Angels welcome prospect back to camp, add another player to IL

The Los Angeles Angels welcomed prospect Brandon Marsh to summer camp on Tuesday but also placed reliever Parker Markel on the injured list.

Summer camp giveth and summer camp taketh away. Such is the lesson that the Los Angeles Angels are learning, as the team welcomed back one player and were forced to add another to the team’s injured list on Tuesday.

On the return front, the team’s second-ranked prospect Brandon Marsh made his first appearance in summer camp, rejoining his Angels teammates for the first time since the initial spring training got shut down. Marsh was part of the initial 60-man player pool but had yet to report to camp.

While his absence was eyebrow-raising, especially for a top prospect trying to make an impression, the general assumption is that he was dealing with something COVID-related. The privacy rules around coronavirus cases among MLB players prevent the teams from disclosing the ailments to the media without player consent.

Marsh is seen as a consensus top prospect in the game, ranking #43 by Baseball America, #79 by MLB.com, and #51 by Baseball America while checking in as the Angels’ second-rated prospect behind Jo Adell. He made his way to Double-A Mobile in 2019 after hitting .286/.367/.407 across two stops last season. He then made a fair amount of noise in the Arizona Fall League, leading the Mesa Solar Sox in average (.328).

While Marsh is not expected to break camp as a member of the big league club, he will remain part of the 60-man player pool so as to continue his development toward a potential 2021 arrival in Anaheim.

Los Angeles Angels add Parker Markel to the Injured List

While Brandon Marsh returned to the Angels on Tuesday, the team lost another bullpen arm, adding Parker Markel to the injured list.

The Angels are the fifth club to feature Markel in their system, having purchased the right-hander from the Pittsburgh Pirates in October. The Halos then designated him for assignment and outrighted him in February to open up a 40-man roster spot.

Markel made his MLB debut in 2019, making appearances for both the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the results were not pretty. In 22 innings of work, he allowed 21 runs (19 earned), six home runs, and 17 walks. Overall he finished with a 7.77 ERA, a 7.30 FIP, a 7.0 BB/9, and a 9.8 K/9 rate. His numbers were much better in the minors, where Markel owns a lifetime 3.81 ERA, a 3.6 BB/9, and an 8.0 K/9, perhaps allowing the Angels to have some depth in the upper minors or secondary camp as needed.

Markel was originally in camp in the spring as a non-roster invitee, but was not expected to be part of the Angels bullpen to start the season and had been assigned to the Salt Lake Bees. He was part of the team’s 60-man player pool when camp resumed on July 1st but had not yet reported to camp. Like Marsh, no details were provided for his absence or for his addition to the injured list, but the silence may say enough.