Here is a write up on 10 prospects I found to be great or interesting within the organization that may or may not be available for trade during the upcoming deadline. Hopefully you can learn about some names that may or may not come up via trade or a future call-up. Lemme know if any of them interest you or who you think may come up in trade talks as pieces other teams may want.
AA:
Edgar Quero – C: After turning 20 at the start of the season, Quero found himself in the Top 100 Prospects list for MLB in 2023 at #66. Currently he is hitting as a league average AA player hovering at a 104 wRC+ while also being the 3rd youngest player in the league. While still developing strength and power, Quero’s greatest strength is his eye at the plate as he walks as much as he strikes out. Quero started the season strong but had a rough stretch during May and June. Thanks to some hard work he has righted the ship during the month of July walking 10 times and striking out only 3 times. He is average behind the plate, but with a bat seemingly developing at a young age he should find himself moving up the prospect boards. Hopefully he is seen as an Untouchable prospect unless the return is worthwhile as his value almost assuredly climbs.
Kyren Paris – 2B: Queros MiLB All-Star companion is another younger prospect turning 22 later in the year finding success in AA. Paris has pummeled the ball in 2023 with 12 2Bs and 12 HRs. He also walks at a decent 14% rate with an average glove at 2nd. However Paris strikes out at an alarming 30% of the time and has a low 0.236 average. Like Quero, he has improved during the month of July cutting down strikeouts dramatically and maintaining a good OBP. I like Kyren as a piece to hold onto and develop but if the right piece is available I could see him being traded.
A+:
Adrian Placencia – 2B: Placencia is very similar to Paris in almost every facet of his game but slightly worse. He sports a low average (0.216) with a higher OBP (0.357) thanks in part to his ability to walk. Placencia struggles with a 27,9% K-rate but makes up for it with his walk percentage of 17,4%. What does work in favor of Placencia is his young age as he just turned 20 last month and plays in a league that heavily favors pitching meaning his numbers could improve with a promotion to AA next year if coaches feel he can make the jump. Because we have a similar player already in AA it feels as though Placencia is a more expendable piece with decent trade value that could be moved this deadline for the right piece.
Jorge Marcheco – RHSP: One of the harder prospects to find information on, and happens to also be one of my must follow prospects, is Marcheco who turns 21 next month. He is a SP who has posted good-to-great numbers since joining the organization in 21’. He is said to have average Stuff with a low 90’s fastball but with stats that read like a completely different pitcher. He has maintained a WHIP below 1.00 this year with about a 10 K/9 and an ERA under 2.75. He is a pitcher who relies heavily on control and deception but has my interest peaked because his numbers seem to defy much of what scouts and analysts think of him. Marcheco could be a trade piece for the Angels but his value wouldn’t be as high as other players because of his lack of dominant stuff and velocity.
Caden Dana – RHSP: Another young player moving themselves up the MiLB ladder for the Angels is 19-year-old Dana. He has struggled a bit with command, displaying a 4.05 BB/9. Despite the walks he maintains an average WHIP of 1.29 as well as an ERA of 4.22 in High-A. He has a lively mid-90’s fastball, plus Slider and Curve, but below-average Changeup. With this pitch-mix he has an 11.98 K/9 and is great at limiting the longball, having only given up 3 homers in 11 games for Tri-City. Dana is a bright spot in the Angels farm system as a young arm they feel confident about. By being aggressive with his development he should find himself in AA next year if he continues to progress well and limit walks. I would feel confident in saying he is an Untouchable prospect with how much of an investment they’ve put into his development.
A:
Mason Albright – LHSP: The only other SP I felt deserved to be mentioned is Mason as he has worked on his control issues from last year while maintaining a near 10 K/9. He sports a 3.67 ERA mostly because of one ugly start in which he gave up 7 runs in only 2/3rds innings of work. Mason is able to work deep into games throwing 6 and 7 inning games consistently. He is one of our strongest Left-Handed pitchers in the minors and was able to bounce back from an abysmal 2022. As another young 20-year old prospect who showed major signs of improvement, I see the Angels wanting to hold onto Mason but would not be shocked if he is moved given their rotation heavily relies on Lefties.
Nelson Rada – CF: One of the very few 17-year old prospects outside of Rookie Ball is Nelson Rada. Nelson walks at an exceptional rate for his age and level at 13.8% of the time while striking out at a similar rate of 18.7%. He is a league average hitter with a 0.253 average and 106 wRC+. His largest weakness is his lack of strength and power sporting a 0.65 ISO and having only a 0.318 SLG%. This hopefully will change as he ages but what he lacks in slugging he makes up for in speed with his great defense and baserunning. Through 74 games he has stolen 40 bags and has a perfect fielding percentage in CF. Because of his speed, those singles and walks often allow Nelson the opportunity to get into scoring position with his bag-swiping abilities. With his age and ability to show much promise at the plate, on the bases, and in the field, Nelson is most certainly an untouchable prospect who should take a leap forward next year being more familiar with the A-ball.
Jorge Ruiz – LF/RF: A recently turned 19-year old, Jorge Ruiz is a more bat-focused OF who has an average 8.2 walk percentage and slightly above-average 15.8 K percentage. Jorge is a doubles machine having 12 in 53 games last year, and 19 in 73 this year to go along with his 0.304 average. His profile is an above average hitter, with fielding upside and decent speed for stolen bases. There isn’t a ton of information out there on Jorge but his stats lead me to believe he could be a good leadoff lefty for the Angels or other suitors should the Angels feel the need to trade him. I would prefer to hold onto him but could see him being moved if a good piece is traded in return.
ACL/DSL:
Dario Laverde – C: A recently converted catcher, Laverde is average-to-below average behind the plate with a good arm. Much like O’hoppe and Quero, he is a hitting first OBP machine who walks more than he strikes out. Dario is an 18-year old crushing Rookie ball pitching, figuratively, looking to earn himself another promotion soon. Through 26 games in the ACL, Dario has 7 2Bs, 4 3Bs, with 22 walks to only 20 strikeouts for a slashline of .302/.432/.477. An OPS of 0.921 is pretty impressive for a player only 18 years old, even for rookie ball. The Angels seem to have found a way to pump out promising catchers in the minors lately and by maintaining these numbers he could find himself near or on the Top-100 prospects list by next year. With seemingly no-one making buzz about Dario, I do not see him being a big trade-piece and prefer to keep it that way to see what we have with him within the higher ranks of the MiLB.
Kevyn Castillo – CF: Another 18 year old killing it in Rookie Level environments. Kevyn has played 1 more game than the next 5 players with 33 total games and is in the top 10 for multiple stats across the league. He is tied for 4th in hits with 40, Tied for 7th in 3Bs with 4, Tied for 6th in Runs with 32, Tied for 11th in BBs with 27, Tied for 8th in SBs with 14, and lastly he is Tied for 12th in AVG with 0.360. Of qualified batters under the age of 20, he ranks 26th in wRC+ with 159, and 31st in OPS with 0.985. All of this data is out of 329 batters in the DSL. Kevyn is obviously not a touted top-ranked prospect but for $10,000 the Angels might have found a diamond in the rough if he can continue to develop in the minors with a hopeful promotion.
Honorable mention: Anthony Scull – Pretty good OF in Rookie Ball who shows promise.
