1 Angels prospect that will be a star, 1 that won't, 1 that will just be serviceable

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It's no secret that the Los Angeles Angels farm system needs a lot of work. It's one of, if not the worst farm system in all of baseball, and it's only worse after the team traded several of its best prospects for players to try and help win now. Spoiler, that failed miserably.

While the Angels lack a deep farm, there are several players to still be excited about. Remember, this minor league system wasn't ranked highly when guys like Logan O'Hoppe and Zach Neto were considered prospects either. All they did was contribute in the majors. All that matters is how these prospects perform for the Angels at the end of the day.

Nolan Schanuel will be a star

Nolan Schanuel's rise to the majors was something special. He was drafted in the first round of the 2023 Draft and after just 22 minor league games, found himself on the Angels. This was a panic move made by the Angels to try one last time to squeak back into the playoff picture once C.J. Cron went on the IL.

While the Angels ultimately failed to gain ground in the postseasonr ace, they did learn a lot about their draft pick. There's a ton to be excited about with Nolan Schanuel.

The 21-year-old played in 29 MLB gams and had a .402 OBP in 132 plate appearances. He was able to reach base in every game he played, consistently putting up quality at-bats out of the leadoff spot. Even when the Angels lineup was without both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani Schanuel still worked his way on base constantly.

A player as inexperienced as Schanuel having this much success right away is unprecedented. Sure, the Angels would like him to hit for more power and look a bit more polished defensively, but those things should come as he gets more comfortable and continues to progress.

Even if Schanuel doesn't hit for a ton of power he's still on a path to stardom. The tools for him to be a .300 hitter with a .400 OBP over a 162 game season are there. Someone who gets on base 40% of the time or over is a star, there's no question about it. Of course we have to see Schanuel do it over a full season, but there's a lot to like about what the Angels saw out of him in his brief stint.

Kyren Paris won't be a star

While there was a lot to like about wha Schanuel brought to the table, there was a lot to dislike about how Kyren Paris looked in his brief MLB stint. The young infielder was promoted to start September and had the chance to play every day with the Angels out of it but failed to take advantage. He had just four hits in 40 at-bats, striking out 17 times.

If the strikeouts weren't a concern already, I would've just dismissed this as Paris struggling in his first crack against MLB pitching. The problem is the hit tool is what's held the young infielder back as it is. We know he's got some power as he hit 14 home runs and tacked on 23 doubles in AA Rocket City this season. We know he has tremendous speed thanks to his 44 stolen bases. The problem with Paris' AA production is he hit .255 with 151 strikeouts in 415 at-bats.

Paris striking out 36% of the time in AA simply isn't going to cut it. I don't know if it's an approach issue only as he drew a ton of walks, but putting the ball in play has been a challenge for Paris throughout his minor league career. We've seen how this approach has killed guys like Jo Adell and Trey Cabbage. Putting the ball in play, especially with his speed, has to be something he improves upon. It's very hard to think much of him until he does that.

Jack Kochanowicz will be serviceable

Jack Kochanowicz is the least popular of the three Angels prospects discussed, but he's definitely intriguing. He's not usually the prospect many evaluators get super excited about as he lacks the wipeout strikeout stuff, but he has the chance to be a decent back-end starter.

Kochanowicz is currently the ninth-ranked prospect in the Angels system according to MLB Pipeline but is coming off a bit of a down year. He pitched really well in A+ Tri-City but after being promoted to AA Rocket City he posted a 6.53 ERA in 16 starts. Despite the high ERA, there was one thing to be excited about.

Kochanowicz walked just 22 batters in 70.1 innings pitched. 2.8 BB/9 for a 22 year old in the minors is quite impressive, and his command in general appears quite good. He did allow too many hits and home runs by throwing too many hittable pitches, but Kochanowicz constantly living in and around the strike zone is a good thing.

The reason I don't believe he'll be anything more than a back-end guy is because of the lack of put-away stuff. He fanned just 55 batters in his 70.1 AA innings pitched this season, and has never had great strikeout numbers in the minors. He relies a ton on generating weak contact, primarily on the ground.

Kochanowicz has to work on avoiding the middle of the plate and allowing fewer home runs but once that happens, better results should come. With better results comes further promotions. He's not too far off from the majors thanks to his control. How good he'll be in the majors without terrific stuff remains to be seen.

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1 Angels prospect that will be a star, 1 that won't, and 1 that will just be serviceable

Nolan Schanuel will be a star

Kyren Paris won't be a star

Jack Kochanowicz will be serviceable

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