ANAHEIM -- With the Trade Deadline coming on Monday, the Angels have a chance to infuse their system with some much-needed young talent, especially on the position-player side. The Angels are clearly sellers, but it’ll be up to interim general manager John Mozeliak to determine which players make sense to deal. Starting pitchers Reid Detmers and José Soriano, who are both under team control for two more seasons, remain their biggest trade chips. Shortstop Zach Neto has also seen his name surface, but the Angels would have to be wowed because he’s not a free until 2030. The farm system is considered on the upswing by evaluators because of the emergence of several young arms and what was considered a strong Draft led by first-round Draft pick Jared Grindlinger, who is just 17 years old. Here’s a look at how a top prospect is faring at each of the top four levels for the Angels right now: |
Triple-A Salt Lake: RHP George Klassen After posting a 7.77 ERA through his first seven starts of the year at Triple-A Salt Lake and an 11.57 ERA in his first two career big league starts in early April, Klassen has turned it around since late May. Over his last 11 outings, the right-hander has posted a 2.67 ERA with 62 strikeouts and 30 walks in 60 2/3 innings, including 6 2/3 strong innings with no walks against Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. Klassen, ranked as the club’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline, seems like the most logical option to join the rotation if the Angels trade Detmers or Soriano. He’ll need to continue to work on his command and cut down on his walks, but he has impressive stuff and has started to harness it with strong results despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and at altitude in Salt Lake City. Double-A Rocket City: 3B Jake Munroe After showing off on-base skills and power at High-A Tri-City to open the year, Munroe was promoted to Double-A on June 23 and has kept it rolling. Munroe, the club’s No. 18 prospect, has hit .310/.393/.440 with two homers, seven doubles and 16 RBIs in 27 games despite being 22 years old and roughly two years younger than his average competition. He was a fourth-round pick out of the University of Louisville last year and has performed well in the Minors despite signing an underslot deal of $600,000. He’s more of a gap hitter than a true power threat from the right side but has strong plate discipline and is considered likely to stick at third base defensively. The Angels lack organizational depth in the corner infield spots, so his development is considered important. |
High-A Tri-City: RHP Tyler Bremner Bremner, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s Draft, has been building back up after dealing with fatigue that kept him out of action from early May to early June. But he's coming off a strong start against High-A Spokane on Saturday, as he allowed one run over five innings with seven strikeouts to pick up his first career win. Bremner, the club’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 42 overall prospect, has posted a 4.36 ERA with 58 strikeouts, 17 walks and five homers allowed in 43 1/3 innings this year. The 22-year-old still has a strong chance to impact the big league rotation next year, but it’s much more unlikely he’ll debut this year, especially with Mozeliak now in charge. Single-A Rancho Cucamonga: OF Hayden Alvarez Alvarez is quickly moving up prospect lists, as he just went from being ranked the club’s No. 10 prospect to No. 2. The 19-year-old has shown patience and power at the plate, slashing .298/.400/.472 with nine homers, 25 doubles, five triples and 48 RBIs in 90 games. He's also an incredible athlete at 6-foot-3 and has 43 stolen bases this season while being considered a strong defender in center. Like Munroe, he’s a right-hander who is not a true slugger, but has a good eye at the plate and solid contact skills. He’s not expected to debut until 2029 but has been a revelation, especially after signing for only $685,000 at the start of the 2024 international signing period out of the Dominican Republic. |
FOUR ANGELS REHABBING AT SINGLE-A RANCHO CUCAMONGA Infielder Adam Frazier and catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Sebastián Rivero all began rehab assignments with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, and lefty Yusei Kikuchi is slated to start and throw three innings with Rancho on Thursday. The Angels should get all those veterans back soon, with d’Arnaud returning as soon as Friday’s series opener against the Brewers, while Frazier could also be back this weekend. Rivero is considered a little behind both because he’s yet to catch nine innings, while Kikuchi is expected to make three rehab starts before rejoining the rotation in mid-August. Rivero could be optioned when healthy, while the Angels have to decide whether to designate veteran Tyler Heineman for assignment or option Logan O’Hoppe. They’re considered more likely to DFA Heineman. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Who was the last Angels player to play in 162 games in a season? A. Troy Glaus B. Mo Vaughn C. Garret Anderson D. Don Baylor |
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ANGELS RECEIVE BOBBY MURCER AWARD FOR DONATIONS TO B.A.T. |
Prior to Monday’s series opener against the Astros, the Angels were presented with the Bobby Murcer Award for the American League, which recognizes the organization in each league that raised the highest amount in donations to the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.). The Angels earned the honor for the first time, while the Mets raised the most money among NL clubs for the third straight year. The Baseball Assistance Team hosts an annual Spring Training Fundraising Tour with presentations given to all 30 clubs, and players and executives can donate a portion of their salary to B.A.T. Superstar Mike Trout, right fielder Jo Adell and veteran reliever Kirby Yates donated the most among Angels players and were honored on the field in a special pregame ceremony along with manager Kurt Suzuki, Murcer’s widow, Kay, and B.A.T. executive director Erik Nilsen. |
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D. Baylor, who played in 162 games during his MVP season in 1979. |
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