Angels should take note of former busted prospect's scorching Triple-A performance

The Angels have largely not gotten what they wanted out of their infield depth this season. Tim Anderson still plays a prominent role on the team despite essentially repeating his 2024 performance, posting a 28 wRC+ this season versus a mark of 27 last year. Utility man Kevin Newman was a priority free-agent signing for the club back in mid-November, yet has hit just .147/.147/.147 through his first 15 games.

Making matters worse for the Halos are the starters struggling. Luis Rengifo owns a .528 OPS through 36 games, while Yoán Moncada has missed significant time to start the season. At first base, Nolan Schanuel has failed to deliver on his promised power surge, slugging just .367 as of now.

A lack of infield production has not been the sole cause of the team floundering, as issues exist on every level, but there could be a solution to the infield woes hiding in plain sight.

A colossal prospect bust is tearing it up in the Angels' minor league system, begging for another big league opportunity

Carter Kieboom was once an exciting shortstop prospect in the Washington Nationals' system. Unfortunately for Kieboom, his tenure in the Nation's capital didn't exactly go as planned, as he was put on outright waivers shortly before last season and ultimately snapped up by the Halos as a minor league free agent this past offseason.

Kieboom peaked as the no. 15 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America in 2020, and his presence, at least in part, motivated the Nationals to deal star shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

His major league production never came close to reaching the level his minor league pedigree suggested, as he scuffled for the Nationals over portions of four seasons, compiling 508 plate appearances over 133 games and batting .199/.297/.301 with 12 homers.

Now 27-years-old, Kieboom has yet to fulfill the promise scouts saw in him as a player who could hit for power to all fields while also displaying the requisite plate discipline to run a high OBP despite some holes in his swing. He's also no longer a shortstop, now situated as more of a corner infielder who can also play some second base.

The Angels' ultimate goal is to play competitive baseball and build for the future, and 30-plus-year-olds like Tim Anderson, who have struggled for the better part of three years, do nothing to accomplish that goal.

Normally, a player like Kieboom wouldn't either, but his performance this season has made it hard to deny that perhaps all he needed was a change of scenery. Through 26 games and 113 plate appearances at Triple-A, he's slashing .346/.389/.567 with six homers while playing third, second, and first.

Kieboom wouldn't need to be the star he was once projected to be. Instead, he could be a bat first reserve at second and third, while also providing Nolan Schanuel with a right-handed caddy that he desperately needs with an OPS of .557 against southpaws this season.

The longer Kieboom keeps hitting in the minors, the more seriously the Angels should look at him. At minimum, he couldn't be worse than Tim Anderson with the bat, and in the best-case scenario, the change of scenery unlocks his once massive potential. For a team with eyes towards the future, what's the harm in giving a former top prospect another shot?

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout