In this series, I hope to write up some thoughts, statline scouting, and aggregation of scouting blurbs on our organization’s depth, one position at a time.
I’ll be going by level (MLB, AAA, etc.), only highlighting those playing that position this season, ignoring players making spot starts.
MLB: Mike Trout, Mickey Moniak, Kevin Pillar
Trout is one of the greatest to ever do it. Though he’s injured right now, that spot is his until (a) his contract expires, (b) he hangs ’em up, or (c) he decides to become a full-time meteorologist.
After Moniak’s breakout hitting season last year, there was some optimism about having him as a starter or at least a consistent platoon guy in RF. His BABIP was unsustainably high (nearly .400), but it could be reasoned that there might still be a decent hitter in there even when his BABIP came down. Well, come down the BABIP did (to .235), and with it, his hitting stats (wRC+ of 33). His defense out in center with Trout out is solid, but the bat is difficult to justify having in the lineup every day. He’s been striking out less, but it’s still not enough.
He has had a super hot start with us. The 35 year old journeyman’s career 88 wRC+ suggest that it’s likely to not be sustainable, but I’ll happily ride the train until the wheels fall off.
AAA: Jordyn Adams, Bryce Teodosio
Both Adams and Teodosio are homegrown prospects in their age 24 season, but they are completely different players. Adams was a highly regarded 1st round pick with unbelievable raw tools. He’s got great speed (92nd percentile sprint speed in last year’s stint), good range, and solid raw power, which led to him hitting 15 HRs in AAA last season. However, in 17 games with the main squad during roster expansion, he went 5-for-39 (all singles) and no walks, showing that he still has a long way to go with his hit tool. Unfortunately, his AAA hitting numbers are down so far (62 wRC+ this season). If he can’t make the adjustments, he’ll peak at a 4th OF and nothing more.
Teodosio, on the other hand, started the season incredibly hot, hitting 6 triples in his first 20 games this season. His BABIP is through the roof right now, so his 126 wRC+ is likely a bit inflated, but if he can make more contact than Adams and keep up in other aspects of the game, he may warrant consideration in the future. It’s hard to see him being much more than a 4th OF either.
With Moniak’s struggles and Pillar’s uncharacteristically hot hitting, there’s a decent chance Adams gets the call-up again during roster expansion, or even before. Neither guy is a sure thing at all long-term, but Adams figures to be first in line.
AA: Nelson Rada
Rada is the crown jewel of the farm system right now. The 18 year old OF is showing capabilities beyond his years in center, with great range, routes, and instincts. His bat ain’t shabby either, with a 113 wRC+ in A last season and 84 wRC+ this season. His hitting stats can be likely chalked up to him skipping A+ ball altogether, and the part where he’s only 18! Power’s still an issue for him; he has 3 career homers in pro ball, and his BB% is down this season. Until last game, he had hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games.
He figures the heir apparent for Trout if Fish Man agrees to either shift to a corner outfield spot or DH role. Luckily for Mike, MLB Pipeline’s ETA for Rada is 2026, which happens to coincide with his Rule 5 eligibility. That gives Trout 2.5 years to figure out how this transition will happen.
He’s ranked #98 overall on Fangraphs, and both Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline list him as our top prospect.
A+: Werner Blakely
A converted third baseman and former 4th round pick in 2020, he suffered with consistency issues in the field (a la Jo Adell). We seem to hope that a move to CF gives him more room to leverage his talents and minimize the impact of his inconsistencies. He was once a much more exciting prospect; a 145 wRC+ in 2022 A ball was overshadowed by a .450 BABIP. Since then, he’s struggled with the bat at A+, posting over 30+% K rates each of the last two seasons while hitting below the Mendoza line so far this season. He’s listed as having a 20 hit tool (and a 30 potential), and living up to it unfortunately.
If he has any hope of making the big leagues, it’ll probably have to be as a center fielder, and even if he has the athleticism to do it, it’s not looking good so far. Fortunately for him, there’s not really anyone else at A+ looking to usurp his position; the other options have been similarly underwhelming. The guys at A-ball might be looking upwards, but none of them are quite forcing the issue. I figure Blakely has until the end of this or maybe next season to figure it out before he gets moved down in developmental priority.
A: Anthony Scull, Kevyn Castillo, Joe Redfield
They’re doing a weird ring-around-the-rosie thing in low-A, where they’re rotating all these guys and Randy de Jesus through the 3 OF and DH positions.
Scull, the son of a professional Cuban baseball player, has put up respectable numbers putting his lefty bat to the ball, with 19% K, 3% BB en route to a 92 wRC+ so far this season. He’s a ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline (#25 in Angels), and is a footnote in the Fangraphs list. Still, he’s 20, which makes him quite young. He seems to be a reasonably well-rounded prospect who can play any OF position, and he’s good to have around with Blakely’s struggles in A+.
It’s been harder to find information on Kevyn Castillo, who demolished the Dominican League to the tune of 171 wRC+. He’s not ranked in either MLB Pipeline or Fangraphs. However, he’s hitting well in his first non-rookie ball season (118 wRC+) and has showcased some power while being only 18. He’s mostly been playing LF, but I included him here because he’s played 14 games at CF (to Scull’s 19).
Redfield was a 4th round pick in the 2023 draft, and is the 24th out of 24 prospects ranked in our system by Fangraphs. As a 4-year college player, one would hope he can outplay all these international signings who would still be sophomores in college, but he hasn’t exactly soundly asserted dominance over them, which is disappointing. If his bat doesn’t translate and he can’t beat out the Scull/Castillo pair for CF playing time, I worry about his long-term future with the organization.
