The Angels’ system should be in way better shape than it is, but their 2016-19 drafts are shaping up to underproduce what they should, with 2019 looking especially bad right now; their international efforts from that same time also sent out a lot of money for very little return. There is raw talent in the system now, but the new player development folks will have their hands full with a lot of very athletic position players whose baseball skills lag behind their tools.
GO DEEPER
MLB prospect rankings 2023: Keith Law’s complete guide to every farm system
The ranking
1. Zach Neto, SS (Top 100 ranking: No. 59)
Age: 22 | 6-0 | 185 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 13 in 2022
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Neto bashed his way to the top half of the first round last spring, as the Campbell Camels shortstop hit .407/.514/.769 with 15 homers and 19 steals, leading the Angels to take him with the 13th pick and run him almost directly to Double A. He seemed unfazed by the aggressive promotion, hitting .320/.382/.492 in 30 games for Rocket City with just a 21 percent strikeout rate — amazing for any 21-year-old, but even more so for someone who was just two months out of the Big South. Neto is a definite shortstop who projects to be a plus defender, while at the plate he’s got some extra movement before he gets his swing going but then is very short to the ball. He makes above-average contact, but doesn’t post elite exit velocities, getting to his power so far by consistently hitting the ball on a line, getting good carry for line-drive homers rather than big flies. That might turn into a lot more doubles and fewer homers as he moves up and faces better pitching. Because of his high contact rates to date and ability to play short at a high level, even that would make him a strong regular. If the homers do last, he might be even more.
2. Logan O’Hoppe, C (No. 61)
Age: 23 | 6-2 | 185 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 677 in 2018
O’Hoppe started 2022 as the starting catcher for Double-A Reading, and ended it catching for the Angels in the big leagues after he headed west in the trade that brought Brandon Marsh’s beard to Philly. O’Hoppe’s year was one of the best of any hitter in the minors, as he hit .283/.416/.544, with 26 homers, 70 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 104 games between Reading and Double-A Rocket City, and unlike a lot of hitters who go off in Reading, he did way more damage on the road. It’s good but not elite contact quality, boosted by his tendency to hit the ball in the air and get under pitches rather than on top. He’s a solid-average receiver with average-ish arm strength, enough that he won’t get exploited by runners but won’t shut down the run game either. His value is in what his bat brings in a true catcher, with 20-plus homers a year and strong walk rates that make him an above-average regular who might have an All-Star season or two.
3. Edgar Quero, C (No. 93)
Age: 20 | 5-11 | 170 pounds
Bats: Both | Throws: Right
International signing in 2021
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Quero took a big step forward last year, showing an advanced feel to hit that gives him a high probability of a big-league career because of his position. He’s a switch-hitter with a strong approach from both sides of the plate, showing plate discipline unusual for his age and experience, with more medium contact quality than hard contact. That means that even with 17 homers last year in the Cal League (a good place to hit), he might be more of a high-average/OBP guy with 10-15 homers a year at his peak. He has the skills to be an above-average defensive catcher, but he’s not that consistent behind the plate yet. He’s from Cuba and signed shortly before his 18th birthday because of the pandemic, so he entered 2022 with just 39 games of pro experience, meaning there’s a lot of room for him to continue to improve behind the plate. He doesn’t look like he’ll get a lot stronger, but that’s the only thing keeping him from projecting as a star.
4. Ky Bush, LHP
Age: 23 | 6-6 | 240 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 45 in 2021
Bush was their second-round pick in the all-pitching draft of 2021, but in his first full year in pro ball the former St. Mary’s College of California star saw his velocity down, as he was mostly 92-94 mph and the rest of his four-pitch mix was more average than above. The changeup is his best pitch, while his breaking balls aren’t sharp and tended to run into each other. He’s 6-6 and should be able to get more deception if he extends better out front, but it’s more important that he get back the quality of stuff he showed in college.
5. Kyren Paris, SS
Age: 21 | 6-0 | 180 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 55 in 2019
Paris was 17 at the draft so he’s been young for everywhere he’s played, although at some point that becomes less of an explanation for subpar performances. He’s geared up for fastballs and can get to velocity, but offspeed stuff gives him trouble, even in the zone. He went off in a 14-game stint in Double A to end the year, but it was typical small-sample stuff — two homers on hanging sliders, a bunch of groundballs that got through for singles, even one single he lined off the pitcher’s back — and by the AFL he was back to hitting singles and striking out too often. He’s a plus runner, still potentially a shortstop but probably a 55 defender at second, and maybe a candidate to move to center. The Angels have worked with him extensively on his grip and his hand position so he’s not as long through the zone, which would address one of the problems but not the pitch recognition issue. He’s just four days older than Wyatt Langford, a possible top-5 pick in this upcoming draft out of the University of Florida, and has already seen Double A, to put his struggles in some perspective.
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6. Denzer Guzman, SS
Age: 19 | 6-1 | 180 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2021
Guzman signed for a $2 million bonus in January of 2021, didn’t hit much in the DSL that summer, then took a big step forward last summer in the ACL at age 18. He hit .287/.341/.422, making better quality contact as he gained some strength, losing some contact with the move up but still keeping his strikeout rate reasonable at 21 percent. He’s a solid defender at short now but probably moves to third or second in time. The bigger question is the power projection, as he has a really good swing with some hand strength now, but he has to get stronger and I’m not sure how much room he has on the frame. He’s got feel to hit right now, though, and if he can handle better offspeed stuff in Low A this year as a 19-year-old he’ll have a solid floor as a second baseman who hits for enough average to be a regular.
7. Chase Silseth, RHP
Age: 23 | 6-0 | 217 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 321 in 2021
Silseth was the first 2021 draft pick to reach the majors, which was certainly a surprise since he was an 11th-round pick who had a 5.55 ERA in his draft year at the University of Arizona. He’s a three-pitch starter with a plus slider, a high-spin four-seamer at 94-97 mph, and a splitter that just doesn’t have the consistent bottom that it needs. He got torched by lefties in the majors and the splitter’s lack of finish was a big reason, as lefties got it and they had better success against the fastball because the splitter often ended up in the same zone as the four-seamer. He could still be a starter, though, if that pitch improves or he tries a changeup or split-change. The two weapons he has give him a high floor as a reliever.
8. Sam Bachman, RHP
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 235 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 9 in 2021
Bachman still has the highest ceiling of all of the Angels’ arms, but a back injury limited him to just 12 starts and 43 2/3 innings in 2022, and his stuff was down when he did pitch. Bachman had been up to 102 mph in college at Miami (Ohio), even around a shoulder injury, but last year he was more 92-95, and while the slider was still plus it was more of a grade 60 pitch than grade 70. His fastball got hammered in Double A, as he drives the ball down but it doesn’t have much movement beyond that, and he threw less than 60 percent of his pitches for strikes. When the Angels took Bachman, the main question was around the shoulder injury that interrupted his junior year, but at this point I’m not sure what the Angels have here.
9. David Calabrese, OF
Age: 20 | 5-11 | 160 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 82 in 2020
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Calabrese was their third-round pick in 2020, a 17-year-old outfielder from Canada who was a 70 runner and could play center field, with feel to hit but projected to 45 power. He changed his swing on his own before 2021, trying to improve his launch angle for more power, and of course didn’t hit for power or average that summer in the ACL. After a brutal start to 2022 when he was slowed by back and shoulder issues in spring training, he reverted back to his previous swing midseason, and hit .301/.382/.461 in the last half of his season (57 games), with 32 BB and 49 K in 259 PA. He benefits from being a young draftee, as he’ll go to High A this year at age 20, and if he carries that second-half surge forward (and doesn’t start trying to lift and pull again), he’s got everyday upside.
10. Werner Blakely, 3B
Age: 21 | 6-3 | 185 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 111 in 2020
Blakely was the fourth-round pick in 2020 as a toolsy shortstop with quick hands at the plate but no experience against decent pitching. His full-season debut in 2022 was mostly a success, as he hit .295/.447/.470 despite a 30 percent strikeout rate. He would have led the Cal League in OBP if he’d qualified. The .450 BABIP is certainly unsustainable, but he makes hard contact and has plus raw power already, and with his plus speed he has 20/20 upside. He’s at third base now, but it’s still a work in progress, and he might move faster if they just put him in center field and let him focus more on hitting. He has to cut the strikeouts but given his inexperience and the damage he’s doing on contact, there’s plenty of reason for optimism.
11. Adrian Placencia, SS/2B
Age: 20 | 5-11 | 155 pounds
Bats: Switch | Throws: Right
Drafted: International signing in 2019
The Angels were aggressive with Placencia, who signed in January 2019 for $1.1 million, sending him to Low A to start 2022, making him one of the youngest regulars in the league. He posts above-average exit velocities already, with more power to come, and shows very good bat control with a willingness to go the other way if he’s pitched on the outer half. He’s a true switch-hitter, a little better right-handed but good enough to keep hitting both ways. He’s probably going to end up at second base, and he has to cut down on the strikeouts, with a 30 percent K rate in Low A. He does work the count, finishing in the top 10 in the Cal League in walk total and walk rate, which gives hope he’ll continue to get to that emergent power and become an average or above-average regular at second who hits in the .260-.270 range with a 60+ walks and 20ish homers.
12. Jake Madden, RHP
Age: 21 | 6-6 | 185 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 118 in 2022
Madden was their fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Northwest Florida State, a two-year school in the panhandle, sliding a bit after a blister cost him some command and control during the spring. He’s 92-97 mph with a slider and change that both project to plus, which gives him a fairly high ceiling, but he’s got a long arm swing that he has a hard time repeating. He also needs to get stronger, coming in at 6-6 and a listed 185 pounds, although that’s already on the Angels’ agenda for him. He didn’t pitch last summer, having shouldered a full workload in the spring, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he tore through Low A to start the year.
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13. Jordyn Adams, OF
Age: 23 | 6-2 | 181 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 17 in 2018
The Angels’ system is just littered with these guys, tremendous athletes with glaring flaws that might keep them from ever becoming more than replacement-level big leaguers. Adams is an 80 runner and a plus defender in center now, but he still doesn’t have a consistent swing, even within games. He takes some furious hacks like he’s trying to drive the ball 500 feet, which is not and will never be his game — he’s an elite runner who should try to put the ball in play all the time and run like hell. His pitch recognition lags behind his peers because he played more football than baseball as an amateur, all the more reason to get him to a simple, short swing that’s geared toward contact over any kind of power. There’s a foundation of speed and defense that would give him a floor as an extra outfielder if he just made more contact.
14. Landon Marceaux, RHP
Age: 23 | 6-0 | 199 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 80 in 2021
Marceaux is a six-foot right-hander out of LSU who throws a ton of strikes but doesn’t miss enough bats to profile as more than a fifth starter. He’s 91-93 mph with high spin on both the slider and curveball, with a changeup to get lefties out, and in High A he at least generated a lot of weak contact. The breaking balls can both function as effective chase pitches, with tight rotation and sharp vertical break on both, if he can get ahead with the fastball. He’s not that projectable, so adding more velocity won’t be easy, but that’s his path to being a mid-rotation guy.
15. Mason Erla, RHP
Age: 25 | 6-4 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 501 in 2021
Erla was a fifth-year senior at Michigan State when the Angels took him in the 17th round of their all-pitching 2021 draft, and he blew folks away in short stints in instructs that fall. The Angels sent him to Double A to start 2022, since he was already 24-and-a-half by Opening Day, but he didn’t miss many bats as a starter there and probably should go to the bullpen this spring. As a starter last year, he was 93-94 mph with an average slider and 45 changeup, with a very short arm action and low three-quarter slot that makes him tougher on right-handed than left-handed batters. The changeup has big action but not a ton of deception or velocity separation from the fastball. Without a real out pitch that can miss bats in the zone, it’ll be hard for him to succeed as a starter even in Triple A this year, so I’d try him in relief and see how quickly he can help the big club.
16. Sonny DiChiara, 1B
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 263 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 148 in 2022
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Sonny D, as he’s known, is a full-figured first baseman who transferred from Samford to Auburn for his senior year and mashed against good pitching in the SEC, with a .384/.549/.777 line for the Tigers. He’s already 23, so the Angels sent him right out to Double A, where I assume he’ll start this year as well. He’s a hitter with power, not all power with no feel to hit, but given his size and lack of agility, he’s going to play first base or end up at DH, and either way he has to hit.
17. Caden Dana, RHP
Age: 19 | 6-4 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 328 in 2022
The Angels took Dana in the 11th round last July and signed him away from a scholarship to Kentucky with a bonus of $1,497,500. Dana’s 6-5, 225 pounds, strong already with a fastball up to 95 mph, while his two-plane curveball and changeup are both good enough to see them getting to average, but his delivery is inefficient and needs something close to an overhaul. He’s too quick off the rubber and his arm is late, while he doesn’t get enough power from his strong lower half. He’s a player development challenge but a better delivery that improved his timing and got his legs involved more would give him mid-rotation upside.
18. Nelson Rada, OF
Age: 17 | 5-10 | 160 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
International signing in 2022
Rada was the second-youngest player in the DSL, five days younger than the Padres’ Estuar Suero, and hit .311/.446/.439 there. He’s a center fielder with plus speed and should end up a 60 defender or better, while at the plate it’s contact with minimal power and he’ll have to add some strength to ensure he makes enough hard contact to hang with better pitching. He shows elite plate discipline for his age, however, with very little propensity to chase, so even with 40 power he has a path to be a regular. He may be able to jump to Low A this year even at 17.
19. Ben Joyce, RHP
Age: 22 | 6-5 | 225 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 89 in 2022
Joyce hit 105 last spring for the University of Tennessee, but he doesn’t have an average second pitch or particularly good command of the fastball. The Angels did the smart thing and sent him right out to Double A, as guys who throw this hard don’t usually throw this hard for very long, and Joyce has already had one Tommy John surgery. He’ll have to develop his slider to be a big-league reliever.
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20. Victor Mederos, RHP
Age: 22 | 6-2 | 227 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 178 in 2022
Mederos is 96-98 mph with a plus slider and a changeup that might be plus as well, but hitters tag his fastball and he can’t get to the secondaries to get swings and misses. It’s a high-effort delivery with a big head-whack at release, so his command is poor and he’s probably a reliever in the long run, although he has the three pitches to start. He was born in Cuba, spent a year at Miami, and the Angels drafted him in the sixth round out of Oklahoma State.
Others of note
Second baseman/shortstop Jeremiah Jackson missed the majority of 2021 due to injury, then the Angels jumped him from Low A to Double A for the start of 2022, and he struggled to a .215/.308/.404 line because he just didn’t hit offspeed stuff at all. He can still play shortstop, but the Angels had him play more at second with a few games at third to try to give him a path as a utility player. He’s only 23 this year and I don’t think all is lost, but since his huge 23-homer outburst in short-season Orem in 2019, setting the Pioneer League’s single-season record, there aren’t many positives on his stat sheet to justify much optimism … Right-hander Walbert Urena is up to 100 with a decent changeup but he walked 32 guys in 37 innings in the ACL, and he’s six-foot-nothing and 170 pounds, probably a reliever if he’s anything … Randy De Jesus is a corner outfielder with plus raw power now, giving 7 homers in the DSL at 17 last year with respectable walk and strikeout rates … Outfielder D’Shawn Knowles, signed out of the Bahamas in 2017, is a 70 runner and one of the best pure athletes in the system, but he just isn’t making enough contact to project to major-league value … Shortstop Arol Vera, signed for a $2.2 million bonus in 2019, hit .207/.292/.281 with a 27 percent strikeout rate and the highest groundball rate in the minor leagues at 55 percent. He’s only 20 this year, and I suppose he can only go up? … Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz has the delivery to start but his 92-95 mph four-seamer gets hit hard, so the Angels have had him add a two-seamer, and I think if he works primarily with that and his big-breaking curveball he might get back on track … Right-hander Coleman Crow is a smaller-framed starter with a high spin-rate slider, a two-seamer, and changeup, mostly working side to side with the three pitches, and could be a bulk innings guy who makes some spot starts and otherwise works in long relief … Lefty Jose Salvador and righty Fernando Guanare are both command starters with average stuff, names to know in case they either pick up some velo or end up good enough at command and sequencing that they can break through to Double A. Neither was good enough last year to boost them in the system, although Guanare was only 19 in Low A … Eric Torres is a funky lefty reliever with a potentially plus slider and fastball 91-93 mph that could get him to a middle relief ceiling … Remember Robinson Pina? Once one of the Angels’ best prospects, he was back last year as a 23-year-old in High A, working with a little less velocity but much better command and control. He got crushed in three Triple A outings and if he has a future, it’s in relief, but after he was pretty bad in 2019 and 2021 it seemed like he had no future beyond organizational starter.
2023 impact
Silseth is probably their first call-up when they need another starter. I wouldn’t be surprised to see O’Hoppe end up their regular by midyear, or to see Neto debut before September.
The fallen
Trent Deveaux signed for a $1.2 million bonus out of the Bahamas back in 2017, as the Angels loved his speed and overall athleticism, but he never hit in pro ball and the Angels released him after he hit 185/.267/.222 in 19 Low A games last year at age 22. No word on whether Bell or Biv are still in the organization.
Sleeper
I’ve been a Calabrese advocate since his draft year, so while I might be falling prey to confirmation bias with the strong second half, I’m going with him as the guy to take a big step forward this year, even over Madden and Rada.
(Photo of Zach Neto: Bobby McDuffie/ Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
