2 Angels prospects bestowed with exciting superlatives by lead ESPN prospects analyst

The Angels have a bottom-ranked farm system according to those in the know. Lack of depth is the most common reason cited for the poor outlook on the system, and while top prospects Caden Dana and Christian Moore grab most of the attention, there are other intriguing youngsters despite the team's poor rating.

ESPN prospect analyst Kylie McDaniel recently gave out some superlatives for the second wave of prospects. While attention mostly falls on the jewels that reside in the top-100, McDaniel took a look at the diamonds in the rough that he ranked 101-200 and came up with some predictions for how they could pan out.

Two Angels prospects were named as honorable mentions in the proceedings, left-handed starter Samuel Aldegheri and center fielder Nelson Rada. While neither took home top honors in their categories, they were runners-up in ways that project exciting futures.

Samuel Aldegheri was named one of the pitching prospects most likely to throw 200 innings in a season

Samuel Aldegheri, who McDaniel ranks just outside the top-100 at 111 overall, was the first lefty named in his list of candidates likely to break the 200-inning threshold at the big league level.

This is a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, long gone are the days where innings-eater back-of-the-rotation arms rack up 200 innings in a season in the name of saving the bullpen. In all of baseball last year, there were four starters who pitched 200 or more innings. That group was comprised of Logan Gilbert, Seth Lugo, Logan Webb, and Zack Wheeler. The lowest ERA among those four hurlers was 2.57 and the highest was 3.47.

As you can see, reaching the 200-inning plateau is uncommon and reserved for only top-of-the-rotation arms. Putting Aldegheri, who came over along with pitching prospect George Klassen in last year's Carlos Estevez trade, in that category signifies the type of ceiling he has.

The second reason that this is a big deal is that in order to reach this milestone there's a certain durability required. The Angels have not had luck in recent years on the injury front, particularly amongst the pitching staff, so finding a durable and reliable starter is paramount.

No one can project injuries, however, with pitchers you can look at a guy's delivery and mechanics and be filled with confidence or concern. In Aldegheri's case, his smooth and repeatable delivery forecasts that he isn't putting himself in harm's way via funky mechanics.

All told, Aldegheri put up a 3.59 ERA and 12.65 K/9 across 95.1 minor league innings last year, and while the bulk of them came in Hi-A, he earned a September call up with the Halos. Given how aggressive the Angels are with their prospects, it would not surprise to see him get some real run in the majors this season.

If all goes to plan, Aldegheri could be the reliable, durable, top-of-the-rotation arm that the Halos have sought forever.