LA Angels Top Prospect Countdown: #25 Jared Foster

The LA Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. However, they have a good mix of prospects who will help soon and some with star potential down the road. In this series, we will evaluate each of the Angels Top 30 prospects. Today, it’s outfielder Jared Foster.

The LA Angels decided to bolster their outfield depth by selecting Jared Foster in the fifth round of the 2015 Amateur Draft. Foster was on the baseball team all four years at Louisiana State University. However, he did not see significant at-bats until his senior season due to his role as the backup quarterback for the football team.

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Foster has a lot of former Angels stud Darin Erstad in him. They both were two sport guys in college, and threats to strike in many ways at the plate. They both show underrated power, extra base potential, and the ability to steal bases. Both of them also play multiple defensive positions, and play them well.

In his senior season, Foster was a do-it-all player. He hit .278 with ten home runs and ten stolen bases (without being caught stealing). He also drove in 35 runs. Defensively, he has a solid arm with exceptional range. This makes him a good candidate for any outfield spot.

After being a multi-sport athlete, the Angels hoped Foster would be able to improve on his raw ability once he begins to only focus on baseball. After his first season, they seemed to be right.

In 57 games of Rookie ball in 2015, Foster hit .259 with six home runs. He drove in 38 runs and stole 13 bases (caught five times). He walked 16 times while striking out 42 times. While none of those numbers are that of a superstar prospect, it showed Foster can compete on a professional level.

He continued to improve in 2016, where he played in Single-A and Single-A Advanced throughout the year. He hit .276 and hit nine long balls. Foster also drove in 56 RBI’s. However, he was less successful on the base paths, where he stole nine bases while being caught ten times. He struck out 81 times while working his way to a free base on 24 occasions.

Foster’s swing is still pretty raw. He fouls off balls that could easily be driven into the outfield due to inconsistent timing. So far this season, Foster is showing signs of improvement. Through 27 games, Foster is hitting .294 and continues to show his ability to hit for extra bases. He has six doubles, a triple, and three home runs on the season. He is also posting the highest on-base percentage of his career so far, at .328. Foster does still need to work on his discipline at the plate, with 27 strikeouts on the season to only four walks. 

In the field, Foster is his usual dominant self. He has played multiple games at every outfield position this season, further proving his ability to be a do-it-all guy.

Next: LA Angels Swap Minor League Arms with Orioles

The Angels outfield has been great defensively this season while holding its own on the offensive side. If Foster continues to make strides towards refining his game he could find himself with a non-roster invite to Spring Training in 2018, while possibly making his debut later that season.