The Los Angels Angels can only dream about playoff baseball, but their prospects are a different story.
Playoff baseball is currently considered a distant pipe dream for the Los Angeles Angels, but a pair of Halos prospects are getting their first taste of postseason action as shortstop Arjun Nimmala and starter Tyler Bremner starred as Rocket City beat Knoxville, 9-3, in the Southern League semifinals on Tuesday night.
Nimmala’s night didn’t start well, according to a report from Jesse Borek of MLB.com. He struck out twice and was robbed of a hit, per Borek, but he came back in the eighth to launch a home run.
This isn’t something new for Nimmala. He’s had eight homers in his past 12 games dating back to the regular season, and he hit 16 homers in a wild regular season that saw him battling multiple injuries while playing for five different minor league teams. He went from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Angels after the Halos acquired him in the trade for starter Jose Soriano at the deadline.
“He’s now had the ability to get his spikes in the ground here, get comfortable and just be himself," said Rocket City manager Joe Kruzel as he described the shortstop’s journey. "This is just him being him. He’s at the point where his head and feet are in the same spot. He's playing easy right now."
Nimmala’s season won’t be over when Rocket City concludes its postseason run, either. He’s scheduled to participate in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox, according to Borek, and he’s making a rapid ascent through the Angels’ minor league system.
As for Bremner, he’s been dominating all year, and he limited Knoxville to just three hits. He was the Halos top pick last year, and as a college player with strong credentials he’s expected to appear in Anaheim sooner rather than later.
It’s not hard to tell why. He threw 50 of his 79 pitches for strikes against Knoxville, with his fastball ticking the gun at 97 mph, and his four strikeouts came on three different pitches as he mixed in a curve and a slider to go with his fastball and give up five runs in two innings.
The right-hander missed a month due to illness, so he was limited to a total of 77-2/3 innings. But he’s going to give the Angels a positive problem next year, as he still managed to strike out 100 hitters across two different levels while making his ascent.
The playoffs continue on Thursday night, but the Angels are going to be facing some interesting roster decisions next season if Nimmala and Bremner continue to show out in the minors.
