LA Angels Prospect Watch: Nelson Rada's struggles continue, Caden Dana, Joswa Lugo

It is completely fair to criticize the Los Angeles Angels for not having a deep or even a passable farm system. Multiple questionable draft classes, lightning fast promotions for guys like Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto, and some aggressive moves at the trade deadline last year have the Angels' minor league ranks looking pretty rough.

However, there is still talent in the farm system, especially if you really dig into the prospect ranks. That said, it is still probably best if the Angels take advantage of their position as sellers at the trade deadline and try to maximize their return as this is not a deep system at all and some of their more talented prospects are not playing well at the moment.

With that in mind, here is a look at how some of the Angels' top prospects have been doing lately.

Nelson Rada is not having a good time at Double-A so far

After a strong first two seasons in pro ball after signing with the Angels as an international free agent, Angels prospect Nelson Rada was looking like a prototypical top-of-the-lineup hitter who was poised to be a terror on the basepaths for LA in the not too distant future. Still a teenager, the Angels decided to really challenge Rada in 2024 by having him skip High-A altogether and elevate him straight to Double-A.

Unfortunately, it looks like LA may have been a bit too aggressive with Rada, as talented as he is. Through 61 games at Double-A, the 18 year-old outfielder has just a .550 OPS with little improvement as the season has progressed, although he does have 23 steals already if you are looking for a silver lining. Rada is too talented to stay this bad at the plate, but he has to learn how to impact the ball more and is clearly further away from the big leagues than his initial promotion would suggest.

It may be time for the Angels to promote Caden Dana to Triple-A

Dana has become a regular fixture in these prospect updates, but forgive us as the pickings are slim and the guy just keeps pitching his brains out. Originally an overslot 11th round pick out of high school in the 2022 MLB Draft, Dana really started getting traction as a prospect last year when he dominated at Low-A and put together a very solid 3.56 ERA with 89 strikeouts in just 68.1 innings of work. However, the best was yet to come as it turns.

After getting the bump to Double-A to start the season, Dana hasn't looked back as he has put together a sterling 2.39 ERA in 13 starts while decreasing his walk rate and maintaining his swing-and-miss stuff. His large frame suggests that he could develop into more velocity and his breaking stuff is legit. Now that he is pitching deeper into games, a promotion to Triple-A in the near future feels very likely. However, getting Dana all the way to the big leagues this year still feels like a stretch, as he is already at a career high for innings in a season and the big league team kind of stinks, but don't put anything past the ultra-aggressive Angels.

Joswa Lugo is off to an insane start to his pro career with the Angels

The Angels saw enough out of Joswa Lugo as a teenager to sign him for $2.3 million earlier this year. Lugo was billed as bat-first infielder who may or may not stick at shortstop, but who also has the talent for hit for average and power and has a projectable frame. It is hard to project guys who are just 17 years old and who haven't faced high-level pitching, but there is a lot to be excited about with Lugo in terms of pure physical ability, and he is off to a great start as a pro.

Lugo debuted as a pro in early June in the Dominican Summer League and it is safe to say that he is very comfortable there. In 15 games in the DSL, Lugo is boasts a .424/.453/.695 line with 11 extra base hits, including a pair of homers. It is still early and the DSL is not exactly top-level competition, but the upside with Lugo is clearly there and he could start shooting up prospect rankings in a hurry if he can even remotely keep this pace up.

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