LA Angels: Predicting breakout seasons for these 3 homegrown players

Through nine games this season, the Angels are off to their best start in over a decade with a 6-3 record. It’s still early, but the Halos are proving many of their preseason doubters wrong with their performances thus far against some of the best teams in the American League.

Many fans were upset general manager Perry Minasian did not bring in any high-level talent in the offseason, but now it’s looking like his decisions may not be so bad after all. It’s nearly impossible for teams to ‘buy’ a championship. It’s a burden financially, so most of the talent on the team needs to be developed internally.

Angels: Why these homegrown three players will have breakout seasons.

The Angels don’t have highly regarded farm system of top prospects, but right now there are a few homegrown players who are off to a strong start to begin their 2021 campaigns.

More importantly, all of the players I believe will have breakout seasons are under contract through at least 2025.

I also want to give an honorable mention to catcher Max Stassi. He was drafted by A’s and made his big-league debut with the Astros so he’s not homegrown, but he picked up where he left off a season ago.

In 17 plate appearances, Stassi is 5-for-14 with one home run, one RBI, and three walks. Stassi, 30,  has one final year of arbitration eligibility but it’s possible a contract extension happens if he continues to produce offensively.

Will the same be considered for these three Angels in the near future?

Of the current Angels position players not named Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout, first baseman Jared Walsh is on pace for a monster season.

The 27-year-old is slashing .385/.467/.808 with three home runs and nine RBI in 30 plate appearances this season. More importantly, Walsh has come through during clutch situations in half of the Halos wins so far.

Walsh is proving his small sample size last summer was no fluke.

Jared Walsh Career Statistics:

• 2019 (31 games): 87 PA (.203/.276/.329) 1 HR 5 RBI (-0.3 WAR)
• 2020 (32 games): 108 PA (.293/.324/.646) 9 HR 26 RBI (0.7 WAR)

As future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols plays into the final days of his Angels career, Walsh will see more playing time at first base during the season.

Angels: Jared Walsh is on the verge of becoming an All-Star.

I will be the first to admit, I wasn’t sure if Walsh was the real deal after a small showing in 2020. Even though it’s still early, I think he’s clearly developed all the tools necessary to take the next steps towards becoming an All-Star caliber first baseman.

You can’t help but love a player like this. A former 39th round pick in 2015, Walsh has defied the odds to make it to baseball’s highest level and now he’s making his case to stay for good.

Even better news for the Angels is Walsh does not become arbitration eligible until the 2023 season.

Whether it was intentional or not, the Halos found a hidden gem in Jared Walsh.

Angels No.4 prospect Chris Rodriguez has been nothing short of electric in his appearances this season. I think Rodriguez has provided a jolt not just from a statistical standpoint, but he brings an energy and excitement to the rest of the team.

The 22-year-old has had an uphill battle to get back to the mound. Rodriguez has not pitched competitively since the 2019 season due to back surgery and the global pandemic. He hasn’t pitched above High-A ball, but the Angels were impressed enough with his overpowering high-90s fastball and mid-80s breaking ball during spring training to give him the green light to pitch in the big leagues.

Angels: Is it too early to make a case for Chris Rodriguez as Rookie of the Year?

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So far so good, as Rodriguez has allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out eight and walking five through 6.1 innings pitched this season.

Maddon has opted to use Rodriguez as a long reliever rather than throwing him in the starting rotation. It’s the smart move to get Rodriguez’s feet wet while monitoring his health, and it’s still very possible to use the right-hander in the rotation at some point in the future.

I don’t think they should use him in the rotation unless it’s an emergency situation. Things are going well right now, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For skipping multiple levels of minor league competition, what Rodriguez is doing right now is all the more impressive especially considering the competition he’s faced.

If he can continue this pace, Rodriguez will be among the league’s best rookie arms of 2021.

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Again it’s still early and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season, but right now the future of the Angels is looking brighter than it was a few months ago.