Unexpected prospect might be the Angels' next answer at third base

This is definitely something to keep an eye on, Angels fans
Los Angeles Angels v Cleveland Guardians
Los Angeles Angels v Cleveland Guardians | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

The Angels desperately need their third baseman of the future to emerge in order to round out their infield of Zach Neto, Christian Moore and Nolan Schanuel moving forward, and one of their top prospects who is in the midst of a breakout season conveniently just made a position change. Denzer Guzman, who is the frontrunner for the Angels' minor league player of the year award right now, is starting to take game reps at the hot corner in Rocket City. With Anthony Rendon's contract mercifully expiring after next season and Yoán Moncada and Luis Rengifo's after this season, the Angels might have the best solution to fill that void already in-house.

Unexpected prospect might be the Angels' next answer at third base

Guzman, the Angels' 21-year-old no. 9 prospect in their pipeline, leads the Trash Pandas in doubles, home runs, runs scored, RBIs, XBHs, and total bases. Guzman's prospect status has taken criticism in recent years due to inconsistent hitting, but he was pushed to levels of the minors that caused him to be constantly over-matched. The Angels deploy a sink-or-swim philosophy with their top prospects by promoting them before they are theoretically ready to be given their age and raw talent. Guzman, who slashed .206/.297/.304/.601 last year at Double-A, is now one of the best hitters in the Southern League.

He has a 60-grade arm, which obviously carries over to third base extremely well, and has plenty of glove-work and baseball IQ to take to transitioning from shortstop to third base seamlessly. If the Angels are serious about making Guzman a full-time third baseman, they might just cease the endless carousel of third basemen they have employed since they signed Rendon to a mega-deal before the 2020 season given what he is showing in 2025.

The Angels seemingly love Moncada, but he is a free agent after the season and his durability concerns do not make him the most reliable player. Guzman will be 22 next year, but the Angels clearly love promoting their young players sooner-rather-than later, and he could be a great platoon third base option next year if he continues to rake in northern Alabama. Heck, he might even be able to crack the majors this season should a few things roll his way and he continues to show promise at third base.

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