2021-22 International Reviews: Los Angeles Angels

Image credit: Nelson Rada

Soon after the Angels hired Perry Minasian to be their general manager in November 2020, Minasian hired Brian Parker—who had been with the Dodgers the previous four years as an international crosschecker and was the Blue Jays scouting director before that—as the organization’s international scouting director. For the most part, this year marked the first full signing class under the club’s new international scouting group.

Top Of The Class

Venezuelan outfielder Nelson Rada was extremely young for the 2021-22 international class, to the point where had he been born eight days later, he would have had to wait until the following year to sign. The son of a former professional basketball player in Venezuela, Rada was a skinny 5-foot-9 outfielder early on in the scouting process, but he has grown a few inches since then. Rada is young but his instincts for the game have long stood out for his age, including while playing for Venezuela at the U-15 World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2019. Rada takes a short swing from the left side with a selective approach for his age. He has doubles power that has ticked up as he’s gotten stronger, and while there should be more to come, his offensive game should be centered around his on-base skills. He’s a solid-average runner in center field whose defense is enhanced by his first-step quickness and ability to get good reads off the bat.

Early on during the scouting process in the Dominican Republic, outfielder Randy De Jesus stood out for his power potential as a 6-foot-3 righthanded hitter. He bolstered his stock as he got himself into better shape, leading to a $1.2 million deal with the Angels. De Jesus improved his conditioning while retaining his ability to drive the ball for damage when he made contact. He has a chance to develop above-average power, already hammering the ball with impact relative to his peers. De Jesus doesn’t have the same pure contact skills as Rada, but scouts highest on him believed in his ability to translate that power against live pitching. What De Jesus does in the batter’s box will drive his value, as he’s a corner outfielder with below-average speed.

Names To Know

Nixon Encarnacion, RHP, Dominican Republic: Encarnacion developed into one of the better pitching prospects in the Dominican Republic when the Angels signed him. He’s already up to 94 mph with projection to grow that fastball once he fills out his 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame. Encarnacion is an athletic mover on the mound with a starter look and three-pitch mix, with a curveball that’s more advanced than his changeup now, but with feel for his changeup as well.

Luis Rodriguez, SS, Venezuela: Rodriguez is an athletic shortstop with a good chance to stick there. An average runner with a 55 arm, Rodriguez has a line-drive stroke and solid bat-to-ball skills for a young shortstop whose biggest need is adding more strength to his slender build, something that could help his tools start to tick up.

Dario Laverde, C, Venezuela: Laverde had been in the outfield but began focusing on catching full time around two years ago. His lefthanded-hitting ability stands out the most, but he should stick behind the plate, too, as he’s an athletic catcher with good footwork and an average arm that could improve once he gets stronger.

Manuel Cazorla, LHP, Venezuela: Cazorla has an athletic, projectable build (6-foot-2, 170 pounds) to add to a fastball that touches 90 mph. He lands his fastball for strikes and keeps hitters off balance with a changeup that’s advanced for his age.

Sadiel Baro, LHP, Cuba: Baro has similar size (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) to Cazorla and might be a little more advanced with his pitchability. He attacks hitters with a fastball/curveball combination, reaching 92 mph with his fastball and showing feel for spin on his curveball that could develop into an out pitch for him.

Capri Ortiz, SS, Dominican Republic: Ortiz is an athletic shortstop with a slender build (6 feet, 150 pounds) and plus speed that has a chance to tick up once he gets stronger. He’s physically behind a lot of his peers, so strength gains will be key for Ortiz, who has a line-drive swing with gap power from the right side and the actions to play in the middle infield.

Sleeper Watch

Coming from Panama, righthander Marco Vega didn’t get quite as much attention as some of his counterparts from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela, but he’s an intriguing sleeper with starter traits and projection. He moves well on the mound with good mechanics and a fastball that has hit 92 mph. He has plenty of room to add weight to his 6-foot-2, 165-pound build, giving him a chance to be throwing in the mid 90s eventually. Vega has a three-pitch mix, with his curveball ahead of his changeup.