Los Angeles Angels Top Prospects 2024
Los Angeles Angels top prospects for dynasty fantasy baseball including Caden Dana, Nelson Rada, Nolan Schanuel, plus many more.
Welcome to our team prospect rankings. Over the next two months, I will be pumping out team top prospect rankings and evaluations for dynasty baseball. These reports are generated from live looks, film study, and advanced data analysis to bring you in-depth fantasy scouting reports on every player you need to know, with today’s being the Los Angeles Angels Top Prospects.
Not all 30 players in each writeup will be dynasty relevant, but many will, and if you play in a deep league, certainly most of the names will be worth knowing.
You can check out our previous Top Prospect Rankings:
Each player has a detailed write-up. The top 10 rankings and writeups are free for all, but the rest of the top prospects are for paid subs. Get an edge in your dynasty leagues and get in on some of these players first! Let’s get to it: our Los Angeles Angels top prospects.
Los Angeles Angels Top Prospects
1. Caden Dana, RHP, 20, 6’4”/215
Dana may have been drafted in the 11th round of the 2022 draft but received a massive overslot bonus of $1.5 million. Spending the entire 2023 season as a 19-year-old, Dana pitched extremely well across 68 innings in which he posted a 3.56 ERA with 89 strikeouts to 30 walks. Unfortunately, he was shut down around the All-Star break due to arm fatigue, so the Angels decided to manage his workload.
On the mound, Dana throws a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, up to 97 mph, with a ton of life up in the zone. When he locates it consistently up in the zone, he gets plenty of swings and misses on it due to high spin and IVB.
The slider sits in the mid-80s with a nice sweeping action, and Dana is comfortable throwing it to both lefties and righties. The curveball shows more downward movement with late break when he snaps it off. Most of Dana’s pitches show high spin rates, except the changeup, which is a good thing. While not throwing it often, it did show a nice fade away from lefties and has the potential to be a whiff pitch for him.
With a strong frame and plenty of room to add more strength, Dana projects as a starter who has upside to be a mid-rotation arm. For the most detailed write-up on Caden Dana on the internet, check out Nate Handy’s post below.
https://www.thedynastydugout.com/p/caden-dana-breakdown
FFG: SP4
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 150 IP/3.80 ERA/160 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
2. Nelson Rada, OF, 18, 5’10”/160
The Angels signed a young outfielder named Nelson Rada for $1.85 million during the 2022 international signing period. Spending his entire 2022 Dominican Summer League stint as a 16-year-old, Rada showed a strong feel to hit, and the Angels liked enough of what they saw to skip the complex and send Rada straight to Single-A Inland Empire as a 17-year-old. As the youngest player in the full season of Minor League ball, Rada slashed .276/.396/.346 with two home runs, 21 extra-base hits, and 55 stolen bases.
Having a small frame, Rada moves well both on the bases and in center field. The bat-to-ball skills were rather impressive for a 17-year-old, making contact at a 78 percent clip on the season while showing good swing decisions.
While the swing is geared for more line drives, how his body fills out as he grows will tell of how much power he can get to. We won’t rule out Rada getting to average game power in the future, but right now, a future 15 home run bat seems possible.
Considering how young Rada is and that he did not turn 18 until the very end of the Single-A season, you have to be pleased with the results that he produced. There is a potential everyday centerfield with solid speed in the profile.
FFG: Speedy CF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .280/.370/15 HR/30 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
3. Nolan Schanuel, 1B, 21, 6’4”/220
Schanuel had a strong career Florida Atlantic in which he mashed 46 home runs and stole 31 bases while slashing .386/.516/.698 across 810 plate appearances. This year, Schanuel took major steps forward, slashing .447/.615/.868 with just 14 strikeouts and 71 walks while hitting 19 home runs.
He has incredible contact skills, as he posted an 88 percent overall and a 93 percent zone-contact rate. The plate discipline was one of the best in college baseball as Schanuel chased just 12 percent of pitches out of the zone in college.
While the exit velocities with metal were strong, as Schanuel posted a 91 mph average exit velocity and a 106 90th percentile exit velocity, the power with wood has been less than stellar. In the minors, he had an average of 84 mph and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 97 mph. When he jumped to the majors, those numbers rose a little to 85.4 mph and a 90th percentile of 97. Mph.
Schanuel is likely to be a better real-life player than fantasy due to his OBP skills, but he is not likely to provide many counting stats. It is fun to see a player make the Majors as fast as he did post-draft, but considering his hardest recorded hit ball with wood is 103.5 mph, He ranks much lower for me.
FFG: Hit First CI
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .285/.360/18 HR/2 SB
Variance: Low
Buy/Sell: Sell at Perceived Cost
4. Jorge Ruiz, OF, 19, 5’10”/164
Ruiz burst onto the scene in a big way to start the 2023 season as an 18-year-old in full-season ball. Signing during the 2021 international period, Ruiz is not quite as young as Rada and has an extra year of pro experience, but having both young outfielders at Inland Empire was fun to watch.
Ruiz played just 73 games before getting injured but had a solid showing, slashing .304/.379/.419 with three home runs and 13 stolen bases. Ruiz did add 19 doubles and three triples, giving him a solid extra-base hit rate and showing the potential for more power.
Having a smaller frame like Rada, much of the power was gap-to-gap, but the contact skills were solid 79 percent contact rate despite an aggressive approach.
The amount of power that Ruiz grows into will be fun to follow, but the contact skills are above-average to plus, and Ruiz also brings above-average speed to the table.
FFG: Hit Tool First OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .280/.350/12 HR/20 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
5. Barrett Kent, RHP, 19, 6’4”/200
Drafted in the eighth round of the 2023 Draft, Kent was given a nearly $1 million signing bonus to forego his collegiate commitment to Arkansas. Pitching just 8.2 innings after being drafted, Kent was impressive, striking out ten and allowing just four hits and four walks a piece without giving up a run.
With a fastball in the mid-90s that can reach 98, Kent registers solid IVB numbers and gets some arm-side run. The velocity does tend to take a step back throughout starts, but that will be a focus of both Kent and the Angels.
The changeup shows nice fading action and depth while sitting in the low-80s. It could be a devastating pitch for left-handed batters, but also a sneaky weapon running in on righties. The slider is Kent’s primary whiff pitch against righties, showing a two-plane break while sitting in the low-to-mid 80s. While Kent has not thrown a curveball often, it shows a ton of downward movement while sitting in the high 70s.
Kent has the frame to be a starter long-term, especially when you factor in that he can throw all pitches for strikes consistently. If he can fill out the frame and add strength, allowing the fastball velocity to hold deeper into starts, there is mid-rotation upside.
FFG: SP4
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 150 IP/3.70 ERA/165 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
6. Jorge Marcheco, RHP, 21, 6’1”/185
Marcheco was a big riser this year who pitched a solid level in the hitter-friendly California League and then looked dominant across five High-A starts. Pitching 121.2 innings across both levels, Marcheco posted a 3.55 ERA with 124 strikeouts and just 26 walks. Throwing strikes at an impressive 67 percent clip while also missing bats speaks a lot to Marcheco’s arsenal and pitch-ability.
His low-90s fastball plays well up with a strong armside run. The pitch can get up to 94, but it does play up despite the velocity due to how well he locates it. Marcheco runs up and in on right-handers but is also comfortable running it away from lefties.
The slider shows a nice two-plane break, appearing to have a ton of vertical drop out of the gate, then generating late horizontal movement, getting some ugly swings. The changeup plays well against lefties, but he will throw it to right-handers, too. Marcheco even mixes in an Ephesus on occasion.
The command and control are the big sticking points with Marcheco. Given his frame, there is a chance his velocity could tick up, and you would like to see it sitting 93-94 more consistently. He profiles as an innings-eating backend starting pitcher right now.
FFG: Innings Eating Backend SP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 165 IP/4.00 ERA/160 K
Variance: Medium
Buy/Sell: Buy
7. Kyren Paris, SS, 22, 6’0”/180
Paris is a former second-rounder from the 2019 draft out of Freedom High School in California. Showing a strong feel for power and speed, Paris moved up the ranks in 2023 with an improved batting average and OBP as well. The Angels even got quite aggressive and sent Paris to the Majors straight from Double-A this year.
While the results on the surface this year were okay, as Paris slashed .255/.393/.417 with 14 home runs and 44 stolen bases, it came with a contact rate just shy of 63 percent, which is quite concerning. It is worth noting that Paris played in the Southern League, which was notoriously known for the tacky ball, but even when it left the league after the first half, Paris’s contact rate only improved to 64 percent over his final 184 plate appearances.
Paris could stick at shortstop long term but also has the potential to be a utility man around the infield. Regardless, the contact will have to improve for his skills to play up and become a fantasy-relevant bat.
FFG: Speedy UTL w/Hit Tool Concerns
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .250/.350/15 HR/30 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Sell
8. Ben Joyce, RHP, 22, 6’5”/225
Known for his electric fastball in college, the Angels drafted Joyce in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Tennessee. A reliever through and through, Joyce averaged 101 mph on his fastball last season, which he used 80 percent of the time. The pitch has reached 105 mph at times, which is crazy to think about, while also generating 14 inches of run on average.
When Joyce is not throwing the fastball, his slider sits in the upper 80s with nice sweeping action. He struggles to throw strikes or live in the zone consistently, but you don’t need to with the stuff Joyce has.
There is closer stuff here, but health and durability have been major concerns with Joyce, who has not pitched on back-to-back days as a collegiate arm or a professional. It is something to monitor heading into 2024.
FFG: High-Velo RP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 50 IP/3.30 ERA/70 K/25 SV
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Sell
9. Sam Bachman, RHP, 23, 6’1”/235
Bachman was drafted ninth overall in the 2021 draft out of Miami Ohio University as a starting pitcher but with serious RP risk. The Angels have developed him as a starting pitcher throughout his time in the Minors. Still, Bachman averaged just 3.5 innings per start, and upon being promoted to the Majors in 2023, Bachman pitched well exclusively out of the bullpen.
Armed with a 97 mph fastball that shows nearly 19 inches of sinking action and over 15 inches of run, he can miss bats when locating the pitch well.
Bachman’s slider is an inconsistent shape, sitting in the upper 80s with more vertical drop. It plays more as a cutter when he is throwing it well, having short horizontal movement. The changeup is a solid offering to lefties, following the movement pattern of the sinker well but having a late drop.
While the Angels are insistent they will continue to develop Bachman as a starter, his arsenal will likely play best in a bullpen role where he could fit a long-reliever mold or pitch in high-leverage situations.
FFG: High-Leverage RP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 60 IP/3.50 ERA/60 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Sell
10. Alberto Rios, OF, 21, 6’0”/203
Rios had a strong 2023 season at Stanford, his only year as a full-time player, but he showed enough for the Angels to select him in the third round of the 2023 draft. Slashing .384/.485/.707 with 18 home runs, Rios showed strong plate discipline, contact, and power numbers. He did get 36 games professionally after being drafted, posting lackluster results, but it was a small sample.
At Stanford in 2023, Rios chased just 17 percent of pitches out of the zone while making contact on over 80 percent of pitches. The average exit velocity was respectable at 89 mph, and his 90th percentile of 105 was good, but there are questions about how the numbers will play with wood.
Rios will need to prove in 2024 that his lone season of performance at Stanford was no fluke while also showing he can handle the outfield. There is potential for Rios to be a designated hitter, which puts a ton of pressure on his bat.
FFG: High OBP OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .270/.370/15 HR/5 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Sell
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