TEMPE, Ariz. -- One of general manager Perry Minasian’s major goals has been to acquire and develop young pitching through the Draft, international signings and trades. Minasian knows you can never have too many arms and that it can be cost-prohibitive to sign top starters via free agency. The biggest splash Minasian has made for a starter via free agency was the three-year, $63 million deal signed by lefty Yusei Kikuchi before last season. So the Angels have loaded up on pitchers, as 20 of their Top 30 prospects in MLB Pipeline’s 2025 season-ending rankings were pitchers. And several of those pitchers are in Major League camp, including Tyler Bremner, Ryan Johnson, George Klassen, Chase Shores, Chris Cortez, Sam Aldegheri, Nate Snead, Samy Natera Jr., Joel Hurtado, Walbert Urena and Austin Gordon. Here’s a quick look at those prospects and how they’ve fared this spring: RHP Tyler Bremner (No. 81 overall) Bremner, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s Draft, hasn’t appeared in a game yet because he’s working on his slider. His fastball was up to 98 mph in a live session and he has an elite changeup, but developing a breaking pitch is going to be huge for him going forward. |
RHP Ryan Johnson (Angels' No. 2) Johnson surprisingly broke camp as a reliever last year despite no professional experience, but he is being stretched out to start this year. He’s still tough on righties because of his funky delivery and 91 mph cutter, but he has to improve his split-finger to get lefties out. RHP George Klassen (No. 3) Klassen was impressive in his start against a Padres lineup full of regulars on Wednesday, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Ty France. He’s firmly on the radar with a fastball that averaged 97.8 mph, mixing in a slider, curveball and changeup. |
RHP Chase Shores (No. 6) Shores, a second-round pick out of LSU last year, stands out not just because of his 6-foot-8 frame, but because of his power sinker that averaged 98.2 mph against the Giants on Tuesday. He also has a changeup, cutter and slider. He could pitch his way into the bullpen early in the season. RHP Chris Cortez (No. 10) Cortez, a second-round pick in ’24 after closing at Texas A&M, was stretched out to start last year in the Minors. They’re still determining his role this year, but he certainly has plus-stuff with a fastball that averaged 98.1 mph and a slider that averaged 86 mph in relief stints against the Rangers and Padres. LHP Sam Aldegheri (No. 13) Aldegheri is getting ramped up to pitch for his native Italy in the World Baseball Classic, so he’s ahead of the other pitchers. His fastball averages just 91 mph, but he learned a new changeup grip from Kyle Hendricks to neutralize righties. Aldegheri gives the Angels much-needed starting pitching depth. RHP Nate Snead (No. 15) Snead, a third-rounder from Tennessee in 2025, has wowed with his velocity in camp with his fastball averaging 99.9 mph and touching 100.5 mph in his debut against the Giants on Tuesday. He also has a sinker and curveball and, like Shores, could pitch his way into a big league bullpen role early in the year. |
LHP Samy Natera Jr. (No. 20) Natera is pitching for Team Mexico in the WBC after striking out 85 batters in 57 innings in relief in the Minors last year. His fastball averaged 94.1 mph in his debut against the Dodgers on Saturday, and he paired it with his curveball to strike out three. RHP Joel Hurtado (No. 22) Hurtado has another a big arm, with his four-seamer averaging 96.4 mph this spring. He also has a slider and cutter that helped him register five swings and misses against the Giants on Tuesday. He’ll continue to start in the Minors after reaching Triple-A Salt Lake for the first time last year. RHP Walbert Urena (No. 24) Urena, added to the 40-man roster this offseason, is a flamethrowing starter with a fastball that averaged 98.4 mph in two innings against the D-backs on Sunday. Like Hurtado, he’ll start the year in the Minors after having reached Triple-A last year. RHP Austin Gordon (No. 30) Gordon doesn’t have the velocity as the others, with a fastball that averaged 93.7 mph against the Padres on Wednesday, when he threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He leaned heavily on his slider in his outing. Gordon also has a changeup and curveball, which he will work to develop, likely with Double-A Rocket City this year. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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JOYCE, STEPHENSON PROGRESSING IN RECOVERY |
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Relievers Ben Joyce and Robert Stephenson have been throwing bullpen sessions without any issues, with Joyce throwing his latest one on Wednesday and Stephenson on Thursday. Joyce, coming off shoulder surgery undergone in May, could miss the start of the season, but his story continues to wow his former coach at the University of Tennessee, Tony Vitello, who now manages the Giants. Stephenson, who dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms over the offseason after being shut down last year with elbow discomfort, said he still believes he has time to be ready for the start of the season. |
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Who was the first Angels player to be drafted and reach the Majors without playing in the Minors? A. Danny Goodwin B. Frank Tanana C. Darin Erstad D. Jim Abbott |
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SCHANUEL WORKING TO INCREASE BAT SPEED |
First baseman Nolan Schanuel is elite at making contact and avoiding strikeouts, but he’s still working to add to his power. He improved his bat speed by more than 2 mph last year and believes the power will come. “I think for me, maybe my power might not show in homers, but in doubles,” Schanuel said. “So hopefully I can increase my doubles and that'll increase the slug and give these guys more RBI opportunities.” |
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D. Abbott, who was drafted in 1988 and made his debut in ’89. |
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