Tuesday, March 24

TEMPE, Ariz. -- MLB Pipeline’s 2026 Top 30 Prospects list was released on Wednesday, highlighting the best young talent in the Angels’ system.

Longtime prospect expert Jonathan Mayo took a deeper look at the system. Here are three more takeaways from the preseason Top 30:

1. It’s a pitching-heavy system

Of the club’s Top 30 prospects, 19 are pitchers, including four of their top five and six of their top 10, as general manager Perry Minasian has made it a priority to develop pitching.

Right-hander Tyler Bremner, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s Draft out of UC Santa Barbara, is the headliner and is the Halos' lone prospect ranked among MLB’s Top 100 (No. 81 overall). He’s in big league camp and has showed off a 97-98 mph fastball with a plus-plus changeup, but hasn’t pitched in a game because he’s working on his slider. But given how aggressive the Angels are with their prospects, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bremner reach the Majors at some point this season.

Beyond Bremner, there are plenty of other intriguing potential starting pitchers in the system like Ryan Johnson (No. 2), Johnny Slawinski (No. 4), George Klassen (No. 5), Trey Gregory-Alford (No. 10), Dylan Jordan (No. 11), Talon Haley (No. 14) and CJ Gray (No. 15). And they have several hard-throwing relievers who could reach the Majors quickly after they pitched in the SEC in college, such as Chase Shores (No. 9), Chris Cortez (No. 13) and Nate Snead (No. 20).

It's been a long time since the Angels developed a frontline starter and they’ve been willing to take risks in recent Drafts, selecting high schoolers like Slawinski, Gregory-Alford, Jordan, Haley and Gray.

Klassen seems the closest to joining the big league rotation, while Johnson surprisingly made the Opening Day roster in 2025 as a reliever before going back to starting in the Minors. Lefty Sam Aldegheri (No. 17) has pitched in the Majors in each of the last two seasons and offers depth with some upside, and will pitch for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. And right-hander Barrett Kent (No. 18) was another high schooler signed for overslot in ’23 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September.

2. Will any position players turn into impact players?

The system is lighter on position players, although center fielder Nelson Rada (No. 3) is considered close to getting to the big leagues.

Catcher/third baseman Gabriel Davalillo (No. 6) and shortstop Joswa Lugo (No. 7) offer immense potential, but both are considered several years away from reaching the Majors.

Shortstop Denzer Guzman (No. 8) saw some action with the Angels down the stretch last year, but struggled offensively as a 22-year-old.

There isn’t much impact talent ready to join the lineup soon, outside of Rada or Guzman. Rada looks to be the club’s center fielder of the future with his on-base skills and stolen-base ability, but he lacks power. Meanwhile, Guzman’s best position is short -- but the best player they’ve developed under Minasian is Zach Neto, who is under team control through 2029.

Outfielder Raudi Rodriguez had a breakout year to go from being unranked to No. 16, but it came at Single-A Inland Empire and in the Arizona Fall League so he’s also a few years away from getting called up. They also do have a few intriguing young catchers in Juan Flores (No. 21) and Marlon Quintero (No. 28), but they both need to improve their offense.

3. The Angels have been active internationally

The club has done a solid job of finding players via international signings instead of just relying on the Draft or trades. Of their Top 30, 13 come from the international ranks, including notable prospects like Rada (Venezuela), Davalillo (Venezuela), Lugo (Dominican Republic), Guzman (D.R.) and Hayden Alvarez (No. 12, D.R).

The Angels were aggressive over the last six signing periods, as Rada signed for $1.85 million in '22, Davalillo for $2 million in '25, Lugo for $2.3 million in '24 and Guzman for $2 million in '21. They also signed Dominican shortstop Jeyson Horton (No. 22) for $2 million in January.

They also have hit on a few fliers: Walbert Urena (No. 19) was added to the 40-man roster this offseason after signing for $140,000 in '21, while Joel Hurtado (No. 23) signed for just $10,000 in ’22. Urena and Hurtado are both starters who can reach 100 mph with their fastballs and got to Triple-A Salt Lake last year.

The preliminary 40-man rosters for the third annual Spring Breakout were announced on Thursday, featuring nearly all of the Angels' Top 30 prospects. But the list will be trimmed to roughly 23-27 players ahead of Spring Breakout, which will be held from March 19-22 and pits prospects from different organizations against each other.

The Angels host Guardians prospects at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., on March 19 at 1:10 p.m. PT.

Who is the youngest player to homer in Angels history?

A. Mike Trout
B. Aurelio Rodriguez
C. Jim Fregosi
D. Ed Kirkpatrick

The Angels will have a contingent of players and coaches heading to Las Vegas for games against the A’s on Saturday and Sunday at Las Vegas Ballpark. Right-hander Ryan Johnson will start the first game and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz will start the second.

Manager Kurt Suzuki will stay back in Arizona, however, as the Angels host the Brewers on Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium and play the Rangers on Sunday at Surprise Stadium. Superstar Mike Trout also is not on the trip, but catcher Logan O’Hoppe and outfielder Jo Adell are among the regulars scheduled to go to Las Vegas.

D. Kirkpatrick, who homered at 18 years, 280 days old on July 15, 1963. He hailed from my hometown of Glendora, Calif.

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