LA Angels: Underrated Prospects Who Could Breakout in 2019

Jared Walsh, OF/RP

Jared Walsh is a big hitting prospect that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as he deserves. His 2018 season was phenomenal, but more importantly it was just another step forward in his development and not a simple fluke season.

Walsh has a big power swing that generated 29 HR’s across Class A Advanced all the way to Triple A in 2018. Walsh is also a lefty hitter, something that the Angels desperately need in 2019, and plays first base. That’s two distinct needs for the Angels, or one if you simplify it as the Angels needing a reliable power-hitting 1st baseman.

Walsh brings great value as a run producer from the box; not only did he club 29 bombs with 34 2B’s, he collected 99 RBI’s on top of all that. He’s a pure bred middle of the order hitter who can rake in the runs while also putting himself in scoring position. His power to all sides of the field makes him a dangerous hitter. On top of that Walsh scored 86 runs, which is helped by his ability to rake the double in.

Walsh has a fantastic glove on top of his offense. A quick eye, limber movements, and hair-trigger reflexes allow Walsh to display strong range at 1B, especially covering the near foul line. It should be noted that he played a lot of RF in 2018 (254 innings) and displayed a powerful arm paired with good defensive range. His versatility at RF and 1B is something that can keep his power in the lineup constantly.

As a final note, Walsh saw experience pitching as a reliever in 2018 with 5.2 IP of 1.59 ERA baseball. His fastball ranged around 93-94 while also sporting an out-producing curveball. Walsh was invited to the Angels invitationals with intent to work out his pitching skills. We’ll see how much of an impact this will have on the Angels, but if all goes well Walsh could work as a LOOGY from the pen. All in all Walsh has the potential to hit 20-25 HR’s while logging IP from the pen and playing strong 1B RF.