repeat in the Southern League (AA) for Paris, and this seems justifiable on the surface. For starters, last year the Southern League was experimenting with pre-tacked balls, which caused offensive numbers in the league to nose-dive amidst greater velocity, break and command of all pitches. The pre-tacked balls were used in April, May and June of last season before switching back over to standard balls used in the major leagues. Kyren Paris’ stateline in each of those months? In April, he hit .222/.357. May, he hit .244/.375 and in June he hit .227/.330. For July and August, when facing normal balls? Paris hit .306/.446 in July and .284/.432 in August.
While his power showed more in the first half versus the sticky baseball, it was evident that Paris, like the rest of the league, struggled offensively. Against normal balls, Kyren Paris was one of the best hitters in the league.
All of this seems to point toward a future where Kyren Paris isn’t yet a finished product and could still very much be a force at the plate. At minimum, we’re looking at a utility infielder that can be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. If he and the Angels hit the lottery, we could be looking at a perennial all-star that could be a gold glover at the keystone and hit for average and power. It seems evident based on his post tacky-baseball performance last seasons that Paris is likely going to hit for a high enough batting average and enough pop that he could emerge as a major league regular. With health and consistent playing time, it seems possible that Paris should develop into an infielder that gets on base 35% of the time and could hit double digit home runs and swipe 20+ bases.
5. Dario Laverde – C – (A) Inland Empire - Age 19 Season
Height/Weight: 5’10″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/R | International Signing | ETA: 2026
There’s still a lot that’s unknown about Dario Laverde, but from what we do know, everything seems to be pointing in the “up” direction. The Angels signed him for 350k when he was 16, and considering the Angels relative lack of international presence, that’s actually a lot of money to invest in a prospect. He was originally an athletic outfielder but he’s since taken to catching. While he’s understandably raw behind the plate, he has the athleticism and tools to someday become a good defensive catcher at the big league level. While the height and weight reading are likely inaccurate by now, it’s pretty clear that he’s young and needs to add more strength to his frame. But if and when he does, he could eventually develop average in game power, which for a catcher is pretty solid. He’s done nothing but hit and get on base at every level so far slashing .306/.419/.455 in the Arizona Complex League with 28 walks to 31 strikeouts stateside, with his first full-season coming this year at Inland Empire. We should get a decent glimpse into Laverde's game this year and could report back with more information. So far he's looked a lot like former Angels farmhand, Edgar Quero.
But as of right now, Laverde could develop into a good hitting, good fielding catcher at the major league level. But it’s a very long road before he gets there, so fans should remain patient. Consider Dario Laverde one of those names we log away for later, that way when he emerges over the next couple season, we’ll all be able to say we saw this coming. Another catcher to keep an eye on this season is Juan Flores, currently splitting time at C/DH with Laverde with the Inland Empire 66ers.
6. Jack Kochanowicz – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 23 Season
Height/Weight: 6’7″, 228 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 3rd Round (2019)| ETA: 2024
Kochanowicz has one of the more interesting career arcs of any Angels prospect so far, and is likely also the most underrated prospect in the system, and has been for some time. When the Angels drafted him in the third round in 2019, it wasn’t expected that they would be able to sign him. He had a strong commitment to collegiate powerhouse Vanderbilt at the time, and was all projection. Those guys tend to require first round selections in order to forego college. The Angels offered him significantly above slot and in a surprising turn of events, he actually signed, leaving the Angels with a first round talent at a reduced price. Before the draft, Kochanowicz had a typical big bodied profile. Low-90’s fastball, good extension, some inconsistency hitting his spots. Shortly after the draft at Fall instructs, Kochanowicz’ stock began to rise as he was reportedly hitting 97 on the radar gun and was repeating his delivery with ease.
The 2020 minor league season being canceled definitely hurt some prospects more than others and it seems that Kochanowicz was one that was particularly affected by it as it robbed him of a full year of valuable instruction that he needed. By the time 2021 rolled around, Kochanowicz had to be built back up and there were definitely some bumps in the road. His previously stellar command had begun to elude him, and his fastball and slider simply weren’t moving enough for him to generate the type of results he was hoping for.
So the Angels and Kochanowicz ended up lowering his arm slot in an attempt to fix this issue. And while it did to an extent, the fastball and slider both improved, it seemed that Jack’s curveball was no longer the same weapon it once was with an over-the-top delivery and there seemed to be no development of a change up. Jack’s fastball started to develop some late cut or fade depending on the grip and started becoming “heavy” which means it was a pitch that batters had a hard time barrelling.
In 2022, we saw a return trip back to A Ball and some appearances in the Arizona Fall League in more of a relief capacity, and while the overall numbers weren’t great, he definitely took a step forward in terms of pitch quality and location. Kochanowicz started shifting more toward the profile of a pitch-to-contact pitcher with strikeout potential and in 2023, it started to come together for him. A five start stint in the pitcher friendly Northwest League yielded an ERA of 1.52, but upon being promoted to AA Rocket City, Kochanowicz had trouble finding success with an ERA over six, despite further reducing his walk rate.
So with Jack Kochanowicz, we’ve reached the point in 2024 where something has to give. On the one hand, here we have a starter that can now reach back and fire 99 mph, with a long frame and great extension toward the plate and fringe plus command of two better than average pitches in his fastball and slider and the potential for two more pitches being fringe average. Really, all the makings of a potential all-star. On the other hand, we have results, and they simply haven’t been there for Kochanowicz and at the end of the day, this is a results driven business. So what gives?
2024 is going to be the proverbial “show me” season for Kochanowicz. Either he starts producing the necessary results in AA and makes his way up to the show, or perhaps his career will need to go in a different direction with a possible move to the bullpen in hopes of generating the necessary success he should be having. He’s another prospect with a tremendously wide range of results, on the one hand being a potential inning eating consistent mid-rotation starter in the big leagues, and on the other hand, the potential being that he’s topped out in AA. As always, the likeliest result is somewhere in the middle, being that of a swing starter in the major leagues.
7. Ben Joyce – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 23 Season
Height/Weight: 6’5″, 225 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 3rd Round (2022)| ETA: 2023
Ben Joyce is one of my favorite prospects simply because of the simplicity of him and his success in his big leagues. The beauty of his career arc is found in its simplicity. Either he figures out where the ball is going and he succeeds in the majors, or he doesn’t. It’s that straightforward.
Joyce is a big, physical specimen and is the hardest thrower on the planet. Notice I didn’t say hardest pitcher. Pitching is a more nuanced game than throwing, it’s chess versus checkers. Ben Joyce is capable of being a dominant pitcher in the late innings at the major league level. He has the tools and the mentality to do it. Now he just needs to get there.
And I’m not just talking about finding the strike zone, though that’s the most important. I’m talking about commanding his pitches in the strike zone itself, like painting the corners, elevating or tunneling it knee high, pitch sequencing, etc… Because if he develops even average command, his 80-grade 102-105 mph fastball and exploding slider will not be touched and he will be a dominant force as long as he’s healthy.
And that in and of itself lends to Joyce really not fitting any mold of the other prospects on this list because there is no middle ground. There’s no world in which he develops command and isn’t successful and there’s no world in which he doesn’t develop as a pitcher and is successful in the majors.
And the likelihood of that development and subsequent success is anyone’s guess. Clearly the Angels think it’s possible. Despite Joyce reaching the majors last season, he’s back in AA this season for further refinement. He isn’t in AAA simply because organizationally it’s been determined that Salt Lake isn’t the best developmental environment. Some experts don’t see it happening unless Joyce sacrifices some of that speed and starts living in the 90’s where he’d be able to spot his pitches better. Some experts don’t see it happening at all. Some experts see him being capable of the necessary development while still living that triple digit life.
I’m curious, what do you think?
8. Barrett Kent – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 20 Season
Height/Weight: 6’4″, 215 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 8th Round (2023)| ETA: 2026
Sometimes, there are simply prospects that can stump us, no matter how we view them. Barrett Kent comes across as a bit of an enigma because there are so many different directions he can go and a lack of understanding on my part as to why he was only an 8th round selection in the 2023 draft. Bid bodied pitcher, clean mechanics, solid arsenal, clean injury history, success on the showcase circuit, coming from a big-time baseball state (TX), far better than average athleticism (just before the draft there was still discussion about him being a two-way player). I just don’t get it. Guys like that are usually off the board before the third round. It wasn’t as if he was some sort of hidden secret coming into the draft the way Trout was years ago. So whatever the case is, the Angels managed to draft Kent in the 8th round, and I think we’re all very glad for it. But that’s not the only source of confusion here.
Kent’s fastball sits 93-94 with some arm-side fade to it. It’s a decent foundational pitch. And while he’s still young, 19, he appears to have a pretty mature physique, so I’m not entirely certain there is physical projection here. Maybe he’s done getting stronger and that’s what his fastball is, and if so, that’s fine, he can definitely work with that. But maybe he’s going to fill out the same way Caden Dana has, or he becomes just a physical freak like Paul Skenes of the Pirates and he starts touching triple digits. And if that’s the case, is he bound for the pen? Does his fastball retain it’s shape or does it straighten out? There’s some uncertainty in who exactly he is as a pitcher.
What we do know is that as of right now, Kent has at least three average offerings with potentially plus command of all of them. If he doesn’t develop any further, that’s the starter kit for a major league starting pitcher, and he’s only 19 years old. So is he someone that simply developed quickly in high school and is pretty much ready to deploy as a professional, or is he still going to develop and all of these average offerings he currently has will eventually be plus offerings? Because if that’s the case, he’s an ace in waiting.
If you aren’t sure what his ceiling is, you aren’t alone. But we know that his current floor is probably that of a major league swing starter. So Barrett Kent’s ranking could change a lot in the next year as more information comes in. For what it’s worth, at the time of writing this, in his first start of the season in A-Ball, Kent went 5 innings with no walks and 8 strikeouts.
9. Denzer Guzman – SS – (A) Inland Empire - Age 19 Season
Height/Weight: 5’10″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/R | International Signing | ETA: 2026
For the most part, fans and critics alike have to admit that the Angels affinity for aggressive promotions hasn’t hampered the organization or prospects at all. It’s been a net positive, from Zach Neto, to Nolan Schanuel, to Caden Dana. But as with any outside the norm movement or philosophy, there will be drawbacks. Sometimes, players won't be ready for their aggressive promotion, as has been the case for Denzer Guzman and the Angels.
Guzman was the Angels big international signing of the 2021 period, inking for a bonus over 2 million dollars. That’s a lot of money to spend on a 16 year old ballplayer. But at the time, it was projected that his hit tool and power both had a chance to be plus, and he’d have the ability to stick at shortstop. That still may be the case, but we haven’t seen that player emerge yet as Guzman floundered in his first full-season at Class A Inland Empire. Yes, he was one of the younger players in the league at age 19, but not so young that this was an egregious mistake. Yet Guzman was overmatched, particularly to begin the season. But if there’s a ray of hope here, it would be that Guzman clearly made the adjustments and was catching up to everyone else in the second half of the season.
Coming into his age 20 season, I think there was a clear case for optimism, particularly if they allowed him the opportunity to repeat Inland Empire. But this is not the Angels MO. They’ve yet again promoted Guzman, this time to Advanced A Tri-Cities. It will likely be his first time playing in the cold, and will be a developmental level that’s unlike anything he’s ever seen. If Guzman makes the adjustments, it would be a huge boon for his stock.
At this point, we could say that if Guzman hits the lottery, and maxes out on all the potential he carries, we’re looking at a solid hitting, solid defending shortstop with power. Those are immensely valuable on the open market, as evidenced by the contracts we’ve seen guys like Carlos Correa get. The downside to Guzman would be that he never quite makes good on the potential the Angels thought he had at age 16, that he’s periodically flashed, and that Guzman is a depth piece. The likeliest outcome is that some adjustments are made but Guzman develops into more of a utility player that we see bounce around the upper minors with some cups of coffee in the majors.
10. Cole Fontenelle – 3B/LF – AA Rocket City - Age 19 Season
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 205 | Bat/Throw: S/R | 7th Round (2023) | ETA: 2025
If there’s a candidate for “where did this guy come from?” on the Angels farm, it would certainly be Cole Fontenelle. He may have been more affected by the COVID shutdown than anyone. Or at the very least, he’s got one heck of a background story.
While Fontenelle was highly regarded in high school and almost certainly would’ve been drafted, the shutdown and subsequent shortening of the draft left his name uncalled in 2020 which resulted in him honoring his commitment to nearby University of Washington.
While at Washington, Cole got sporadic at best playing time and couldn’t find his rhythm. During that Summer, he went to the Northwoods League, which is one of a couple collegiate leagues that offer West Coast players an alternative to the Cape Cod League on the East Coast. Fontenelle flashed all the tools that generated buzz after his junior year of high school. Rather than return to Washington, where because of COVID rules, he would’ve been buried on the depth chart behind fifth year seniors, Fontenelle went the JC route.
The only alternative would’ve been entering the transfer portal and losing a season of eligibility. While at McLennen Junior College, he must’ve caught the eye of larger program scouts because he only spent a year there before transferring to Texas Christian University. However, before arriving on campus at TCU, Cole made yet another stop in one of the West Coast’s acclaimed Summer Leagues and this time played in Alaska, where he did a little bit of everything, putting up very solid numbers along the way.
So here we are at Cole’s junior year of college. Four years prior, teams were talking about drafting him. Yet here he was, after two years of college, one year where he rode the bench, and another at a program so small we don’t have any official numbers that reflect his performance. Things didn’t go according to plan, at least not yet. Things actually couldn’t have gone any better while playing for the Horned Frogs. In Fontenelle’s junior season with TCU, he not only made it to the College World Series, he hit .352 with a .473 OBP, with 14 HR and 20 SB while playing the corner infield and outfield spots. He was one of the best players on one of the best teams in the country. He would enter the draft portal after his junior year and his name was called in the 7th Round by the Angels.
What he did prior to signing made for an interesting story, but it is what he’s done since signing that has opened eyes in the organization. As it turns out, Fontenelle doesn’t appear to simply be a depth piece. He’s a legitimately solid hitter who has more power than expected, is faster than expected, shows greater pitch discernment than expected and has the tools to be a better defender than expected. The major league staff was so impressed by the work Cole showed, that they carried him with the major league team for the entirety of Spring Training so they could get a better look at him. The Angels feel confident enough in what they saw that Cole was assigned to AA Rocket City, and is expected to potentially impact the big league roster later this season or next year.
If everything clicks, Fontanelle could be a Kole Calhoun type of corner infielder and outfielder that doesn’t have one standout tool, but tends to do a little bit of everything right. Think of a switch-hitting JD Davis. If not, at the very least the Angels appear to have a pretty solid depth piece to fill out their upper minors roster. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this journey.
Angels Guide to FV Explanation
40 - The “AAAA” player, one that spends his career bouncing between the minors and majors. A Livan Soto or Adam Kolarek type.
45 - A low-end major league starter or typical backup in the major leagues. A Jake Marisnick or Jose Suarez type.
50 - An average major leaguer, either as a starter or reserve. As of right now, a Luis Rengifo or Luis Gacia type.
55 - A starter in the major leagues. A Brandon Drury or Griffin Canning type.
60 - A good starter in the majors that should carve out at least a few years at the top level. A Taylor Ward or Reid Detmers type.
65 - A major league all-star that could have a long career and make hundreds of millions. A George Springer or Logan Webb type.
70 - An MVP caliber player. Potential future Hall of Famer with longevity. A Christian Yelich or a Corbin Burnes type.
75 - An actual MVP and future Hall of Famer. A Mookie Betts or Gerrit Cole type.
80 - GOAT conversation. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout type.
View the full article
12 games have come and gone, and, for lack of a better word, the results have left lots of room for conversation.
The Angels are 6-6 - frankly, a result better than I expected, since I found our first month or so very difficult, schedule wise. Despite this, I am not pleased with the result, because based on the events of said 12 games, we could easily be 8-4 or even 9-3. That being said, we're still 2nd in the division and only a game back of the Rangers. With 150 games ahead, there's been a lot of good, a lot of bad, and some downright ugly play during the season thus far. Let's break down what fits where (PSA: These will 100% be overreactions to small sample sizes. I'll update it as more games are played and we start seeing more form.):
Good: The Outfield (Mostly)
The Angels made an interesting decision to take 5 outfielders on their roster - largely due to service time issues - but so far it's paid off for them. The 5 outfielders have a combined slash line of .259/.330/.519 for a total OPS+ of 138. Now, admittedly, these numbers are a little skewed - they're greatly helped by Taylor Ward and Mike Trout, who are sporting enormous 145 and 224 OPS+'s (not counting April 10th where Trout was 2-3 with a 2B, 1B and a BB and Ward was 1-3 with a 1B and a BB). Moniak has struggled in his own right, taking over for the second spot in the order since Schanuel was struggling. His OPS sits at a mere .476 - we hope it evens itself out, and the prospects look good - last year, Moniak's biggest struggle was with plate discipline - In 2023, he chased 47% of pitches out of the zone and whiffed on 39% of pitches he swung at, good for a 35% K rate and a measly 2% walk rate - all of which were bottom 5th percentile in the MLB. Thus far in 2024, he's chased 22% of pitches (down 25%), whiffed on 21% of swings (down 18%), strikes out 25% of the time (down 10%) and walks 13% of the time (up 11%). These are massive changes for the better, and if the bat get's back to 2023 form, the eye could complement for an even better season than his 2023. Jo Adell is rocking an .894 OPS, helped by a 2-4 day with a homer in his 3rd start of the season. His batted ball numbers are tremendous for the small sample size - his expected batting average and sweet-spot% are both 85th percentile or better, and his whiff% and K% are both 75th or better. While he's experienced blunders - like that surefire stolen base that he ran through - he's given the Angels a real reason to keep him in the lineup, and hopefully he can build on this success for the future. Hicks has been solid, not super special, but done a good job seeing pitches and playing a solid right field. Let's just say, if not for the outfield unit and this next guy, we may be 0-12.
Good: Logan O'Hoppe
Logan O'Hoppe hit the ground running in his 2024 campaign, catching 10 of the Angels first 12 contests and touting a ridiculous 179 OPS+. We always knew he had the bat, but what's equally impressive is how well rounded his game has been thus far - he's been an elite level framer (92nd percentile in Framing Runs Above Average), improved his BB% by nearly 4%, and even boasts a 76th percentile sprint speed. There isn't much more to say other than he leads American League catchers in, *deep breath* -
AVG, OBP, wOBA, wRC+, fWar, Max Exit Velo, Hard Hit%, Fielding Percentage, Innings Caught, and Fielding Run Value.
Oh, and he smoked a game-tying grand slam against the Red Sox.
Good: Half the Pitching Unit
Specifically, I'm Talking about Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Adam Cimber, Matt Moore, and Carlos Estevez. These 5 guys have been outstanding. Let's go on a little honor roll of their achievements:
Detmers: 2-0 in 2 starts with a 1.64 ERA. First start: 5 IP, 1 ER, 7 K's vs a potent O's offense. Second start: 6 IP, 1 ER, 12 K's. Utter dominance in a 2-1 win.
Tyler Anderson: 2 beautiful 7 inning, scoreless starts. His 14 scoreless innings to start a season are 2nd in Angels history, behind Nolan Ryan's 16.
Adam Cimber: 6 appearances, 6.2 IP (including 4.2 straight scoreless), 1 ER, good for a 1.35 ERA.
Matt Moore: 4 appearances, 5 IP, 4 K's, 0 anything else. No men have seen base against Mighty Matt Moore.
Carlos Estevez: 4 IP at 2023 all-star level, no earned runs and a 0.25 WHIP. He also ragged on the Fanatics jerseys which was pretty funny.
Bad: The Infield Bats
This group consists of Nolan Schanuel, Miguel Sano, Luis Rengifo, Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Anthony Rendon. Starting with the good, Rengifo has been respectable, albeit in the least at bats. He's slashing .333/.357/.407 and looks to be gunning for more playing time. Rendon has been on fire since returning to Anaheim, but his ice cold start still has him at 25 OPS+. Sano's strong batted ball skills got him off to a solid start, but he's ultimately simmered to an 87 OPS+. Neto and Drury have been similarly poor to start the year, with a 45 and 27 OPS+ respectively. Finally, Schanuel's 2-31, 27 OPS+ stretch got him a couple day breather. It's still very early, but when 6 of your 12 regulars account for just 1 of the 12 homers you've hit, you obviously desire more production. I have faith they'll figure it out, but I desperately hope one of the younger guys makes a bigger jump.
Bad: The Scheduling
This is more of a personal frustration than anything, but what is going on with the scheduling this year. How on earth is it possible that the AL West Angels first 8 series contains 2 series against the Rays, Red Sox, and Orioles and 2 against random NL teams. I guess I was complaining about playing the A's on opening day every year, but why are we playing them so late? All of our matchups vs the A's come between June 24 - July 28. We don't play our first game against an AL West team until May 17th. I know we play every team the same amount or whatever, but why are we running the damn AL East Gauntlet? I don't know man.
Ugly: The Rest of the Pitching
The Angels 5.09 Team ERA is 29th in the MLB, ahead of only Coors Field's very own Colorado Rockies. If you take away Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers, that balloons to a 6.44, still 0.13 ahead of the Rockies, but still technically the worst since the Phillies in 1930. Take away the 3 good relievers, and we're at 7.85 - A whole run above the worst pitching team ever. Obviously, that's an overreaction - it's only been 15 games, but besides those 5 pitchers, it has truly been really bad. The only other 2 pitchers to pitch and not give up a run are Carson Fulmer, who came up after Guillermo Zuniga went on the IL, and Miguel Sano - in a game that the Angels lost 12-2. Sandoval seems to really let his emotions affect him on the mound, Canning's mistake pitches cost him some long balls, Silseth fell victim to homers and high pitch counts before he landed on the IL with elbow inflammation, and Soriano has yet to replicate his outstanding first relief performance. Add on the new bullpen arms in Luis Garcia, Jose Cisneros, and Guillermo Zuniga have all allowed 4 or more earned runs in 5 or less innings of work, and you have a recipe for some big losses in games not started by Detmers or Anderson. Thankfully, I don't possibly believe this level of terrible is sustainable.
There's my roster breakdown for the season thus far. I think Ron's done a good job with what he has, and expectations weren't incredibly high to begin with. There's plenty of good, but enough bad to be frustrating. At least Mike Trout is back, Detmers looks good, and if we lose too many games we'll have a nice high draft pick to work with.
Watched a bit of Dana's start today;
Fastball was 94 to 96 and he was getting pasted hitters with ease. I'd give it a 60 grade pitch.
Slider is his second best pitch, and to me it looks like it was flashing plus. Not a sweeper, but a slider with a tight break. Also a 60 grade pitch
Change, saw a quite a few changes today, I would consider it to an average to above-average pitch. Biggest thing I noticed was a lack of command, missed a quite a few up in the zone compared to his other pitches. The few he located really well down the zone looked Above-average to me.
Curve, saw a few but not to many. Isn't a put out pitch.
The upside is still there for him to be a 2/3 in any rotation. I think he still needs work with refining his stuff and control of his pitches. I would probably prefer that he stays in AA thru out the season with a goal of 80 to 100 innings. Next year start him in AA with a shot at a call-up late in the year. There is no real reason to rush him. Let him develop and understand the game.
if the Angels get through the season and a healthy Jo Adell has been on the bench the whole time that would mean everyone else is healthy and performing well, which would be a problem the Angels haven’t had lately.
Just my observations from last nights game.
Fly overs are always great. National anthem with the giant flag is always emotional.
The crowd last night was LOUD, like playoff atmosphere loud.
The fans cheered and boo’d when it felt appropriate. Lots of times when the stadium is full it feels like half the crowd doesn’t know what is going on in the game, last night felt like everyone was into it.
Rendon was boo’d, Ohtani on the video board was boo’d (which surprised me) Arte on the video board was boo’d, when they announced Joey Cora he was boo’d.
The cheers came when guys got hits or worked walks, but the volume was just different than it has been in quite some time.
Rendon standing ovation, wasn’t really a thing. One guy behind me stood and cheered him. I think things like that are stupid, regardless of the player. I did however give Trout a standing O as well as Weaver coming out for his first pitch, oh and the 102 year old veteran they recognized in between innings.
Boston had three hit by pitches and one certainly felt like he swung at the pitch from where I was sitting, but the third base ump gave the safe sign. It felt like two of the guys that got hit took forever to “shake it off” so they could get playing again.
It was my first time up in the 400 section in a few years, they have added a ton of beer can stands, which makes the wait times less (I’d imagine) but it makes it more crowded as you are trying to walk around up there getting to your seats. Any renovation feels like it needs more restrooms. Also where I was at, I didn’t see TVs up by the concessions so you can keep up on the game when standing in long lines.
Lastly, fuck Boston.
Ok I was admittedly not a fan of turning Wantz and Soriano into starters (or back into).
It is possible I was mistaken and the baseball people were right.
Hello, this is my first new topic since signing up.
I was thinking about when Taylor Ward faceplanted into the wall. Obviously everybody knows that he wasn't the same after that.
But then I started thinking about how he got hit in the face with the ball last year and whether he'd ever be the same again, being traumatized twice in 2 years like that. Strangely, it would almost appear like getting hit in the face has reverse-concussed him, if that's even a thing! Like it somehow knocked him back into his old self.
Btw, fun random fact: Taylor Ward's wife's name......is Taylor.
He's been very patient in most at bats this season. Quite a contrast to the past. And has put good wood on the ball quite often.
He has to maintain that discipline and not panic if he goes into a slump. He has the strength to drive pitches to all fields and shouldn't just try and over power the ball. Solid contact regularly will take care of itself.
That's why he needs playing time. To build up a hitting routine and habits game after game. Even at DH for some lineups.
I remember Tim Laker as an Expos catcher way back when. Nice to see him resurface with the Angels.
.png.994d0bf2808e959b0fc1cd230c27b6eb.png)
OhtaniSan reacted to Lhalo in Blum interview with Sandoval: "I don’t necessarily give a fuck what people think anymore. Be me."
OhtaniSan got a reaction from Swordsman78 in First 30 games prospectus
