The Angels’ farm system has gotten a lot busier in a hurry, and the latest Top 30 Prospects list shows why.
A big part of that reshaping started in late June, when interim GM John Mozeliak helped steer the club’s draft direction and the Angels broke from recent habits by using the No. 12 overall pick on Jared Grindlinger, a 17-year-old outfielder from Huntington Beach High School. Mozeliak leaned heavily on scouting director Tim McIlvaine, and the draft class quickly turned into a prospect injection: Georgia Tech second baseman Jarren Advincula in the second round, Texas A&M third baseman Gavin Grahovac in the third, Georgia outfielder Rylan Lujo in the fourth and Oklahoma shortstop Jaxon Willits - the son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits - in the fifth.
All four are now in the club’s Top 30 per MLB Pipeline.
The trade deadline brought even more movement, and for the first time in recent memory the Angels were clear sellers. They moved seven players and landed their biggest return in shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who came over in a three-prospect deal from the Blue Jays for right-hander José Soriano.
Nimmala is now the organization’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 38 overall. He opened strongly at Double-A Rocket City before a hand laceration on a slide home in his second game on Aug. 6, but he was back in the lineup on Saturday.
The Angels also added right-hander Mason McGwire, the son of slugger Mark McGwire, from the Cubs for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. And they filled another important need by getting catcher Jacob Cozart from the Guardians in the deal that sent right fielder Jo Adell out.
That wave of additions comes on top of last year’s No. 2 overall pick, right-hander Tyler Bremner, and the system is being viewed as one that’s on the rise. The boost isn’t just coming from the newcomers, either. Outfielders Hayden Alvarez and Raudi Rodriguez have both put together strong seasons, while pitchers Johnny Slawinski, Trey Gregory-Alford, Dylan Jordan and Talon Haley have all turned in breakout years.
Here’s how the top of the Angels’ list stacks up right now:
- Arjun Nimmala, SS (No.
Tyler Bremner, RHP (No. 46)
- Hayden Alvarez, OF
- Jared Grindlinger, OF
- Johnny Slawinski, LHP
Hayden Alvarez made a strong impression in a 20-game run with Single-A Inland Empire last year, then kept rolling at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. In 96 games there, the 19-year-old native of the Dominican Republic hit .296/.396/.479 with 11 homers, 26 doubles, five triples, 54 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.
He has since moved up to High-A Tri-City, where he is 3 1/2 years younger than the average player in the league. His profile stands out because he brings patience, power and speed together, though he’s still viewed as a few years away from the big leagues.
On the other side of the ledger, Chris Cortez dropped out of the Top 30 after entering the year at No. 13.
The Angels took him in the second round out of Texas A&M in 2024, and the stuff is still there, but the command has not followed. He began this season in the High-A Tri-City rotation and posted a 4.67 ERA with 26 walks in 17 1/3 innings.
The Angels then shifted him to relief and sent him to Double-A Rocket City, where the control issues continued: a 6.11 ERA and 24 walks in 28 innings. He’s only 23, but the path back starts with far better command.
The rest of the newly listed names underscore how much the Angels have changed their prospect picture in a short span: Nimmala at No. 1, Grindlinger at No.
4, Advincula at No. 7, Grahovac at No.
10, McGwire at No. 21, Cozart at No.
22, Lujo at No. 23 and Willits at No. 24.
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