LA Angels Prospect Update: Nelson Rada, Ben Joyce, Jordyn Adams

The Los Angeles Angels aren't exactly known for having a particularly robust farm system. In fact, some would use the phrase "dumpster fire" when it comes to their player development system as the Angels' prospect crop was ranked dead last by MLB Pipeline to start the 2024 season, and with good reason.

While LA fast-tracked any prospect with a pulse to the big leagues over the last couple of years, their farm system ranking doesn't mean that they don't have anybody worth keeping an eye on. They have a bonafide pitching prospect in Caden Dana, who could factor into their plans soon, but here are a few of their other top prospects and how they are doing down in the minors.

Top Angels prospect Nelson Rada is heating up at Double-A

The Angels spent almost $2 million to sign Rada out of Venezuela and he impressed right out of the gates with a strong pro debut in the Dominican Summer League headlined by an .885 OPS. His 2023 season in Low-A was a bit more of a challenge, but LA still saw enough progress out of Rada to challenge him even further with a promotion to Double-A this season. While his .258/.320/.280 line so far isn't particularly exciting, he has looked better lately.

Over his last 10 games, Rada is hitting .343, has seven stolen bases, and has failed to record a hit only once. Rada isn't ever going to be a masher, but he still needs to impact the ball more before Angels fans can start counting the days before his promotion. That said, he is seeing the ball well right now and that could mean more extra-base hits are coming soon.

Ben Joyce is on a roll in the minors

The Angels' flamethrowing prospect, Ben Joyce, made his big league debut in 2023 and that triple digit fastball of his got many very excited about his potential out of the bullpen. However, he also had little idea as to where his pitches were going (nine walks in 10 big league innings is decidedly not great) and clearly needed a bit more seasoning in the minors.

However, Joyce could force the Angels' hand very soon. They have already called him up from Double-A once and he has given up hits just twice in his last 10 appearances. Joyce did have one appearance recently where walks were an issue, but he has just one free pass in his last six outings and he continues to rack up the strikeouts. If the Angels hang around, calling up Joyce again could be the boost their bullpen needs for the stretch run.

Jordyn Adams continues to show flashes, but can't break through at Triple-A

There was a time when Jordyn Adams was supposed to be a future cornerstone in the Angels' lineup. LA invested their first-round pick in Adams back in 2018 and he had a really strong season in Triple-A with an .816 OPS and 44 stolen bases. However, Adams' call-up to the majors did not go well last year, and his performance this year has been a mixed bag.

On the plus side, Adams is still stealing bases seemingly at will as he already has 15 swipes in 40 games. However, he is also only hitting .229 and has a 65 wRC+ while striking out a third of the time he comes to the plate. Adams does see a lot of deep counts and is at least walking a good bit, which has allowed his speed to play, but until he stops chasing pitches out of the zone and starts driving the ball again, he may have to wait a while for his next chance at the majors.

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