Angels' prospects will have a spotlight on them in the Arizona Fall League

With the 2024 regular season wrapped up, Angels fans who are itching to continue their fandom can tune into the Arizona Fall League. Despite a bottom-two farm system in baseball, the Angels will be well-represented in October and November.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Arizona Fall League teams are comprised of prospects from all 30 MLB teams, with five teams' prospects making up one roster (hence there are 6 total teams). The Mesa Solar Sox possess prospects from the Angels, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A's, and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Angels' top prospects who do not attend the AFL will report to the Angels' Instructional League, so players like Christian Moore, George Klassen, Nelson Rada, and Ryan Johnson will continue their development out of the Angels' facilities in Tempe, AZ. The Instructional League is an S&C focused camp, with a couple dozen games played against organizations who also have Spring Training complexes in Arizona (teams like the Giants, Cubs, and Guardians for example).

Eight Angels prospects will be looking to give Angels fans and staffers hope during the Arizona Fall League

The Angels will be sending eight prospects, a manager, and a strength and conditioning coach to the AFL. The players: Sam Bachman, Cole Fontenelle, Jack Dashwood, Brandon Dufault, David Mershon, Logan Britt, Sammy Natera Jr., and Kyren Paris. Andy Schatzley, the Rocket City Trash Pandas skipper, will manage the Solar Sox, with David Robertson serving as the S&C coach (another Trash Pandas staffer). The majority of the prospects spent most of 2024 on the injured list, and will be looking to get right via extra reps for the Solar Sox (the AFL is a longer season than the Instructional League).

Sam Bachman, a former first rounder with 17 innings pitched in the bigs, will be attending the AFL. Bachman started 16 games across three different affiliates this season, throwing 61.2 innings, posting a 50:21 K:BB, a 4.82 ERA, and allowing 58 hits. The Angels are hoping Bachman can enter Spring Training healthy, and potentially vie for a Major League bullpen role. While being built up as a starter, given his plus stuff and first round shine, it appears Bachman's best path forward to stick as a big leaguer will be in the bullpen. His 17 innings pitched for the Angels back in 2023 were as a relief pitcher. Bachman's injury history might be too lengthy to continue developing him as a starter.

Of the eight players, Cole Fontenelle ranks as the Angels' top prospect attending the AFL according to mlb.com. FanGraphs ranks Sammy Natera Jr. as the Angels' top prospect attending. Natera Jr. spent most of the season on the injured list, but dominated High A during his 15 innings pitched. In both 2023 and 2024, Natera Jr., a left-handed reliever, posted whopping strikeout numbers. Fontenelle also spent most of the season on the injured list, but remains an intriguing, switch-hitting third baseman.

Kyren Paris was once an intriguing prospect for the Angels, and has 36 MLB games under his belt, but the 22-year-old was injured for most of the season (seeing a trend here?). Paris only posted a .091/.198/.130/.328 slash line in 23 AA games. Paris will likely be market-corrected by Christian Moore moving forward, and potentially Denzer Guzman, Joswa Lugo, Adrian Placencia, Felix Morrobel, and Capri Ortiz as well. Paris attended the 2022 AFL, so this will be his second go-round.

The Angels could really use at least a couple of these players to pop in the AFL, as they have seen in the past. Jack Kochanowicz posted the best fWAR amongst Angels' pitchers this September, and participated in the 2022 AFL. Brandon Marsh and Jo Adell represented the Angels in 2019, and Taylor Ward in 2016.