Top Angels prospect named a Statcast darling to watch during spring training

Spring training is an exciting time. Not only are we that much closer to real baseball, but these few warm-up weeks will serve as an appetizer for the feast to come -- answering burning questions along the way. While the Angels have a number of roles that remain unsettled, spring training will also serve as a preview of exciting prospects who will make an impact a little later down the line.

MLB.com's David Adler recently put together a list of 10 prospects whose Statcast numbers make them players to watch this spring and notable Halos' prospect, George Klassen made the cut. Adler had this to say about the organization's no. 3 ranked prospect:

"Klassen is all power -- his fastball, slider and curveball all have high-end velocity for their respective pitch types, and that trio made him the Angels' No. 3 prospect last year. The 23-year-old averaged 97.3 mph on his four-seamer in the Minors last season, 91.0 mph on his slider and 86.9 mph on his curve. Klassen's breaking balls were especially lethal, holding opposing hitters to a sub-.100 batting average between them and getting whiffs on nearly half of the swings against them. But it still starts with Klassen's heater, which doesn't just sit in the upper 90s but also gets over 14 inches of arm-side run. Any pitcher with three high-speed pitches like Klassen is worth watching in Spring Training, even as a non-roster invitee."

David Adler

Klassen, 23, came to the Halos along with fellow top pitching prospect Sam Aldegheri as part of last year's deadline deal which sent reliever Carlos Estévez to Philadelphia. With only a half-season of minor league action in the Angels' system under his belt, this spring will serve as his coming out party to Angels fans on a larger scale.

George Klassen will need to continue turning tantalizing potential into real-world production

The high-octane, high-spin, and high-movement repertoire Klassen features is enough to make any fan salivate. However, Klassen hasn't always been able to translate that impressive arsenal into real-world production.

A sixth-round pick back in 2023 out of the University of Minnesota, Klassen's collegiate career got off to an inauspicious start when the righty hurler's Tommy John surgery derailed his 2021 season and limited him to just 7.2 innings pitched in 2022. When he returned in 2023, he struggled to throw strikes.

Last season in the minors he showed flashes of how dominant he can be. Across all levels, topping out in AA, he logged 93 innings while striking out an impressive 13.06 batters per 9 innings and posted a 3.10 ERA. The numbers are a little deceiving, however.

After being acquired at the deadline, the Angels followed their tried-and-true strategy, aggressively promoting him to AA Rocket City where he saw his walks balloon to 6.91 per 9 and his ERA rise to 5.65. The sample, 28.2 innings, was small, but those control issues are something to keep an eye on.

Klassen has the makings of a future star, whether that be in the rotation or in the bullpen, though he's unlikely to break camp with a big-league job. However, his appearances in spring training will be high-priority viewing and he is among the leaders of the Halos' impressive collection of young arms, many of whom (Klassen included) will make an impact at some point in 2025.

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