Nick Tropeano: An introduction to one of the newest Angels

Los Angeles Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto wasted no time in getting the most needed deals done. Yesterday he made two trades that brought back three players and saw a backup catcher and a prospect leave the organization. The player I will introduce to you today is Nick Tropeano, who became an Angel when the Angels traded Hank Conger to the Astros.

According to MLB.com Tropeano is already the fourth best Angels prospect in the chain. This also came from MLB.com on Tropeano,

"Tropeano has learned to rely more on his fastball and pitch down in the zone more effectively. His low-90s fastball and changeup give him two above-average offerings. His slider has a tendency to get slurvy, and it needs further refinement. Tropeano has solid control, and he earns praise for his aggressive demeanor on the mound."

What we get out of that is that he needs to work on his slider to be effective for a long period at the major league level. Right now he has the ability to throw two pitches at an elite level but a third quality pitch that he can throw for a strike would put him over the hump.

He finished the 2014 season with the Houston Astros but before that he spent the majority of the season at Triple-A, Oklahoma City and pitched well. He pitched 124 and two-thirds innings, allowed 90 hits, struck out 120 to just 33 walks. He held opponents to a .202 average and fits into the rest of the Angels rotation as being more of a flyball pitcher than a ground ball type.

This trade gives Tropeano the opportunity to make the big league roster out of Spring Training and be in the backend of the rotation. He has shown good stuff at the minor league level and if he shows the same thing in the Spring I see him making the roster on Opening Day. A couple of arms are going after the fifth rotation spot, but Tropeano will be in the mix. He also may get a chance if Garrett Richards isn’t 100 percent healthy as well. A lot of different things can happen between now and February and March.

Tropeano comes over to the Angels with six seasons of controllability. His first year of arbitration isn’t until 2017 and he doesn’t become a free agent until 2020. That is exactly what Dipoto wanted when looking to make a trade. He wanted controllable players and especially young and controllable. At just 24 years of age Tropeano fits that bill.

This was a great job done by the entire front office and scouting department with the Angels. They had their mind-set up with what they wanted going into the offseason and got the job done early. Tropeano could be a huge deal a little further down the road.