The Los Angeles Angels have some outstanding prospects in the minors, and High-A Tri-City is the team to watch.
The Los Angeles Angels have been getting a lot of pub for their prospects lately, but normally the spotlight tends to fade once the MLB season opens.
That doesn’t mean those prospects aren’t worth following, though, and Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com picked out one stacked affiliate for each MLB team and identified High-A Tri-Cities as the one to watch for the Angels.
It’s easy to see why. The roster for the Tri-City Dust Devils contains seven of the Angels’ Top 30 prospects, which is especially noteworthy given the team’s tendency to rush prospects to the majors.
The big name here is pitcher Tyler Bremner, who was the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft. The Angels ramped up Bremner slowly, but he did throw a clean inning in the team’s Spring Breakout game, and his electric stuff has been generating buzz across the league.
There are other names to watch, though. Catcher Juan Flores is also playing for the Dust Devils, and he got a look in spring training based on his strong defensive profile. Flores profiles as a backup catcher who could eventually replace Travis d’Arnaud on the Angels roster, and he’s currently rated around 20th in various prospect rankings. for the Angels.
Pitcher Austin Gordon could be another player to watch, especially given how quickly the Angels tend to move up their pitching prospects. Scouting reports project him as a mid-rotation starter with some strikeout ability, and the Angels definitely have a need there given the current state of the back of their rotation.
Prospect Nelson Rada is another important player. He’s playing further up the minor-league ladder at Triple-A Salt Lake, and Rada came into camp as a long-shot possibility to win the center field job. He had some strong moments, but that idea was quickly discarded when Mike Trout reclaimed his old outfield post, and the Angels are much the better for it with Trout drawing national attention for his comeback.
For Rada, consistency is the key for him to make it to Anaheim. He’s got electric speed to go with the ability to make contact and steal bases, but what he needs now are at-bats and consistency. Manager Kurt Suzuki commented on Rada’s need to develop professional work habits when the Angels reassigned him to Triple A, and if he can do that there could be an opportunity for a mid- to late-season moment with the big club.