The Los Angeles Angels don’t exactly have a need at this position, but with shortstop Zach Neto currently dealing with wrist soreness, infield prospect Denzer Guzman is stepping up to show he might deserve a spot on the big league roster next year.
Guzman showed some slick fielding skills during his debut on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, and the rookie clubbed his first big league home run last night against the Milwaukee Brewers. The victim was Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, and Guzman’s blast was the only run Peralta gave up in his six-inning stint.
The Angels lost the game, 9-2, but that hardly matters at this point in the season. Everyone knows the Halos have been hide-your-eyes bad this year, especially lately, but it’s prospect time in LA, and Guzman is one guy who’s answering the call.
Ironically, the prospect who joined Guzman in the homer department last night was fellow infielder Christian Moore, who played second and homered off Milwaukee reliever Grant Anderson last night. Moore has been scuffling so far with an average of just .197, but he does have six home runs, so if he can get untracked he’ll be another player to watch going forward next year.
As for Guzman, his rise through the minor league ranks has been impressive. He’s rated ninth among Angels prospects according to MLB pipeline, and Guzman was signed for $2 million in 2021 as part of the international signing class from the Dominican Republic.
Guzman was praised by Angels bench coach Ryan Goins after his debut, which featured several slick plays that were mentioned by Zach Carver.
“He’s really good at short, he’s really good at third,” Goins said. “He gives you a really good at-bat.”
Offensively, Guzman’s big challenge going forward will be cutting his strikeouts. He whiffed twice in his debut, which is certainly understandable, but he did cut his strikeout rate from approximately 30 percent to 23.8 during his time at Double A this year.
Guzman will probably spend a good portion of next season at Triple A, but don’t be surprised if he ends up making the club for good, perhaps as a utility infielder. The Angels are looking to rebuild their corps given DH Mike Trout’s uncertain status, which means guys like Guzman will have a chance to make the big league jump for good.
His ongoing progress will be something positive to watch, especially with the Halos trying to break a five-game losing streak. Homering off a guy like Peralta is impressive, so it will be interesting to see how Guzman fares in the next two games against the Brew Crew.