The Angels’ farm system has been a pipeline for the likes of Zach Neto, Ben Joyce, and Nolan Schanuel over the past few years. However, one area where the Angels have tried to focus on over the last five years is starting pitching. Thanks to the likes of Chris Cortez, Ryan Johnson, and George Klassen, the Angels may have their next wave of pitchers.
Inland Empire 66ers
While the 66ers’ team leader in hits was Jorge Ruiz, who was in his third season down in the California League, the real standout was Raudi Rodriguez.
The 22-year-old was drafted in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft as a 20-year-old. Two years later, he posted a strong slash line of .281/.372/.470 with 14 home runs, 14 triples, 49 total extra-base hits, and 38 stolen bases. He cemented his status as a name-to-watch in the AFL after Rodriguez batted .433 over 18 games.
Rodriguez (32.2% Whiff%) possessed a good amount of swing-and-miss in his game. However, that doesn’t diminish the skillset.
As for the pitching staff, the 66ers had two of the best swing-and-miss pitchers in the California League, in relievers Benny Thompson and Jaren Warwick. Thompson, signed out of Troy University, was nearly unhittable with Inland Empire. While he did walk 43, he struck out 100 over 61.1 IP and allowed only one home run.
Peyton Olejnik and Chris Clark, both collegiate pitchers taken in Day 2 of the MLB Draft (Olejnik in 2024, Clark in 2023), averaged over a strikeout per inning. For Clark, who posted a 5.50 ERA, it was his second rodeo in the California League.
Trey Gregory-Alford, a flamethrower out of high school and given a hefty bonus in 2024 to spurn UVA, struck out 20 over 25.1 IP (26.9% Whiff%). The 6’5” right-hander posted a 1.42 ERA and didn’t allow an earned run in the California League after he arrived in late August, after he pitched for the Angels’ ACL affiliate.
Speaking of high-prized high school pitchers, Barrett Kent (23.8% Whiff%) struck out 22 and walked 16 over 27.1 IP. He missed most of 2025 on the injured list.
Dylan Jordan (25.2% Whiff), another projectable arm and a fifth-round pick back in 2024, struck out 30 over 28.2 IP after a strong run in the ACL. Opposing batters hit just .198 off him and posted a 55.9% GB% with Inland Empire.
Tri-City Dust Devils
The Angels have been a team known to push their top MLB Draft picks. Ryan Johnson became the latest to race to the Majors, as the Angels selected his contract in March to have him join Los Angeles’ bullpen.
Johnson’s first foray as a big leaguer didn’t go very well, as the righty posted a 7.36 ERA across 14.2 IP. The Angels optioned him to High-A in May. When Johnson joined Tri-City, he worked as a starter, the role he held as a collegiate pitcher with Dallas Baptist.
His first action as a Minor League starter went very well. Johnson posted a 1.88 ERA across 57.1 IP and struck out 65. Even though Johnson is a sinker/cutter pitcher, he was able to net a lot of swing-and-miss as a Major Leaguer because of his sweeper. Johnson did well in that regard, as his 30.8% Whiff% ranked him in the top-30% of the Northwest League among pitchers.
Johnson also ranked as one of the ten best groundball pitchers in the league.
However, the pitcher with the highest GB% was fellow Angels farmhand Chris Cortez. Cortez, a second-round pick out of Texas A&M, was well-known for his heavy fastball in college, one that regularly hit the upper-90s. The right-hander was the team leader in strikeouts (114, 27.7% Whiff%) and only allowed five home runs over 113.2 IP.
The problem with Cortez, dating back to his college days, has been the walks. Cortez walked 84, and his command may very well dictate whether he’s a starter or reliever long-term.
Austin Gordon (25.1% Whiff%), a fourth-round pick from 2024, didn’t miss a great deal of bats. Nonetheless, Gordon — more of a fly-ball pitcher, compared to his teammates — struck out 95 over 84.1 IP.
As for the offense, seven Dust Devils had double-digit home run totals, including team leader Randy De Jesus, Anthony Scull, and 19-year-old catcher Juan Flores.
For those wondering, Juan Flores did have a lot of swing-and-miss in his game; a 33.5% Whiff% in the Northwest League. He also didn’t walk much, as Flores received 18 free passes over 342 plate appearances.
The 19-year-old only played 89 games in High-A this season. Flores made up for the lost games in the AFL, where he had seven extra-base hits in 19 contests.
The Dust Devils had three of the most egregious swing-and-miss hitters in the NWL this year: Alexander Ramirez, Adrian Placencia, and Randy De Jesus.
Rocket City Trash Pandas
On a team that featured Christian Moore, plus Nelson Rada and Denzer Guzman, pitching took center stage in Alabama.
The Trash Pandas featured three of the top 12 swing-and-miss pitchers in the Southern League: Samy Natera Jr., George Klassen, and Mitch Farris.
We’ll start with Natera Jr., a left-handed reliever who is a fastball/slider pitcher. Natera Jr. struck out 68 over 47.2 IP with Rocket City this past season. However, Natera Jr. had his walk problems, something common with Minor League pitchers & relievers, in general. The 26-year-old walked 31 with Double-A Rocket City and averaged more than a walk per inning in limited time with Triple-A Salt Lake.
Farris, acquired from the Braves in December 2024 for Davis Daniel, became a sneaky find after he pitched very well for High-A Rome two years ago. The left-hander struck out 142 over 116 innings and earned a promotion to Los Angeles on September 1.
The 24-year-old is a three-pitch pitcher, one who averaged 90 MPH on the fastball but also has a high-70s changeup that masks the heater.
Arguably, the biggest name, though, of the three is Klassen.
Forget about Klassen’s 5.35 ERA for a minute. The right-hander, who was acquired alongside Sam Aldegheri for Carlos Estevez in 2024, struck out 126 over 102.2 IP. Klassen also limited the hard contact to a .7 HR/9 with the Trash Pandas.
Klassen has the potential to be a cog in the Angels’ rotation for a long time. Big fastball that sits in the upper-90s. Also possesses a changeup, slider, and curveball.
As for the offense, Christian Moore started slow in Double-A. Moore ended 2024 in Double-A after he was drafted in the first round that June, which put him on the fast track. However, he batted .219/.356/.356 in 21 games this past April.
But eventually, Moore got into a groove and moved to Triple-A in May.
Moving to other notable players, Nelson Rada (.712 OPS, 34 SB) and Denzer Guzman (.749 OPS) both held their own in Double-A. Cole Fontenelle, a big power bat drafted in 2023, had the worst Whiff% (48.9%) in the circuit.
Salt Lake Bees
As per usual, the Salt Lake Bees featured many players with past MLB experience. J.D. Davis, Matthew Lugo, Carter Kieboom, and 2025 home run leader Niko Kavadas were among those who checked that box.
However, there were prospects abound on Salt Lake’s roster.
Christian Moore showed a lot of power. The young infielder had 11 extra-base hits across 30 games and often pounced on mistake pitches in the zone. Moore made his MLB debut in June.
Nelson Rada, who could figure into the outfield equation in 2026 with Taylor Ward in Baltimore, had a monster run in Triple-A. Rada slashed .323/.433/.416 with 10 extra-base hits, a sub-20% Whiff%, and 20 stolen bases in 42 games.
Denzer Guzman, after he was promoted to Triple-A, slashed .262/.366/.454 with six home runs and 13 extra-base hits in 36 games with the Bees before he moved to the Majors. The 21-year-old showed a bit more swing-and-miss (30.4% Whiff%) in Triple-A. Longer stroke and roughly average bat speed, in line with the MLB median.
As for the pitching staff, the one true prospect on their roster was Caden Dana. Dana got hit around a bit in Triple-A, as he conceded 14 home runs over 82 frames. However, some grace should be given, thanks to the environment known as the PCL. The plus? He struck out 85 over 82.
Now, the question heading into 2026 is whether Dana can be a long-term piece.
Early Projected Top 5 for 2026
- Tyler Bremner
- George Klassen
- Ryan Johnson
- Chase Shores
- Nelson Rada
The Angels’ farm system has a lot of “wild-card” prospects, including teenager Joswa Lugo, Cortez, Gregory-Alford, Jordan, and Flores. Because of that, there are a lot of different ways the top ten can be rearranged.
Bremner, who was among the best pitchers in all of college baseball last season, is the clear #1. After that, things get complicated.
Klassen profiles as a big swing-and-miss pitcher, while Johnson could work well long-term as a groundball pitcher now that he settles into a starting pitcher role.
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