Los Angeles Angels: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018
We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the Los Angeles Angels!
Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Los Angeles Angels.
This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.
The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!
Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.
System overview
Few farm systems have seen as much improvement recently in one year as the Angels system from 2017 to 2018. Going into 2017, the Angels were among the 3 worst teams in the game, and while they’re not among the best now, they’ve certainly moved up to one of the top half in the league.
While part of that is on the back of a guy (Ohtani) who won’t be on this list very long as he’s going to be in the major leagues right away on opening day, there is still exceptional depth that doesn’t even make this list, guys that could see the majors this year as a fill-in starter in the rotation or play a significant bullpen role, quality bench pieces, etc.
Angels fans should be very pleased with their new front office as well, as their last two drafts have absolutely nailed the value in their spot. If they can develop some of the raw talent that they picked, this system could continue on its way up, even without Ohtani.
Let’s take a look at that system….
Next: #9 and #10