Los Angeles Angels
AL West
2024 record: 63-99 (5th)
MiLB affiliates
Triple-A: Salt Lake Bees
Double-A: Rocket City Trash Pandas
High-A: Tri-City Dust Devils
Single-A: Inland Empire 66ers
Notable prospects graduated in 2024
1B Nolan Schanuel
IF Kyren Paris (91 AB)
RHP Ben Joyce (44.2 IP)
RHP Jack Kochanowicz
Notable J-15 international signings
C Gabriel Davalillo, Venezuela
SS Yilver De Paula, Dominican Republic
Prospects1500 writers who contributed to this column and rankings: Tony Bps (@tonybps1), Greg Bracken (@gregbracken07), Clint Fasse (@ProspectLarceny),Adam Greene (@aj_greene1015), Scott Greene (@Scotty_Ballgame), Shaun Kernahan (@ShaunKernahan), Jeremy Mahy (@JMahyfam), and Andrew Rhodes (@A_Rhodes77). The writer’s Twitter handle follows each player write-up or paragraph.
Prospects1500 Tiers:
Tier 1: Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for a number of years
Tier 2: Players with an above-average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 3: Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 4: Players who have the potential to make the majors; possible sleeper candidates for sustained MLB success
Tier 5: Players of interest, worth keeping an eye on, who may make (or have made) the majors but provide minimal impact
Levels listed for each player are the highest levels player reached in 2024
Tier 1
1. Christian Moore, 2B, 22, Double-A
As per the norm in recent years, the Angels were aggressive with assignment with their first round pick, as Moore’s third game as a pro was already at Double-A. He launched five home runs and had 29 hits in 23 games there, although he did strike out at a rather high rate. He will chase too often out of the zone, but he typically does a good job fighting balls off and seeing a lot of pitches. Despite this, he does not get cheated and he looks to impact the baseball on every swing, and has plus power from a position that isn’t a traditional power spot. He has a decent arm, solid range, and a good glove, but he really is limited to second base, where he can be very good defensively and has a chance to be an offensive weapon at the position few other teams can match. (@ShaunKernahan)
Tier 2
2. Caden Dana, RHP, 21, MLB
A mid-rotation type arm, Dana dominated Double-A last season with a 2.52 ERA and 20.1% K-BB% in 135.2 innings, which was almost double what he pitched the season before. Dana has four pitches an average curveball, an above-average fastball, a changeup and a plus plus slider. His command, while average now, will improve with more experience. Expect Dana to pitch in the majors for a long time. (@A_Rhodes77)
Tier 3
3. George Klassen, RHP, 22, Double-A
Coming over in the Carlos Estevez trade, Klassen had a really good pro debut year with a 3.10 ERA and a 23.2% K-BB%. He has four pitches that he primarily uses, a plus plus fastball that parks itself in the upper 90s, a plus slider and curve, and a cutter that has shown flashes of being plus. His command is a work in progress. If it turns out well for the Angels, he’s a mid-rotation arm. If it doesn’t, he’s a backend reliever. (@A_Rhodes77)
4. Nelson Rada, OF, 19, Double-A
Rada spent all of the 2024 season as an 18-year-old in Double-A. Let that sink in a minute. He slashed .234/.331/.269 with 1 home run and 35 stolen bases. No way around it, the power numbers weren’t pretty, and I am not sure he projects for much future power either. He does make excellent contact and could steal 25-30 bases a year. His .314 BABIP indicates that there is some batting average gain if he starts impacting the ball. The Angels rush their prospects but I think slowing down with Rada might be best for his overall development. (@JMahyfam)
5. Sam Aldegheri, LHP, 23, MLB
The 6’1″ lefty was the other part of the package (with Klassen) who the Angels acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Phillies. Aldegheri debuted with three starts, and was likely dealing with butterflies, allowing 15 hits and 10 walks in 13 innings in his first few games in the Majors. Overall in High/Double-A in 2024 he was very solid across the board, posting a 3.59 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12.7 K/9. It looks like he could be battling Dana and Kochanowicz at Triple-A, fighting for that promotion to get back to the big league rotation. (@Scotty_Ballgame)
Tier 4
6. Joswa Lugo, SS, 17, Rookie (DSL)
7. Barrett Kent, RHP, 20, Single-A
8. Matthew Lugo, OF, 23, Triple-A
9. Chris Cortez, RHP, 22, College
10. Ryan Johnson, RHP, 22, College
11. Dario Laverde, C, 19, Single-A
12. Denzer Guzman, SS, 20, Double-A
13. Samy Natera Jr., LHP, 25, Double-A
14. Trey Gregory-Alford, RHP, 18, High school
Joswa Lugo put up some great numbers in his first season of Rookie ball and is one to keep an eye on in this tier. Matthew Lugo has an average blend of speed and power and could be a serviceable outfielder. Cortez has the tools to be a solid high-end reliever as he gains experience. Johnson has a 100mph fastball and could transition into a dominant late-inning reliever role. Laverde has a great eye at the plate and average power. Gregory-Alford has two good pitches and, if he doesn’t develop a third one, could fall back to a solid relief role. (@tonybps1)
Tier 5
15. Juan Flores, C, 18, High-A
16. Adrian Placencia, SS/2B, 21, High-A
17. Cole Fontenelle, 3B, 22, Double-A
18. Felix Morrobel, SS, 19, Rookie (ACL)
19. Joel Hurtado, RHP, 23, Single-A
20. Camden Minacci, RHP, 23, Double-A
21. Walbert Ureña, RHP, 20, High-A
22. Ryan Costeiu, RHP, 24, High-A
23. Niko Kavadas, 1B, 26, MLB
24. Jorge Ruiz, OF, 20, High-A
25. Dioris De La Rosa, RHP, 18, Rookie (DSL)
26. Randy De Jesus, OF, 19, Single-A
27. Capri Ortiz, SS, 19, Single-A
28. Jadiel Sanchez, OF, 23, High-A
29. Jorge Marcheco, RHP, 22, High-A
30. Alberto Rios, OF, 22, High-A
31. Ubaldo Soto, RHP, 18, Rookie (DSL)
32. Dylan Jordan, RHP, 19, High school
33. Joe Redfield, OF, 23, High-A
34. Francis Texido, LHP, 19, Single-A
35. Ryan Zeferjahn, RHP, 26, MLB
36. Arol Vera, 3B/2B, 22, Double-A
37. Anthony Scull, OF, 20, Single-A
38. David Mershon, SS, 21, Double-A
39. Hayden Alvarez, OF, 17, Rookie (DSL)
40. Tucker Flint, OF, 23, Triple-A
41. David Calabrese, OF, 22, Double-A
42. Adrian Acosta, RHP, 19, Rookie (ACL)
43. Mitch Farris, LHP, 23, Double-A
44. Caleb Ketchup, 2B/OF, 23, Triple-A
45. Brett Kerry, RHP, 25, Triple-A
46. Gustavo Campero, OF, 27, MLB
47. Keythel Key, RHP, 21, Double-A
48. Kelvin Cáceres, RHP, 24, Injured (MLB in 2023)
49. Yeferson Vargas, RHP, 20, Single-A
50. Bridger Holmes, RHP, 22, Single-A
Placencia has growing power to go with his above-average speed, but has to decrease the strikeouts to make an impact. Fontenelle has a good eye at the plate and a little bit of speed with some power. He’s one to keep an eye on in this tier. Morrobel has the looks of a utility player in the majors. Hurtado could be a back-end starter future. Kavadas has a lot of power but his hit tool needs to improve. At 26-years-old, he may be destined to be a Quad-A player. De Jesus has growing power and could develop into a solid outfielder as he gains more experience. Soto has looked good the last two years and could move up these rankings as he grows and develops. (@tonybps1)
Adam Greene is a student UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management. He currently writes for the Cape Cod Baseball League and UMass Athletics. From Longmeadow, MA, Adam is a huge Red Sox fan and has been following the team his whole life and he's spent the last few years covering their farm system. Follow him on Twitter at @aj_greene1015 and Instagram at the same handle.
President of Prospects1500. Founder of Diamond Duos dynasty fantasy baseball leagues and the MLB Fantasy Playoffs Parlay. Participant and champion in several dynasty/fantasy baseball and football leagues. Sales Manager for Reminder Publishing by day. Huge Bruce Springsteen and pro wrestling fan. Along with his wife and two boys, lives in Longmeadow, MA. Follow on Twitter at @Scotty_Ballgame.
Greg covers the Toronto Blue Jays organization for Prospects1500. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, a long-suffering fan of both the Blue Jays and the Toronto Maple Leafs. For more than 15 years now a participant/commish in many dynasty baseball leagues, all with extremely deep minor league rosters. Follow on X @gregbracken07.
Jeremy covers the St Louis organization and contributes on Prospects of the Week for Prospects1500. Born and raised in the Midwest, he is a lifelong fan of the Birds on the Bat. You can follow him on Twitter @JMahyfam for more baseball content.
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too." -Yogi Berra
Shaun Kernahan is the MLB Draft correspondent for Prospects1500. When not at a game, chances are the TV and/or tablet has a game on and he has a notepad out taking notes. When not scouting draft prospects, he is the Director of Baseball Operations for the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League, a collegiate wood bat league in Colorado. Shaun can be found on Twitter at @ShaunKernahan.
Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.
Prospects1500 Angels correspondent. Angels fan since he was 6, Andrew has been engrossed with baseball and the minor leagues since 2011. Participates in several fantasy leagues. Enjoyer of ancient history, video games, and memes. Don’t ask him to watch a show, you’ll almost never get him to watch one, especially not during the baseball season. Software Tester for the Navy thru ISPA Technology. Lives in Panama City Beach, FL with his dog Max. Follow on Twitter at @A_Rhodes77.
Aldegheri is 23 not 19
Thanks! Darn typos. Fixed.