LA Angels spring training guide: 5 prospects to keep an eye on

Jo Adell-OF

Jo Adell has been the most talked-about Angels prospect since Mike Trout. The outfielder is a five-tool player who has unlimited potential. Adell got a chance to prove himself in 2020 but, unfortunately, did not live up to the lofty expectations after racing through the minor leagues.

The 21-year old played 38 games, posting a .161 batting average with three homers and seven RBI. A cause for concern was the 55 strikeouts in just 124 at-bats. It seemed as if Adell was just overmatched at the plate. In the field, Adell looked much better despite having a Hall of Shame moment where he helped a ball over the fence while trying to make a leaping catch.

Is it time for the Angels to give up on Adell? Heck no. He has a ton of talent and was a victim of the short season. The fact that no minor league games were being played due to the pandemic hurt Adell.

A good spring training camp could result in Jo Adell returning to the Angels big league roster sooner than later.

The young outfielder should have started the season in Triple-A, which is what manager Joe Maddon says is likely for 2021.

Adell only played 27 games in Triple-A in 2019, where he batted .264 with no home runs and eight RBI. If Adell played in Salt Lake for a few weeks, it might have restored his confidence in his swing.

Hopefully, this season has a full and uninterrupted spring training, preparing Adell to start the season as the Angels right fielder. Even if this doesn’t happen, the likelihood of seeing Adell in Anaheim in 2021 is almost a certainty. Hopefully, Adell will make the most of his second chance.

From watching him multiple times in the minors and speaking with him, I think Adell has the right make-up to be very successful in the majors. It may take him a few games to get going, but he could go on a tear once he is locked in.

I believe there is an outside chance that Adell could even get some special hardware that three of his teammates have already earned, the AL Rookie of the Year Award (Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Shohei Ohtani).

Brandon Marsh-OF

Brandon Marsh has been a bit overshadowed most of the time he has been with the Angels by his good friend and teammate Jo Adell. Despite being one year younger, Adell reached almost every level, including Major League, just before Marsh.

I’m here to tell you, do not sleep on Brandon Marsh.

The 23-year old is a very talented player in his own right, and when he gets his chance to come to Anaheim, fans will see a five-tool player with a tremendous upside.

The upside to Brandon Marsh brings hope to a potentially dominant Angels outfield.

The Angels could end up having three all-stars in the outfield with Trout, Adell, and Marsh. This could anchor the franchise for many years to come, along with third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Marsh will get a shot to crack the roster in 2021, provided he is not traded for a pitcher at some point. Marsh’s impact may be minimal in Anaheim in 2021, but in the future, it could be great.

Marsh can provide some power from the left side of the plate to help the Angels line-up be more balanced as Shohei Ohtani is the only left-handed bat with any pop right now for the Halos.

Do I expect Brandon Marsh to make a great impact for the Angels to begin this season? Probably not, but you never know. A great spring camp plus and injuries could pave the way for Marsh to the big leagues sooner than expected.

If not now, in the future Marsh could make a big splash and join an already potent line-up with Trout, Rendon, David Fletcher, and hopefully a more seasoned Jo Adell.

What makes Marsh more special, like Adell, is that he possesses great speed, a strong arm, and a good glove. So keep your eye on Brandon Marsh Angel fans. He could be special.

Reid Detmers-LHP

Reid Detmers is a guy you may not have heard much about just yet, but he has the potential to be either a good starter. Maybe a No.2 or No.3 man in the rotation, or Detmers could be a power-arm out of the bullpen with closer potential.

This season Detmers will have to pitch well in spring training to crack the Angels opening day roster. It may be a stretch as Detmers has no minor league or major league experience due to the pandemic. It could have set Detmers arrival to Anaheim back a bit as he will most likely need at least half a season in the minors before making it to the show.

However, Detmers had a lot of success in college at the University of Louisville because of his confidence. Detmers has a live fastball that ranges between 91-95 MPH. He also possesses a nasty curveball that helped him record 48 strikeouts in just 22 innings of work in 2020 before the pandemic shut down his junior season for Louisville.

Whenever Reid Detmers arrives in the big leagues, he will bring electric stuff to the Angels mound.

My feeling is that we will see Detmers in Anaheim after the All-Star Break, provided he stays healthy. It may be out of the bullpen at first, but eventually, in the next couple of years, Detmers will join a young Angel rotation with Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval, and hopefully, Shohei Ohtani that could be a strong staff for years to come.

A consistent starting rotation is something the Angels have not had since the days of Jered Weaver, John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Joe Saunders in the late 2000s.

Hector Yan-LHP

Looking at the above picture, you might wonder why there is no picture of Angels pitching prospect Hector Yan. There is a two-part reason for this. Since Yan was not a college prospect and has never pitched in the majors not even moving past low Single-A in 2019, there aren’t any pictures of him available to us.

However, the other reason is that being an old, very old Angel fan like me, I remember the fireballing Tanana, who was the perfect complement to Nolan Ryan. Tanana had a mid-90s fastball and a sweeping 12-6 curveball that helped him become one of the Angels All-Time leaders in strikeouts and wins in team history, ranking fifth in both categories.

Hector Yan is a left-handed weapon who will light up the radar gun for the Angels.

Hector Yan has that kind of stuff and potential and is also a lefty. Yan can reach up to 99 miles per hour on the radar gun. But what sets him apart is that he has three other pitches to go along with his powerful fastball. This includes an excellent curveball, an improving change-up, and a screwball/slider that has a good break to it.

If he can continue to harness his change-up and curveball, Yan could quickly rise from Double-A to the majors. Yan will probably end up spending most of the season in Double or Triple-A. Still, he could end up in Anaheim this September or even sooner if he can put it altogether. If Angels have a pitching crisis due to injuries and ineffectiveness like they have had the past few seasons, Yan could find himself in the big leagues.

I saw him pitch live in the summer of 2019 for Single-A Burlington, and he was special. He is also has a great personality despite speaking limited English. His confidence and swagger could help Yan make a quick climb to the majors in 2021. Could he be the next Frank Tanana for the Angels? We will have to wait and see.

Chris Rodriguez-RHP

Like so many Angel pitchers, Chris Rodriguez has battled injuries throughout his young career in the Angels system. Rodriguez has only pitched in 9.1 innings in the past two seasons due to a stress reaction and fracture in his back.

Rodriguez has had surgery and is now healthy, so the Angels are hoping he can tap into the enormous potential he has possessed since he was drafted out of high school in 2016.

Like Yan, Rodriguez possesses four pitches, which includes a mid-to-high 90s fastball with a two-seamer that is almost as deadly. Top it off with a hard slider and an improving change-up, all of which Rodriguez can throw for strikes.

If he can stay healthy, Chris Rodriguez has some of the highest potential among all Angels pitching prospects.

His repertoire shows you why the Angels are so high on Rodriguez. Despite not making it past High-Single-A Inland Empire in 2019, Rodriguez has a chance to ascend quickly through the Angels minor-league system and could play in Anaheim by late summer.

Again the Angels will have to play a wait-and-see approach with Rodriguez to see how his body holds up to the wear and tear of a full season. When healthy, Rodriguez has top of the rotation potential, probably not in 2021, but definitely in the next couple of seasons.

Best of the Rest:

With the top five prospects with the most major league potential already chronicled. Here is who did not make this list:

• RHP Jose Alberto Rivera
• RHP Oliver Ortega
• OF Jordyn Adams
• INF Jeremiah Jackson.

All the above-listed players other than Rivera will probably not crack the Angels roster this season. With more playing time, we will find out if these guys should make it to the majors fairly soon.

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The hope is to have the Angels competing for a World Series in 2021. The low-risk moves from Minasian seem to believe the Halos are playing it safe for this season.

Whatever level of competitiveness we see from this group, it could play a factor in how quickly we see young talent in Anaheim.