Los Angeles Angels Prospects: 2024 Midseason Top 30 Update

Notable Risers 

Juan Flores, C

One of Venezuela’s best defensive amateur catchers in 2023, Flores signed with the Angels for $280,000 and has lived up to the defensive hype while also showing a chance to hit. He now figures to produce enough offensively to project as a full-time regular. He made plenty of contact in his Dominican Summer League debut in 2023 and followed it up by hitting .280/.345/.425 in 48 games for Low-A Inland Empire this season. He earned a promotion to High-A Tri-City at age 18.

Dioris De La Rosa, RHP

Signed for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, De La Rosa has had a stellar start to his professional career in the Dominican Summer League. Through his first five starts, he has allowed two runs in 25 innings with 25 strikeouts and eight walks. Notably, he tossed six perfect innings in his fifth start. The 17-year-old has a workhorse frame at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and has sat 92-96 mph with his fastball this summer.

Cole Fontenelle, 3B

The Angels’ seventh-rounder out of TCU last year blossomed into a pop-up prospect as a 22-year-old after a strong showing at spring training in 2024. Fontenelle played first base exclusively in his draft year in deference to Rays 2023 first-rounder Braden Taylor and 2024 draft prospect Anthony Silva, but he is back at the hot corner in pro ball. He shows fundamental defense with a solid-average arm. He was hitting .278 with a .821 OPS with Double-A Rocket City before breaking his fibula in two places and tearing his left deltoid ligament on May 4 after a violent slide into second base that required season-ending surgery.

Randy De Jesus, OF

De Jesus was a physically advanced, power-projection player when the Angels signed him for $1.2 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2022. He performed well in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League but had a lackluster U.S. debut in 2023 while dealing with lower body injuries and seeing his power zapped by excessive swing-and-miss. Though he still strikes out, the power and performance have returned for the 19-year-old at Low-A Inland Empire. He hit .275 in his first 60 games with eight home runs. De Jesus will have to cut down his aggression to frequently tap into his near plus-plus raw power.

Notable Fallers

Victor Mederos, RHP

Despite an up-and-down amateur career at Miami and Oklahoma State, Mederos held solid prospect status because of the raw arm talent that prompted the Angels to draft him in the sixth round in 2022. Continuing to stand out for pure stuff over performance into his first full season, he received scattered call-ups to Anaheim in 2023. Returning to Double-A Rocket City in 2024, Mederos’ performance remained humdrum while his stuff regressed. The 23-year-old has been pitching with a lower arm slot in 2024—which was a positive development for fellow Rocket City righthander Jack Kochanowicz in 2023—and it’s resulted in a drop in velocity by a few ticks.

Jorge Ruiz, OF

Signed for just $10,000 out of Venezuela four months into the 2021 international signing period, Ruiz developed into a tweener prospect by hitting over .300 in both 2022 and 2023 (albeit with well below-average power). He played nearly exclusively in left field in 2023 in deference to Nelson Rada in center field and sustained a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery. The 20-year-old fared OK defensively in center field this season but struggled to make frequent contact at High-A Tri-City, hitting .150 with a 21% strikeout rate. He was demoted to Low-A Inland Empire in late June.

Alberto Rios, C/OF

A reserve his first two years at Stanford, Rios earned a starting role as a junior in 2023 and became the PAC-12 Conference player of the year. That spurred his draft stock and landed him with the Angels in the third round last year. Most were surprised to see him struggle offensively after the draft. He hit just .181 in 33 games with Low-A Inland Empire. During instructional league, Rios moved from the outfield to catcher, with positive markers to his defense. But his bat continued to flounder at High-A Tri-City in 2024, where he was hitting .140 with a .399 OPS. The 22-year-old has been limited to just 14 games this season after sustaining a hand injury on May 2 that landed him on the 60-day injured list.

Jordyn Adams, OF

The Angels’ first-round pick in 2018, Adams has always had elite athleticism, but his raw baseball skills have not translated in five years of development. He got a brief call-up to the Angels in 2023 but has spent the bulk of his past two seasons at Triple-A Salt Lake. There are still power and speed tools at the premium defensive position of center field, however, the 24-year-old has yet to harness them consistently and has been a below-average performer at every stop above Low-A.

Notable New Additions

20. Cole Fontenelle, 3B

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Fontenelle began his collegiate career at Washington then transferred to  McLennan JC in Texas before settling at Texas Christian in 2023, his draft year. He was a key figure in the Horned Frogs’ postseason run, batting .352 with a 1.112 OPS. The Angels liked Fontenelle’s performance and tools, drafting him in the seventh round that year. He hit well after the draft but blossomed into a prospect after a strong showing at 2024 spring training. Assigned to Double-A Rocket City this year, his season ended after 22 games with a leg injury.

Scouting Report: Fontenelle is a wiry 6-foot-3, 205-pound corner infielder. He is a switch-hitter whose swing is more natural from the right side. Starting with a simple load, he fires his hands through the zone with good bat speed to produce solid-average power. He’s shown good hitting ability from the right side with full zone coverage and barrel manipulation; he is longer and more explosive from the left side. An average runner with athletic strides, Fontenelle is quick out of the box and aggressive on the basepaths, taking the extra base when warranted. After playing first base exclusively at TCU  in deference to Rays first-rounder Braden Taylor and 2024 draft prospect Anthony Silva, Fontenelle returned to third base in pro ball and has shown fundamental hands and fine athleticism with a strong arm.

The Future: Fontenelle suffered a season-ending leg injury that required emergency surgery in May and will not see the field until 2025. With his blend of offensive tools and defensive versatility, he fits a corner bench profile once he returns to the diamond.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45 | Power: 45 | Speed: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50

21. Joe Redfield, OF

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: After hitting .402 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases his junior season at Sam Houston State, Redfield was the Angels’ fourth-round pick in 2023. Joe McIlvaine, the father of Angels scouting director Tim McIlvaine, drafted Redfield’s father of the same name for the Mets in 1982. The elder Redfield played in 12 MLB games in 1988 and 1991, with one coming for the Angels. The junior Redfield suffered a concussion last summer that ended his pro debut after 15 games. Splitting time between Low-A Inland Empire and High-A Tri-City this season, Redfield has continued to hit, run, and field at a fine rate.

Scouting Report: Redfield is a toolsy, lefthanded-hitting outfielder who stands in at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He has short levers that allow solid barrel control, helping him make frequent contact with a level plane swing that covers the whole zone. This swing plane inhibits his over-the-fence power, which is fringy at best, and he lets his natural contact and strength produce hard-hit balls to the gaps. Redfield controls the zone well with a balanced approach. An above-average runner, he is a modest base stealer who covers plenty of ground in the outfield. More fundamental than skilled, he has a chance to stay in center field.

The Future: Redfield will have to tap into more power and potentially change his swing plane to do so, but his ability to hit for average and man all three outfield positions give him a shot to be a fourth outfielder.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50 | Power: 40 | Speed: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 45

24. Randy De Jesus, OF

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Very High

Track Record: The Angels spent a tick more than $3 million on outfielders in the 2022 international signing period, with Venezuelan Nelson Rada getting $1.85 million and De Jesus signing for $1.2 million out of the Dominican Republic. After a solid pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, De Jesus scuffled in the Arizona Complex League the following summer while battling lower body injuries. Healthy this season at Low-A Inland Empire, his power returned with eight home runs in 60 games.

Scouting Report: De Jesus is a strong, big-bodied, righthanded-hitting outfielder with power. Adding more mass to his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, the 19-year-old has tapped into his above-average power potential more regularly with a strong swing and good extension. His swing can get long, which creates timing issues, and his aggressive approach has led to notable swing-and-miss. De Jesus has a power-over-hit profile and doesn’t project to hit for much average. Slimmer than when he signed while maintaining his strength, he is an average runner with enough arm strength to profile in right field.

The Future: De Jesus may not hit enough to play every day, but the alluring power could serve well in an outfield platoon.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 40 | Power: 55 | Speed: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50

27. Dioris De La Rosa, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Very Hight

Track Record: De La Rosa signed for $300,000, the highest bonus among pitchers in the Angels’ 2024 international signing class. He has been a fantastic performer at the start of his pro career with a progressively budding arsenal.

Scouting Report: De La Rosa is physically advanced 17-year-old with a workhorse 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame. His fastball velocity has spiked from touching 92 mph to now sitting 91-94 and frequently touching 95-96 early in outings. He complements his heater by showing solid feel for a tight slider that projects to be above-average. He also has a changeup that is in the early stages of development. He has already solid control and should have average-or-better command.

The Future: De La Rosa has already shown solid signs of becoming a workhorse starter, though he is years from reaching that mark.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50

Significant Injuries

Sam Bachman, RHP

The Angels’ 2021 first-rounder made his MLB debut in 2023 after back spasms held him to just 84 minor league innings across three seasons. He made 11 relief appearances last season before experiencing shoulder inflammation that required arthroscopic cleanup surgery in October. During his throwing progression this spring, Bachman’s back spasms flared up again and delayed his 2024 debut to late May. He joined the Double-A Rocket City rotation on June 13 and hit 99 mph in his season debut while sitting 95-97.

Kelvin Caceres, RHP

A power reliever with three swing-and-miss pitches and below-average control, Caceres received a final-week callup to the Angels in 2023. He made two relief appearances. Caceres was expected to be a moving part of the Angels’ 2024 bullpen, but during spring training he injured his right latissimus dorsi muscle resulting season-ending surgery in late March. He is expected to have a full return near the start of spring training in 2025.

Cole Fontenelle, 3B

Fontenelle tore his left deltoid ligament and broke his fibula in two places while sliding into second base on May 4. He had immediate surgery in Birmingham. There is no timetable for his return to Double-A Rocket City.

Alberto Rios, C/OF

Playing for High-A Tri-City, Rios grabbed his left wrist after a foul ball on May 2 and was removed from the game after an inning behind the plate. He did not play after that and was placed on the 60-day injured list on May 30.

Kyren Paris, SS

The 2019 second-round pick has steadily worked his way up the depth chart to get 36 combined games with the Angels in 2023 and 2024. Scuffling at the plate this season, Paris was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he had a .731 OPS in 18 games. On June 29, he was removed from his at-bat with a lower-body injury after a bunt attempt on the first pitch of the game. He was placed on the injured list three days later.