ANAHEIM -- The Minor League season is in full swing, so it’s time to check in on how a few Angels prospects are faring early this year. The Angels believe their farm system is in a better place than in recent years, and they can add to that mix in this year’s Draft, as they have the No. 2 overall selection. With that in mind, here’s a look at a player excelling at each of the club’s four main levels of the Minors: Triple-A Salt Lake: RHP Caden Dana With the altitude in Salt Lake City and playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, it’s tough to put up strong numbers at Triple-A Salt Lake as a pitcher. But Dana, ranked as the club’s No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is off to a dominant start. He's posted a 2.29 ERA with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 19 2/3 innings. He's leaning heavily on his four-seamer, but his slider has improved to give him a weapon against right-handers. The 21-year-old already pitched in relief for the Angels early this season and made three starts late last year, and he is a candidate to join the rotation if he continues to pitch well. The 6-foot-4 right-hander doesn’t have overpowering stuff but knows how to pitch and his improved slider has already had a major effect. |
|
|
Double-A Rocket City: LHP Samy Natera Jr. Natera put himself on the radar with a strong showing in last year’s Arizona Fall League and has carried that over into this season. The 25-year-old reliever has posted a 1.08 ERA with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 8 1/3 innings. Natera, ranked as the club’s No. 16 prospect, isn’t on the 40-man roster yet, but he is an option to be called up to reinforce the bullpen if he continues to pile up eye-popping strikeout numbers. Natera, born in Juarez, Mexico, is considered a diamond in the rough, as he was a 17th-rounder out of the University of New Mexico in ’22. |
High-A Tri-City: 1B Ryan Nicholson Nicholson isn’t among the club’s Top 30 prospects, but the first baseman has been raking in a league that skews toward pitching. He’s batted .359/.500/.642 with three homers, six doubles and 13 RBIs in 16 games. It's even more impressive when compared to the club's overall slash line of .224/.340/.346. He was a 10th-round pick out of the University of Kentucky and is 24 years old, so he’s roughly two years older than his average competition. But he’s a candidate to be moved up to Double-A Rocket City to see how he fares against better pitching. Single-A Inland Empire: SS John Wimmer The Angels love to push their prospects by having them play against older competition, and that’s the case with Wimmer, who has fared well at Single-A despite being 20 years old and roughly a year and a half younger than his average competition. Wimmer, selected in the 11th round of the 2023 Draft out of Rock Hill High School in South Carolina, has batted .255/.375/.404 with three doubles, two triples and three RBIs in 13 games. He’s still developing power, as he’s hit just one homer in 71 career games in the Minors, but he’s not small at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, so it should come with time. He’s not among the club’s Top 30 prospects but could play his way into that status and is considered a few years away from reaching the Majors. |
|
|
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
|
|
ANGELS PARTNER WITH OC GRIP TO HOST AT-RISK YOUTH |
|
|
The Angels and the Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP) hosted more than 1,500 at-risk youth before Wednesday’s game to help educate them on the importance of graduating from high school and avoiding gang culture. Angels manager Ron Washington, center fielder Jo Adell and broadcaster Mark Gubicza addressed the students before the game. Adell told the students about the importance of finding something to be passionate about in life.
“Once you find something that’s important to you, it’s important to ride that wave,” Adell said. “It can be whatever. But for me, it was the game of baseball. And that’s why I’m here. And my mom taught at the middle school I went to, so for our family, education was important. There would be no baseball even if I didn’t do well in the classroom.” |
|
|
Outside of Mike Trout, who is the club’s longest-tenured player with the organization? A. Luis Rengifo B. Taylor Ward C. Reid Detmers D. Jo Adell |
|
|
ANGELS CELEBRATE EARTH DAY |
|
|
It was Earth Day on Tuesday (April 22) and the Angels, in partnership with OC Waste & Recycling, are hosting an Upcycle Challenge for students in Orange County as part of the 2025 Angels Adopt-A-School program. Students are encouraged to create inventive works that best showcase how traditional trash or recycled materials can be reused and re-purposed. And since 2017, the Angels have diverted over 175 tons of waste materials (cardboard, plastic and aluminum) away from landfills.
The Coca-Cola Green Team at Angel Stadium begin its 2025 program on Tuesday. The team is dedicated to promoting sustainability and recycling practices at Angel Stadium and encourages fans to do the same at home. |
|
|
B. Ward, who made his debut with the Angels in 2018.
|
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to Angels Beat, visit this page and mark "Angels Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Angels or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
