What to Expect from Angels Infielder Kyren Paris

With a month left in the 2023 MLB regular season, the Angels are set to give one of their top young prospects a look. Angels infielder Kyren Paris has been summoned from the Minors, after he posted an .810 OPS across 113 games in Double-A this season. Here’s a closer look at Paris.

A Look at Paris

Angels infield prospect Kyren Paris was a former second-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2019 MLB Draft. MLB.com ranked Paris as the 50th-best prospect in that draft, thanks to an impressive skillset that included speed, fielding prowess, and the potential to be a solid hitter at the Major League level.

Paris was limited to just 47 games in the 2021 campaign, and struggled early on in the 2022 season before a very strong second half. This season with Rocket City (AA), the 21-year-old hit .255/.393/.417 with 14 home runs, a career-high 38 extra base hits, and 44 stolen bases.

Much like last season, Paris has been better in the second half. The young Angels infielder hit .306 in July, then followed it up with a .284/.452/.420 slash line in August.

Paris is the kind of hitter that could wind up being a leadoff hitter. Not necessarily because of his speed, but rather his ability to get on base. Paris posted a very strong .363 on-base percentage in the 2022 campaign, and an even better .393 OBP with Rocket City this season.

One would expect high walk totals with the high OBP, and that is indeed the case. Paris walked an impressive 17.1% of the time in Double-A this season.

He does strike out a lot, but Paris’ walk potential could make him the kind of player that gets time at the top of the lineup alongside Nolan Schanuel and Mike Trout in the coming season.

Defensively, Paris saw most of his time in the Minors at short but played a fair amount of games at second base. MLB.com gave Paris 50 Field and 55 Arm grades.

Paris got the nod at short on September 1 to begin his career in the Majors.

What it Means for the Angels and Fantasy Outlook

After the Angels officially waved the white flag on the 2023 season and decided to waive several notable names off the roster, Los Angeles now looks ahead to the future.

There are a lot of unknowns in the Angels’ future, but some of those could be answered if Paris does well in his first taste of the Majors. Anaheim has a number of infielders, including Zach Neto, Anthony Rendon, and Gio Urshela, on the IL.

Thus, there’s plenty of room for Paris to get a look this month and help the Angels figure out how exactly the front office needs to approach the offseason, and what options they have.

With Neto out, expect Paris to get time at short and fortify the middle infield alongside Brandon Drury.

As far as Paris’ fantasy outlook is concerned, the young infielder’s bat in the short-term is a question mark. Thus, it’s advised to wait and watch on the 21-year-old.