Jaime Barria is an LA Angels Prospect to be Excited About

The LA Angels do not have a ton of top tier prospects. However, they do have a lot of young players who are going to contribute at the highest level. Jaime Barria may do more than just contribute.

The LA Angels Jaime Barria in 2013 as an international free agent. The right-hander from Panama has impressed ever since for the Halos, and has quickly moved up through the Angels’ farm system.

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Barria uses a trio of pitches to dominate in games. At just 21 years old, Barria already has all three pitches ready to use in the MLB. His fastball isn’t a burner by any means, but it has good movement on it and creates soft contact. Barria also flashes major potential with his changeup. He already uses it efficiently thanks to its deceptiveness, and it can definitely turn into a plus pitch in the MLB. His curveball is not as refined as his changeup or fastball, but is on track to be an average (yet effective) MLB curveball.

Barria had a huge year in the minors. He pitched across three levels, and had his best performances in Triple-A Salt Lake. Barria only made three starts for the Bees, but made a statement while he was there.

Barria owned a 2.45 ERA while in Salt Lake. He only pitched 14.2 innings, but struck out 13 batters while holding opponents to a .208 batting average. Barria uses a very consistent and mature approach, which has helped him pitch consistently throughout his young career.

Barria was projected as a backend starter before the 2017 season began. However, after having such a stellar season, he may be looked at differently now. While he may never become a true number one or number two option, Barria can develop into a cornerstone of a rotation.

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The Angels learned this season that you can never have too many starting pitchers. While Barria is not quite ready yet, he could be called up in 2018, especially if injuries hit the Halos the way they did this year. No matter how long it takes Barria to get to The Show, he seems like he is the type of pitcher who will make people notice him.