The Los Angeles Angels farm system posted an 18-24 record overall last week. The Angels made a flurry of moves that included promotions for top prospects Reid Detmers, Chris Rodriguez, and Jo Adell. Detmers made his major league debut against the Oakland Athletics last Sunday. Although he struggled, his stuff and overall polish had Angels fans dreaming about the future. Rodriguez started the season in the majors before being sent down to get stretched out. He faired much better than Detmers, going six strong innings against the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Triple-A: Salt Lake City Bees (36-41)
Last week: 2-5
Salt Lake City was in constant turnover last week. Position players Taylor Ward, Matt Thaiss, Luis Rengifo, Kean Wong, and Jo Adell all moved between the Angels Triple-A club and the major leagues. This comes just weeks after Brandon Marsh made his major league debut. The group has been incredible for Triple-A this season. Adell went on one final hot streak before (hopefully) leaving Salt Lake City for good. His last five games saw him hit .500 over 18 at-bats, including four straight games with a home run. Gavin Cecchini steadied the club over the last month, slashing .390/.434/.481/.914 after struggling mightily in Double-A.
The dog days of summer were felt by the Bees pitching staff. The Bees’ record last week was mostly due to a staff that cannot limit opposing offenses to less than eight runs. Triple-A West is notorious for the high offensive output and last week was no exception. Jose Quijada was the Bees’ best pitcher this season and the Angels once again called him up. He had two scoreless appearances upon his return to Anaheim.
Double-A: Rocket City Trash Pandas (37-38)
Last week: 3-3
The Angels farm system has seen multiple players excel upon promotion to a new level. Brendon Davis definitely fits into that category. Davis continued his torrid July upon his promotion to Double-A, finishing the month with a sterling .294/.333/.676/1.009 slash line. Just as important, Davis has shown his versatility by playing all over the infield on defense. Luis Aviles Jr. continues to show his pop by hitting three home runs last week. Aviles Jr. has struggled to get on base but his excellent slugging numbers should help him move up the minor-league ladder.
Jhonathan Diaz finished off his amazing July with a complete game on July 27. Over the course of the month, the lefty pitched three times for a total of 18 innings and struck out 27 with a 2.00 ERA. The Angels could look to move Diaz to Salt Lake City after another quality start. Ryan Smith was promoted for the second time this season upon his move to Rocket City. He had a solid first start for the club, going six innings and allowing three earned runs. Smith cruised through A-ball and Angels fans are hoping his success continues in Double-A. Davis Daniel continues to bounce back from a difficult start in Double-A. He struck out ten over six innings and allowed one earned run on seven hits. He’s lowered his Double-A ERA from 7.36 to 3.93 over his last two starts.
High-A: Tri-City Dust Devils (31-47)
Last week: 3-4
The Dust Devils averaged less than four runs a game over the last week. The Angels farm system added more than twenty undrafted free agents since the MLB Draft. Five of those were sent to Tri-City over the last ten days, yet that wasn’t enough to improve the offense. The team also added one-time star prospect Kevin Maitan to the roster. Only 21, the Angels are hoping the ex-phenom can add a positive contribution to the Angels farm system.
Robinson Pina shined on the mound for the Dust Devils. In two starts, the Angels’ #15 prospect struck out 20 batters over 11 1/3 innings, allowing only two runs. Pina struggled in High-A to begin the season before the Angels sent him down to Low-A. He destroyed the league over four starts, posting a 1.19 ERA in 22 2/3 innings. Since his return to High-A, Pina has steadily improved. His promotion to Double-A seems imminent. Luis Alvarado was amazing in his first start of the season, throwing five shutout innings while allowing only three baserunners. Lastly, Dakota Donovan was finally promoted to High-A after posting a 1.70 ERA over 23 appearances for Inland Empire.
Low-A: Inland Empire 66ers (39-38)
Last week: 1-5
The 66ers did their best Tri-City impression by scoring only twenty runs over their last six games. Undrafted free agent Cade Cabbiness tried to do his part by hitting two home runs in his first four career games. Yet, it wasn’t enough as Inland Empire lost five of six games. Regular contributors Edwin Yon and Braxton Martinez struggled over the last week limiting the team’s offensive output.
Julio Goff looked good in his lone appearance last week. The 21-year-old threw three shutout innings to lower his ERA to 3.55 on the season. Goff’s season is even more impressive than his solid ERA as the team has moved him in and out of the rotation all year long. Currently, it looks like the organization plans on keeping him as a reliever going forward. Emilker Guzman posted a microscopic 0.87 ERA in the month of July to lower his season total to 2.13. While it seems he should be on the next train to Tri-City, Guzman did have a 1.45 WHIP over the month, the worst month of his season.
Angels Farm System: Rookie Ball In the Arizona Complex League (ACL) and the Dominican Summer League (DSL)
ACL Last week: 6-3
DSL Last week: 3-4
The Angels farm system has a strong group of exciting young players in their Rookie-level affiliates. Yet, the most exciting might be #5 prospect Kyren Paris, who is rehabbing in Arizona. Paris has overmatched his contemporaries with a 1.053 OPS in four games. He should be back in Inland Empire soon. Edgar Quero continues to shine behind the plate for the ACL Angels. The 18-year-old Cuban has put up a 1.109 OPS over his first 18 career games.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Reid Detmers, Chris Rodriguez, Jo Adell, Taylor Ward, Matt Thaiss, Luis Rengifo, Kean Wong, Gavin Cecchini, Jose Quijada, Brendon Davis, Luis Aviles, Jhonathan Diaz, Ryan Smith, Davis Daniel, Kevin Maitan, Robinson Pina, Luis Alvarado, Dakota Donovan, Cade Cabbiness, Edwin Yon, Braxton Martinez, Julio Goff, Emilker Guzman, Kyren Paris, Edgar Quero
