Angels prospect Arjun Nimmala's power breakout gets louder with first AFL home run

Jose Soriano was having a breakout year for the Los Angeles Angels, and the front office capitalized on it. Dealing the righty to the Angels at the trade deadline was one of the best moves by any team because it got the L.A. a top-50 prospect in baseball, who only got better after the deal.

Arjun Nimmala is a 20-year-old (about to be 21) who instantly became the Halos No. 1 prospect when they acquired him. Sitting in the mid-30s for MLB Pipeline, the hard-hitting shortstop took a step forward once he joined the Angels. In his 59 games in the Blue Jays organization in 2026, he had 18 doubles and eight home runs. Once joining the Angels organization, he hit another nine doubles and eight home runs in 27 games.

Trying to get him some extra playing time after he missed about five weeks in the summer with a hamstring strain, the Angels added him to the Arizona Fall League, and he picked up right where he left off. Nimmala blasted his first homer of the fall on Monday, sending a hanging slider 401 feet. He is one of the highest-rated prospects at the AFL this year, and he showed why.

Arjun Nimmala is showing off how he's going to be successful once he reaches the majors

Nimmala finished the season in Double-A for the Angels, and MLB pipeline projects he could make his debut in 2028. If he continues this red-hot streak he's been on since joining the Angels, that could easily come sooner. The righty projects as a top-of-the-order bat for the Angels in the not-so-distant future. With the power he showcased, Nimmala would slide right up around Zach Neto to give him protection in the lineup.

One thing Angels fans may worry about is that he plays the same position as Neto. Nimmala may not stick at shortstop, though. MLB Pipeline wrote that he "still has some work to do to be average defensively at the premium position of shortstop". Players like that usually find their way to second or third, and because they also mentioned he has a strong arm, third could be the place he lands.

Nimmala was the perfect prospect for the Angels to acquire at the deadline. Another power-hitting infielder to pair with Neto, or be his replacement, is exactly what the Angels should be doing to prepare for the future, and with new ownership coming to town, he is a perfect building block.

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