One of the most anticipated lists that gets released each spring is the rankings for each team’s farm system. Multiple outlets do this, but the one that has a particularly high impact is put out by MLB Pipeline via MLB.com, which had the Angels farm system ranked 28th.
This isn’t surprising, but Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com offered some comments about the ranking that were illuminating, so let’s go there and see what his take was.
According to Bollinger, it’s a “pitching-heavy system,” which isn’t particularly revelatory. Four of the top five prospects are pitchers, after all, and it’s right-hander Tyler Bremner who’s getting the most publicity as the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. George Klassen has become the real name to watch after his first two starts, but there’s still a long way to to in spring training.
But Bollinger had a sharper, more insightful comment about the position players, wondering if any of them would be impact players. Outfielder Nelson Rada has been talked up a lot this spring as the closest to making the roster, and he’s had some impressive at-bats. But Rada has also struck out for times in 11 trips so far, which would seem to indicate the need for more time at Triple A.
Other position players who could make an impact include catcher Gabriel Davalillo and shortstop Joswa Lugo, but according to Bollinger both are considered several years away from teh majors. Denzer Guzman has spent time at short with the big club, but he’s also struggled offensively.
Beyond that there’s not much that’s big-league ready. Raudi Rodriguez had a breakout year and a ton of potential, but he’s also just out of Single-A Inland Empire and the Arizona Fall League, so it’s hard to imagine him sticking.
Finally, Bollinger points out that the Halos have been active in the international market. The Angels haven’t spent a lot of money on individual prospects, but they have offered bonuses of about $2 million to multiple players. They’ve also taken a couple of solid flyers on prospects like Walbert Urena and Joel Hurtado who throw hard and managed to make it to Triple-A Salt Lake.
It’s not a lot when it comes to hope and optimism, but at least it’s activity. The Angels have had some success with their top picks lately, putting all of the recent ones on the field last year, so perhaps they can beef up the lower levels and get better results across the board at some point soon.