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

Which, if any, Angels prospects are bound for stardom?

Texas Rangers v Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers v Los Angeles Angels | Meg Oliphant/GettyImages
1 of 3

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.

Schedule