Angels Prospect Has 'Star-Level Upside': Report

The Los Angeles Angels might not have the best overall farm system in the league. In fact, they're generally considered one of the worst.

That doesn't mean the organization is without any premier young talent. 

As prospect list-makers continue to keep tabs on the Angels' system, we should see outfielder Nelson Rada work his way up the lists. Rada was the number-3 prospect for the Halos according to Baseball Prospectus, and number-2 according to The Athletic. Baseball America named him the Angels' minor league player of the year for 2023.

Rada, 18, is still so young and has a ton of promise. The ceiling is high for the young prospect, so much so that The Athletic's Keith Law believes Rada has 'star-level upside.' 

Here's what Law had to say about the young outfielder. 

Rada’s the only prospect from the Angels’ full-season affiliates last year who I can reasonably say has star-level upside. He’s an above-average center fielder right now and a plus runner, although he could end up moving to a corner depending on how his body develops. He knows how to work an at-bat, rarely chasing even against older pitchers, and gets the bat head to the zone on time, although it’s a flatter swing that has put a lot of his balls in play on the ground the last two years. He’s stronger than the slugging percentage implies, so there’s reason to hope that some swing work can get him to hit the ball in the air more and add some game power. If that happens, he’s a top 100-ish prospect, especially the longer he stays in center.

^{— Keith Law, via The Athletic}

He only has one at-bat, two stolen bases, and a .500 OPS through two games in his first major league spring training. 

Rada hails from Valencia, Venezuela. He was the headliner of the Angels' 2022 international signing class and was promoted to Class-A Inland Empire at the young age of 17. 

Rada has acquitted himself well, slashing .285/.410/.371 with a .781 OPS, three home runs, 74 RBIs, and 172 hits in 603 at-bats the last two years. He immediately made an impression with his tools and feel for the game.

There's still a ton of room for growth, as he needs to add strength. However, Rada holds all the intangibles to be great at the next level with age and time on his side. 

Rada could be one of the Angels' top players in the coming future. With the way the Halos bring up their young prospects, we could see Rada sooner rather than later.