Sunday, March 09

The composition of the Angels’ new Top 30 list can largely be broken into two groups: Draft guys who, based on recent history, will get to the big leagues in a hurry, and international guys, who are mostly far away.

The first group is led, of course, by 2024 first-round pick Christian Moore, who is in big league camp and hoping to at least make the decision hard to send him down to start the year. Even if he does begin the year in the Minors, expect him to be up sooner rather than later -- he would have gotten a September callup last year if he hadn’t gotten hurt -- and we’ll be looking at a new No. 1 in 2026.

The other contingent is currently headed by Joswa Lugo at No. 4, their top international acquisition from the 2024 signing period. He’s one of five international signees in the top 15, including Gabriel Davalillo (No. 14), the top acquisition this January, and part of a robust group of 14 international signees on this list. It’s also a big reason why this Top 30’s average age is the youngest in baseball.

While the Draft and international market provided 25 of the 30 on this new list, the Angels did make a couple of trades to add talent. The big one was when they sent Carlos Estévez to the Phillies at the Trade Deadline. For that two-month reliever rental -- Estévez signed with the Royals in January -- the Angels got two very intriguing pitchers now in their top five: right-handed flame-thrower George Klassen (No. 3) and lefty Sam Aldegheri (No. 5).

Here’s a look at the Angels’ top prospects:

1. Christian Moore, 2B (MLB No. 67)
2. Caden Dana, RHP (MLB No. 77)

3. George Klassen, RHP
4. Joswa Lugo, SS
5. Sam Aldegheri, LHP

Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2024 preseason list to the 2025 preseason list:

Jump: Samy Natera Jr. (2024: NR | 2025: 16)

Natera was an under-the-radar 17th-round pick in 2022 out of New Mexico State. He racked up strikeouts (and walks) in 2023, then missed nearly all of the 2024 regular season with an elbow sprain that did not require surgery. He then opened a lot of eyes in the Arizona Fall League with a fastball that touched 98 mph and a sweeping slider that missed bats.

Fall: Adrian Placencia, 2B/SS (2024: 15 | 2025: NR)

Signed for $1.1 million in July 2019, Placencia is still only 21 and could figure things out. But he’s had trouble gaining any traction at either level of A ball. After slashing a combined .233/.375/.397 in 2024, the infielder has a career .226/.362/.375 line that speaks to a lack of impact at the plate.

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 55 -- Christian Moore

Power: 60 -- Christian Moore

Run: 70 -- Capri Ortiz

Arm: 60 -- Juan Flores (Denzer Guzman, Felix Morrobel)

Defense: 60 -- Juan Flores

Fastball: 70 -- George Klassen (Chris Cortez, Walbert Urena)

Curveball: 55 -- George Klassen

Slider: 60 -- Chris Cortez (Caden Dana, Ryan Johnson, Camden Minacci)

Changeup: 55 -- Ryan Costeiu

Control: 65 -- Ryan Johnson

How they were built

Draft: 11 | International: 14 | Trade: 4 | Rule 5: 1

Breakdown by ETA

2025: 7 | 2026: 10 | 2027: 3 | 2028: 4 | 2029: 5 | 2030: 1

Breakdown by position

C: 3 | 1B: 1 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 1 | SS: 4 | OF: 4 | RHP: 13 | LHP: 3

Former Angels star Torii Hunter, who now works with the club as a special assistant, arrived at camp on Wednesday and said he’d be interested in being a Major League manager, just like Albert Pujols said on Sunday. Hunter also said he’s been in constant contact with superstar Mike Trout on his move to right field because Hunter also moved off center field to right late in his career.

“I definitely would be interested in doing that,” Hunter said. “I saw Albert Pujols is [managing] the Dominican [team] in 2026 [in the World Baseball Classic], and that's the start of something that you try to get that exercise to see if you really want to do it.

"I did the Futures Game in [2018] and man, it was like the best feeling in the world to do that. Pete Alonso, I had all these young guys that were there, and you see them in the big leagues now, you're like, ‘Wow.’ That was a great experience for me to coach that Futures Game and I think that kind of got the juices flowing.”

Mike Trout has played 1,344 games in center field, the most games at the position in club history. Who ranks second?

A. Darin Erstad

B. Torii Hunter

C. Gary Pettis

D. Jim Edmonds

The Angels announced their 27-man roster for Spring Breakout against the Cubs on March 15, which will pit each organization’s top prospects against each other. Moore is the headliner but several of the club’s top prospects are slated to play, including shortstops Lugo and Guzman (No. 9), center fielder Nelson Rada (No. 6) and catchers Flores (No. 11) and Dario Laverde (No. 12).

Klassen is the club’s top pitching prospect participating in the event. He's joined by other top arms such as Johnson (No. 7), Cortez (No. 8) and Trey Gregory-Alford (No.15), who were all drafted last year.

C. Pettis

With 567 games in center, or one more than Edmonds.

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