Three LA Angels Prospects to Watch During September Call Ups

Jose Rojas

Admittedly, I never got onto the Jose Rojas hype train that most Halo fans have been riding all year. He’s been extremely impressive in Salt Lake, but I still don’t know if he’ll be anything more than a league average utility player.

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What better time to find out that September? Every time there has been an infield injury this season, the Angels have found someone besides Rojas to bring up to the major league squad. However, it’d be hard to find an excuse to do so in September, as his versatility would help out big time for the Halos.

He has been one of the best hitters all year for the Salt Lake Bees, and it may finally be time to see Jose Rojas don the white and red in Anaheim. While he may not be an everyday player, the Angels found ways to consistently get at-bats for their youngsters a year ago, and they’ll surely want to see as much of Rojas as possible.

If he’s overly impressive in his September stint, it’ll make the Angels’ infield situation for 2020 even more cloudy with Rengifo, Thaiss, David Fletcher, Tommy La Stella, Andrelton Simmons, and Albert Pujols all vying for spots.

But hey, you can never have too many good players, and Rojas could very well be the next one to break through for the Halos.

Jared Walsh

Of the three players highlighted in this article, Jared Walsh has seen the most playing time in the majors this year. The two-way player has been a fascination for Halo fans all season long, and it’s extremely likely they get a final dose of him in September.

He has been overall underwhelming in his limited playing time with the Angels. However, in AAA, he has set the season record for home runs by a left-handed hitter. While there’s an insane power boost in the PCL, the player he beat out was none other than Boston legend David Ortiz. That’s no small feat, and it lends to the idea that maybe all Jared Walsh needs to succeed in the MLB is regular playing time.

Well, the first baseman/corner outfielder could find just that in September. He’s almost guaranteed a roster spot due to his pitching (the Angels need every arm they can get), but the real focus will be on his swing. Overall it’s a powerful swing, but it looks like it may need some retooling over the offseason.

As for his pitching, it’s not likely Walsh is ever a regular big league reliever. While his 2.08 ERA in four career appearances is a good start, he has yet to be used in a high leverage spot. There’s also his control issues (Walsh has walked five batters while striking out four in 4.1 career innings).

So while there are obvious kinks to work out in both sides of Walsh’s game, he also needs more major league experience before the offseason so the Angels can see how problematic they really are.

September will be the perfect time for doing just that, and finding out just how special of a talent Jared Walsh really is.