Angels Prospect Update: Pitcher set MiLB milestone, 2 hitters making marks in AFL

With the Angels season officially over, it's time for die-hard fans to focus their attention on the minor leaguers. The Angels possess several prominent prospects who are potentially going to be contenders to make the 2026 Opening Day roster or are playing in the Arizona Fall League.

Angels Prospect Update: Pitcher set minor league baseball milestone

Joel Hurtado, who MLB.com ranks as the Angels' No. 22 prospect, made headlines recently for his blistering fastball. Baseball America tracked the velocity of every pitch thrown in the minor leagues, and Hurtado threw the hardest pitch of any of them at 104.4 MPH. Hurtado, who made 18 starts with Double-A Rocket City and one on September 20th with Triple-A Salt Lake, seems like a prime candidate to be considered next year for the Angels' bullpen.

The Angels should never balk at adding a reliever with serious velocity, and Hurtado's 60-grade fastball fits the bill. Angels relievers' averaged 95 MPH on their four-seamers and two-seamers last year, which ranked 17th in baseball (and they did so without Ben Joyce). With Joyce back in the fold,

Angels Prospect Update: 2 hitters making marks in Arizona Fall League

Raudi Rodriguez, the Angels minor league player of the year, is playing in the Arizona Fall League alongside Juan Flores. Rodriguez, a 22-year-old outfielder, is continuing to show he is not ranked highly enough in the pipeline; meanwhile, Juan Flores is proving that he is living up to the billing as the team's No. 17 overall prospect.

Unlike Niko Kavadas last year, who played well in the AFL last year but was perhaps the oldest player there, Rodriguez is performing well alongside his peers. In a recent AFL game, Rodriguez recorded two singles, two walks and stole a base. Flores belted a 420 ft. home run in the AFL as well.

Rodriguez is a player with immense upside given his athleticism, arm strength and power stroke. He covers a whole lot of ground in the outfield, and if he cleans up his bat-to-ball skills then he could be a force to be reckoned with sooner rather than later. His stellar results in Low-A Inland Empire this year were no fluke, he has all the tools to be a high-end prospect and needs to be regarded as such.

Flores is vaunted more as a defensive catcher, as most are, but seeing his power in that home run swing will tantalize fans. Flores has a cannon for an arm, and high baseball IQ. He is obviously not ready to be considered for the big leagues soon, given that he is 19-years-old, but in a few years he could easily debut if he keeps refining his all-around game.