2 Angels prospects who will make the Opening Day roster and 1 who won't

With each passing day spring training is rapidly approaching. The Angels will have some fierce competitions for open roles on the big-league roster, with the youth battling other youth while also taking on veterans with the hopes of earning jobs on the 2025 club.

This seems to be the Halos' plan. Let the youngsters prove their worth as the team looks to improve upon a dreadful 2024 campaign. Two of those youngsters stand out as players who will rise to the challenge, and one once-promising player will find himself on the outside looking in at a big league job.

Caden Dana will win the no. 5 starter job

The Angels clearly want the fifth starter role to be an open competition in spring training given the moves they've made this offseason. Even the fourth starter spot may be up for grabs given the minimal investment they've made in Kyle Hendricks, though one would imagine that they'd give a player with his track record a chance into the regular season before replacing him if he struggles.

A litany of young arms will be battling it out for the last rotation spot – with Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, José Suarez, Sam Bachman, Sam Aldegheri, George Klassen, Chase Silseth, and Caden Dana in the running.

Detmers is likely the favorite as of now and a candidate to beat his projections this season, however his struggles last season in both the majors and AAA (6.70 ERA in the bigs, 5.54 ERA in AAA) last season can't be ignored.

The pitcher most likely to jump out and grab the fifth starter spot is the youngest of the group, 21-year-old Caden Dana. Dana made his debut in September last year, indicating the Angels' confidence in the young right-hander. He only made three starts and struggled with walks, but it was a valuable experience for a pitcher who skipped from AA to the Show.

The Angels don't coddle their prospects, preferring to fast-track them through the system and take their lumps at the big-league level. That's yielded impressive results so far, mostly on the position player front. Dana got his toes wet at the end of last year after dominating AA to the tune of 2.52 ERA over 135.2 innings while averaging 9.75 K/9. He's the Angels' top prospect for a reason and certainly has the talent to make an impact.

Moreover, he's also the best fit stylistically in the rotation given the other parts the Angels have. The Halos already have two lefties penciled in with Yusei Kikuchi and Tyler Anderson filling those spots. Furthermore, the unit as a whole lacks power and strikeout prowess. Anderson and Hendricks are soft-tossers who won't crack 90 miles per hour with their fastballs. Jose Soriano has a ton of velocity, but not much swing-and-miss averaging just 7.73 K/9 last season working as a starter for the first time. Kikuchi is the only starter that has a track record of generating strikeouts, so adding a righty like Dana to the mix who has mid-90's velocity on his fastball, a sharp and devastating slider, and the ability to generate whiffs would make the rotation greater than the sum of its parts.

Don't be surprised if Caden Dana is the opening-day fifth starter, despite his youth and relative lack of experience, and if he is it would be the right choice.