The Angels haven’t had a top ten prospect since Shohei Ohtani and that trend will continue this season, as their farm system currently ranks 27th in the MLB.
The Angels do have a couple of intriguing prospects, though, including first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who made his big league debut in 2023 and went 1/4. Although the farm system doesn’t have the same depth and quality as other clubs, the Angels might have some help on the way, especially on the pitching side.
#1: Nolan Schanuel, 1B
Schanuel was the only Angels prospect to crack MLB.com’s top 100 prospect list. He was ranked 95th, mainly for his 60 grade hit tool (on baseball’s preferred 20-80 scale) that prompted the Angels to select him 11th overall out of FAU in the 2023 draft.
Schanuel had a cup of coffee in the big leagues last year, walking more than he struck out and setting an Angels rookie record for reaching base in each of his first 29 games. Schanuel’s lack of power became his biggest problem, though, hitting one home run in 132 plate appearances. This marred his rookie season considerably, since even though his .275 AVG and .402 OBP were great, his 103 OPS+ mark suggests he’s only a slightly above the average hitter. For a first baseman specifically, he needs to display more power going forward.
The good news? Schanuel has a frame for power at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. At Florida Atlantic, Schanuel’s power stats increased each year, so maybe he just needs time to adjust at each level. In his freshman year, he posted a 1.020 OPS and by his junior year, that mark jumped to 1.483. He simultaneously set school records in on-base percentage (.615) and walks in a single season (71) and posted three multi-home run games and 19 home runs overall in his stellar junior season.
He should have a full season to develop his power stroke, as he’s slated to be the Angels’ opening day first baseman. It’s his job to lose and if he makes strides in the home run department, he’ll be the face of the future in Anaheim.
#2: Caden Dana, SP
The 20 year old RHP hasn’t made it past High-A, but there’s a lot for Angels fans to like. When the Angels selected him in the 11th round in the 2022 draft, they paid him well-above the slot value for that pic—a signal to what they hope he might become. His 1.5 million dollar signing bonus set a record for a post-10th round pick and it’s easy to envision what the Angels saw in Dana.
He possesses a strong, projectable build at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds with a developing repertoire. His fastball is mainly in the low-to-mid 90s, but has occasionally touched 97 mph. A 60-grade slider is also featured in his game that sits in the mid-80s and has big swing-and-miss potential. Scouts have expressed concern about the lack of a third pitch, as his changeup and curveball are both average-at-best offerings, but he’ll continue to develop his arsenal especially as a starter.
He generated good strikeout numbers even with an evolving pitch mix. In only 76.2 minor league innings, he struck out 97 hitters—good for a 11.39 strikeouts per nine innings mark (K/9). Those strikeouts do come with a fair share of walks however, as his 3.95 walks per nine innings (BB/9) was on the higher side.
Considering how quickly they promote top prospects to the majors, the Angels are rather surprisingly in no rush to hurry Dana’s development. They’ll be sure that he develops a sufficient pitch mix before bringing him all the way up, but he’s projected to be a mid-to-back end starter who can eat innings at the highest level when he does arrive.
#3: Ben Joyce, RHP
Not many pitchers can bring it like Joyce. At Tennessee, Joyce wowed the baseball world when he topped 105 mph in college. That kind of fastball led the Angels to select him in the third round of the 2022 MLB draft.
Joyce made his Angels debut in 2023 and showcased that top-tier velocity that made him effective in college. He averaged 100.9 mph on his heater, which ranked him second in all of MLB right behind flamethrower Jhoan Duran.
Joyce brings plenty of concerns with him, too. Crucially, his blazing fastball often doesn’t find the strike zone. In 10 innings out of the Angels bullpen, he walked nine hitters and only struck out 10. Usually, high-leverage relievers can get away with higher walk rates as long as their strikeout numbers are top notch. With Joyce, his 9.0 K/9 was promising, but having a near 1:1 K/BB ratio led to a brutal 5.4 ERA.
His slider is also a work in progress as Joyce tries to find a go-to secondary pitch. Having a 100-plus mph fastball is great, but when hitters know it’s coming they have a much easier time squaring it up. The key factor for Joyce heading into 2024 will be honing in on his strike zone command.
Joyce is 6-foot-5 and sits in the 94th percentile for extension towards home plate. That lethal combination makes hitters feel like they’re hitting the ball out of his hand. If Joyce can even leverage mediocre command over his fastball-slider mix, he’ll be a top option for an Angels bullpen that has struggled in years past.