This undervalued prospect could force Angels into unexpected decision

The Los Angeles Angels have a number of unheralded prospects in their farm system. While none are exactly knocking on the door of the major leagues, one undervalued player could force the team to make an unexpected decision if he continues at his current pace.

Nick Rodriguez is off to a very solid start in Double-A. The 23-year-old middle infielder is slashing .308/.357/.423 with six RBI through six games. While that is way too small a sample size for him to start looking for lodging in Anaheim, he could force his way onto the big league roster at some point this season.

Nick Rodriguez could force his way onto the Angels roster

The Florida native was drafted in the 10th round last year after playing four years in college — his final three seasons at Missouri State. He's the kind of prospect who could move up through the minor league ranks quickly so if he continues to hit the ball well.

Rodriguez is a contact-first bat and if he rises through the ranks and earns a promotion to Triple-A, there's a chance he could outplay higher-touted infield prospects such as Denzer Guzman or Christian Moore.

It would be quite a shock if he were to leapfrog those guys, but the Angels are not currently in a position to get super picky when it comes to young talent.

There is reason to believe that Rodriguez's early numbers should not be wholly discounted just due to the small sample size. Looking at his collegiate stats, the guy can just plain hit. The lowest batting average he ever had in college was .291 so he just has a way of getting the bat on the ball and getting on base.

His final collegiate season was his most impressive as he slashed .368/.444/.702 with a 1.145 OPS. He probably won't be hitting .370 if he earns a promotion to the big league team, but if he can be around .300 that would still be a very welcome development.

While Zach Neto is firmly entrenched at shortstop for the Halos, there could be openings for Rodriguez at second base and third base. Adam Frazier and Yoan Moncada are probably not going to be in LA beyond this season so the Angels would almost certainly be happy to give Rodriguez a look if he forces their hand.

The Angels are looking for young talent to build around, so if Rodriguez makes some noise then the Angels should not hesitate to move on from older players and give the young contact bat a shot.