The one Angels prospect who got away still battles injuries, but has plenty of potential remaining

The Angels can always think about what could have been with Kyle Bradish. A fourth-round draft pick out of New Mexico State in 2018, Los Angeles hoped they selected the next arm to anchor down a rotation that has struggled for quite some time.

Like most prospect-organization relationships, Bradish and the Angels ran into several tumultuous hurdles that eventually turned things sideways. The right-hander starter spent just 10 days on the Arizona League team before landing on the 60-day injured list in June 2018, thus starting their turbulent relationship.

Bradish hit the injured list once again in early 2019 before coming back with subpar numbers. In High A, Bradish registered a WHIP over 1.40 and a 4.28 ERA. He wasn't developing the way Los Angeles had envisioned, so they traded him in the 2019 offseason for Dylan Bundy.

The Angels were drawn in by Bradish's 140 strikeouts as an innings-eater in college, but his appeal ran out quickly. Who could blame the Halos, though? He was unable to stay healthy, nor consistent. Bundy was an intriguing pitcher in of himself, too. It seemed a fair exchange.

Although Bradish has still been hit by the injury bug, the Angels sure do miss him. He's sidelined for the rest of the year to recover from Tommy John surgery, but he sure is the one who got away. Coming up on his 28th birthday, Bradish has shown a maturity on the mound over the last two seasons that Los Angeles always looked for.

His 2023 campaign was highlighted by a 2.83 ERA with 168 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP in 30 starts, placing him fourth in the American League Cy Young Award race. In 2024, Bradish showed that his numbers from last year were not a flash in the pan. It was only eight starts but he spun 53 strikeouts in 39.1 frames, issuing only 15 walks.

While the Angels handed in another losing season, Baltimore is an organization that's here to stay. They are World Series hopefuls for the foreseeable future, and Bradish has a big part to play. The Orioles won 101 games in 2023 and Bradish was the team's best pitcher. He's signed through 2024, but his dominance has earned him strong consideration for another deal moving forward.

Bradish always had the potential, but his injuries were enough for the Angels to cut ties with him before he launched a successful MLB campaign in 2023. Those injuries still linger, but Bradish has more left in the tank for a contending club.