Joel Hurtado

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #21 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: Angels international scouts discovered the 21-year-old Hurtado late in the 2022 signing period and the team signed him for just $10,000. Hurtado was passable in his Dominican Summer League pro debut in 2022, but struggled stateside in 2023 with Low-A Inland Empire.
  
  Scouting Report: Hurtado is a strong, lean righthanded pitcher with two above-average pitches. He works primarily off his power sinker that sits 95-99 mph with considerable armside run, with the ability to hold peak velocity deep into outings. Still maturing physically, he could add more strength to his lean frame and see his fastball flirt with triple digits more regularly in shorter stints. His mid-to-upper-80s slider flashes plus and is his primary swing-and-miss offering. The pitch dramatically improved under the tutelage of Angels development coach Elmer Dessens, showing more depth than sweep. He’ll alter the shape and velocity of his breaking ball, turning it into a fringe-average downer curve that he uses in lieu of a changeup. With a basic three-quarters delivery, Hurtado operates around the zone with fringe-average control, while improvements to his breaking ball command could turn his control into average.
  
  The Future: Hurtado has back-of-the-rotation upside if he can find a true third pitch, but his two above-average pitchers provide a fallback as a potential quick-moving, multi-inning power reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Control: 45