This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ANAHEIM — The Angels’ farm system saw some improvements in 2022, especially after acquiring catcher Logan O’Hoppe from the Phillies in a Trade Deadline deal and drafting shortstop Zach Neto with the No. 13 overall pick in the ’22 MLB Draft.
O’Hoppe, 22, is the club’s No. 1 prospect and dominated at Double-A Rocket City after the trade, hitting .306/.473/.674 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 29 games. It earned him his first promotion to the Majors in late September, and he hit .286 with two RBIs in five games. And Neto, the club’s No. 2 prospect, also excelled with the Trash Pandas, as the 20-year-old hit .320/.382/.492 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games.
General manager Perry Minasian said he believes the Minor League system improved, and that building quality depth with players ready to contribute in the Majors is the ongoing goal.
“I think the best way to break in players is for them to force our hand,” Minasian said. “That’s the goal. That’s the hope. Hopefully, we look down the road, two, three, five years from now and there’s players all over the place and they’re ready to go.”
3 players who forced their way onto the radar this year
1. LHP Eric Torres (No. 28 prospect)
Torres, who was selected in the 14th round of the 2021 Draft out of Kansas State, had a breakout season with Double-A Rocket City, posting a 1.59 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 51 innings. Torres also served as the closer for the Trash Pandas and recorded 22 saves. The 23-year-old has put himself on the radar to be part of the Angels’ bullpen next season.
2. SS Werner Blakely (No. 15 prospect)
Blakely, 20, was a fourth-round pick from Detroit Edison High School in the 2020 Draft but struggled in his first taste of pro ball, hitting .182 in 44 games at Rookie-level Arizona in 2021. But he broke out this season at Single-A Inland Empire, hitting .295/.447/.470 with five homers, 13 doubles, 24 stolen bases and 40 RBIs in 55 games.
3. SS Livan Soto
After struggling in 2021, hitting .218 in 102 games between High-A and Double-A, Soto fell out of the club’s Top 30 prospect list. But Soto worked to get stronger in the offseason and had a strong season at Rocket City, hitting .281 in 119 games. He earned a callup to the Majors in September and made the most of it, batting .400 with one homer, five doubles and nine RBIs in 18 games. He has now put himself in the mix in the middle infield next season.
2 possible breakout players to watch in 2022
1. C Edgar Quero (No. 3 prospect)
Quero, 19, had an incredible season with Class A Inland Empire, hitting .313/.435/.530 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs in 111 games. He’ll continue to move up in the system and could reach Double-A next year. If he hits like he did in ’22, he could become a Top 100 prospect.
2. 2B/SS Kyren Paris (No. 20 prospect)
Paris started off the season slowly offensively but after making some adjustments at the plate, he took off in the second half and earned a promotion to Double-A Rocket City where he hit .359/.510/.614 with three homers and eight RBIs in 14 games. The 20-year-old also earned a spot on the club’s Arizona Fall League roster. He’s likely to start next year at Double-A again and there’s an outside chance he could reach the Majors late next season.
1 big question for next season
The Angels memorably took only pitchers with their 20 selections in the 2021 Draft, and the big question is how they will continue to develop next year. Right-hander Sam Bachman (Los Angeles’ No. 6 prospect) was the No. 9 overall pick in that Draft but dealt with a back issue this season that limited his velocity. But second-rounder Ky Bush (No. 4) had a strong year with Rocket City, posting a 3.67 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 103 innings, and he could make his Major League debut next year. Right-hander Chase Silseth (No. 7), an 11th-round selection, was the first player from that Draft class to reach the Majors and could compete for a spot in the rotation in Spring Training. Torres was also part of that class and is likely to be in the Majors next year.
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