3 lesser-known Angels prospects are tearing it up in April

The upper echelon of prospects in the Angels' system is not receiving glowing reviews through the first few weeks of the minor league season. Christian Moore is hitting .158 in Double-A through 17 games, while several of the best pitching prospects have delivered inconsistencies on the mound. It's still early, though, and the Angels will likely rely on multiple prospects to contribute in the big leagues this season.

There's a chance a couple of under-the-radar players can make a case for joining the Angels at some point. Several prospects outside of LA's top-30 have started their seasons on a scorching pace. Only one Angels minor league team has a winning record on April 26 (the 10-9 Tri-City Dust Devils in High-A). Still, players across the farm system who aren't household names are putting together a solid beginning of the season.

Chad Stevens putting it all together in Triple-A

The journey to the highest level of minor league baseball has been intriguing for Chad Stevens. The 26-year-old played at four levels within the Angels and Houston Astros systems last year. In 111 games, Stevens amassed 34 doubles and a respectable .271 batting average in his fourth season as a professional.

He's on a tear through 19 games with the Salt Lake Bees this year. Stevens is hitting .339 with a .593 slugging percentage and eight extra-base hits. He has a .459 batting average on balls in play and is seeing more pitches at the plate than ever before.

The big knock on his game, and likely why he was released by the Astros last May, is his plate discipline. Stevens struck out 176 times in 2022, then 131 times compared to 28 walks in 2024. This year, he has 12 walks to 19 strikeouts in 19 games. It's a small sample size, but a sign of improvement for the 2021 11th-round pick.

Hard-throwing reliever pitching lights out for Rocket City

This isn’t the first time you've seen Jose Fermin mentioned on Halo Hangout. The Dominican-born right-hander is fast-tracking his way to the MLB with exceptional numbers in Double-A. After a strong campaign in 2024, his first with an MLB franchise, Fermin is among the best arms in the Angels system as May approaches.

The 23-year-old sports a 1.13 ERA through six appearances with a 3-0 record. His strikeout numbers are beyond impressive, with 15 K's compared to just one walk in eight innings. Fermin struck out multiple hitters in five of his six outings, recording more than three outs in half of them.

Walks were slightly an issue for Fermin last season, but there's no denying he can get hitters out consistently. He's throwing 70% of his pitches for strikes this year, and opponents are hitting .181 against him in 73.2 career innings in the minors. If he can keep the walk numbers down, the Angels would be foolish not to promote Fermin to the majors.

2024 draft pick breaking out in High-A

After a fantastic season at the University of Kentucky in 2024, first baseman Ryan Nicholson earned a draft selection. The Angels spent a 10th-round pick on the strong left-handed hitter Nicholson. The early returns indicate that Los Angeles might have found a future big-leaguer.

Nicholson is absolutely raking through 18 games. More than half of his hits went for extra bases (eight doubles, four home runs), and he's already tacked on 15 runs batted in. His slash line includes a .383 batting average, .519 on-base percentage, and a .717 slugging percentage. That's good for an otherworldly 1.236 on-base plus slugging percentage. He also has more walks than strikeouts.

He won't be in High-A much longer if he keeps launching the ball around the yard. Nicholson still has a ways to go before knocking on MLB's door, but he couldn’t have asked for a better start to his first full season in pro ball.

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