This was another rough week for our guys. Back to back series losses to Baltimore and San Diego dropped the team’s overall record to 17 wins and 25 losses, putting them firmly in the basement of the AL West.
One of those losses in San Diego can be blamed firmly on the bullpen. Going into the year, fireballer Ben Joyce was expected to be the setup man for Kenley Jansen but Joyce had shoulder surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year.
That’s not to say that everything this week was bad. Matthew Lugo made his MLB debut and had a heck of a week.
I still can’t believe Perry received Lugo and Zeferjahn for Luis Garcia. Even if the kid never gets another hit, Perry wins that trade by a huge margin.
As far as the Highlight of the Week, that is a very easy call: Taylor Ward’s grand slam in the top of the 9th Monday night in San Diego.
Ward added another home run on Wednesday night to push his season total to 10. Perhaps he can work his way back into trade bait territory. Luis Rengifo also had some quality at bats this week to potentially help his value.
But, the title of this piece is Looking Forward so let’s see what the Angels might have on the horizon.
Walbert Urena is a name with a lot of helium right now. He’s always had the potential for electric stuff but his command wasn’t very good. Something is clicking for him in AA this season and he threw another gem this week.
Over Urena’s last three starts he’s tallied 17 innings of 1.59 ERA ball. The slash line against him in those starts is a ridiculous .143/.262/.161. His 8 run, 1 inning appearance against Montgomery last month will tank his season numbers for for a long time, but progress is what matters at this level and Urena is making it.
Meanwhile, Caden Dana continues to look good at the AAA level. In a league full of high altitude launching pads, Dana is sporting solid traditional numbers with some really nice peripherals. 10.4 K/9 to go against a tidy 3.3 BB/9 is what you want to see from a youngster.
Another young Angels arm, Sammy Natera Jr. gets some love as a diamond in the rough in a piece that also features a catcher the Angels let get away.
Just don’t look at the position player prospects, it gets pretty ugly in a hurry. But there is one standout so far in 2025.
I’m linking this specifically because this is my type of baseball. Get on, steal, and turn two singles into a run. I love this style of ball.
Considering the dearth of overall talent in the organization, the Angels picks in the 2025 draft will be critical to future success. While the draft boards are still very unsettled, mock drafts are beginning to emerge.
ESPN thinks the Angels will take the same guy I do. I really like that piece and think it is worth a read because it breaks down the prospect lists by grades. Prospect hounds might disagree a bit on whether a kid is a 50 or a 45, but it gives you a general ideal of the view of the class.
Just Baseball pegs the Angels to take the very same bat Turk’s Teeth thinks they will take and for the same reasons. Note, this pick is not who Turk’s wants the Angels to take, but who most fits the Angels draft MO.
Meanwhile, MLB Pipeline has the Angels picking a pitcher Nolan has really liked and who is having a great year.
The lack of a consensus is proof that this class is considered to be relatively deep but lacking in true standout star power. There isn’t a Paul Skenes on the board, in fact there might not even by a Dylan Crews on the board. But my non-scout eyes can see there is talent all over the diamond in college, particularly the SEC, so decent players should be available for a couple of rounds.
From around baseball:
Aaron Judge is hitting like Barry Bonds but teams keep pitching to him.
Detroit is on quite a roll and it is fun to watch. They swept Boston on a walk off hit Wednesday. “That’s pure joy” per the night’s hero.
That sweep at the hands of Detroit pushed Boston below .500 for the year and put a smile on my face. There are a lot of questions swirling around the Sox, here are three big ones.
I love the World Baseball Classic. Paul Skenes announced he will pitch for Team USA in next year’s edition.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. No baseball for my little guys this weekend. I do get to get all dressed up for a wedding, though.
