Angels minor league pitching depth report

In light of the looming MLB draft which is about 1 month away, we bring you part 2 of our look into the Angels' farm system depth.  Part 1 was all about catchers, but with our decimated pitching staff, it seemed right to take on pitchers next.  Unfortunately, aside from Nate Smith, Tyler DeLoach, and Greg Mahle (who has already been called up) - we probably can't expect any pitching help in 2016.

Things get better in 2017 when we have a potentially large capable crop of pitchers who could make their way on to the roster at least by September call-ups, assuming they have a strong 2016/2017.

Of course there are plenty more pitchers in the Angels farm system, but most of them provide depth and don't have much of a big league upside.  The ones who do have the potential to crack the big league roster are sorted by year they could arrive.

2016

Nate Smith, LHP, 24, Salt Lake Bees (AAA)
#3 Prospect in MLB Pipeline
8th Round Pick in 2013
Smith had a rough 2015 in AAA and a rough spring training with the Angels but has been the ace of the Bees staff so far in 2016.  Most see him as a #4 or #5 starter, though with our current rotation, he could slot in the middle to back end of the rotation before the year is over.

Tyler DeLoach, LHP, 25, Arkansas Travelers (AA)
26th Round Pick in 2012
DeLoach had a spring training invite but didn't pitch much.  He's limited on the current big league roster in that his upside is probably as a lefty specialist out of the pen and we already have Mahle. Depending on how his 2016 goes, we could see him up in September, and he may not spend all season in AA.  However, given Scioscia and his roles, and the fact that Mahle is pitching well right now, it's difficult to see his near future precisely.

2017

Victor Alcantara, RHP, 23, Arkansas Travelers (AA) (on 40-man roster)
#4 Prospect in MLB Pipeline
Signed in 2012
Alcantara is said to have the best fastball in the system and can top out around 99MPH.  He's got Garrett Richard like potential, though some see him in middle relief. He threw 5 innings in spring training and gave up 3ER.  Unfortunately, our best chance at a non-back end rotation guy seems destined for the bullpen.

Chris O'Grady, LHP, 26, Salt Lake Bees (AAA)
10th Round Pick in 2012
O'Grady was supposed to be MLB-ready by now.  The Reds recently picked him up as a Rule 5 pick but released him back to the Angels.  He's not having a great season in Salt Lake so far this year, so his target may be 2017.  It's also possible he's reached a peak and will struggle to fit on a major league roster.

Austin Adams, RHP, 25, Arkansas Travelers (AA)
8th Round Pick in 2012 
Adams is the best relief prospect the Angels have in the system.  He is said to have a killer slider (said to be the best pitch in the system), and a 92-95MPH fastball.  He has a career 3.94ERA and .184BAA in the minors.  He has struck out 22 in 15IP so far this season, but has walked 11.

Kyle McGowin, RHP, 24, Salt Lake Bees (AAA)
5th Round Pick in 2013
#16 in MLB Pipeline
McGowin moved up to AAA on May 4th and has the potential to be a #4 or #5 starter.  The Angels have had him on an aggressive path to the majors.  His fastball peaks around 95, and he has a confident, fast breaking slider.  Though doubtful, we could see him as early as September this year - most likely we will see him some time in 2017.

Tyler Carpenter, RHP, 24, Arkansas Travelers (AA)
25th Round Pick in 2014
Carpenter may have been snagged in a later round, but has back of rotation potential.  He moved up from rookie ball in 2014 to AA by this season (on May 5th).  Carpenter's control has been spot on in 2016 with out 4 walks through 38 IP.  He has a minor league career WHIP of 1.21 and an 3.42 ERA with 103 Ks in 121 IP.

Danny Reynolds, RHP, 25, Arkansas Travelers (AA) (on 40-man roster)
6th Round Pick in 2009
Reynolds was claimed off waivers by both the Dodgers and Astros this past off season and made his way back to the Angels.  One of those "fun" round trip baseball stories.  Reynolds has a shot at a big league team some day if he can get his pitches under control.  He's walking almost one batter per inning this year in AA and that won't fly at higher levels.

Alex Blackford, RHP, 25, Arkansas Travelers (AA)
27th Round Pick in 2013
Scouts say he doesn't have a lot of upside and his fastball is in the high 80s.  However, Blackford has adjusted well to AA this year and is the best pitcher the Travelers have at the moment.  He may just end up as minor league depth or trade bait.

2018

Jeremy Rhoades, RHP, 22, Inland Empire 66ers (A Adv)
4th Round Pick in 2014
A very athletic pitcher who puts a lot of stress on his shoulder during pitch delivery.  The Angels need to figure out if he will stay a starter or end up in the bullpen, which he may be better suited for.

Jordan Kipper, RHP, 23, Arkansas Travelers (AA)
9th Round Pick in 2014 
Kipper has moved quickly up from rookie ball and has back end rotation expectation. He is good at getting ground ball outs but doesn't have an overwhelming strike out rate.

Harrison Cooney, RHP, 24, Inland Empire 66ers (A Adv)
6th Round Pick in 2013
Cooney was moved to the bullpen and should be a good back end piece with his high 90s fastball.  He has a good 3-pitch arsenal and a mid 90s fastball.  He's only pitched 1.2 inning so far for the 66ers and has given up 4ER on 5 walks and a hit.

Adam Hofacket, RHP, 22, Burlington Bees (A)
10th Round Pick in 2015
Hofacket has been working out of the bullpen and has some starting potential.  He has had an impressive young career with a 3.38ERA, 1.15WHIP, and 40K in 45.1IP through last season and this one.  He has less than a 1BB per 9 rate, and we may see him in high A later this year.

2018-2019

Joe Gatto, RHP, 20, Burlington Bees (A)
2nd Round Pick in 2014
#6 in MLB Pipeline
Gatto has perhaps the highest potential of all our starter prospects (assuming Alcantara is bullpen bound) and could reach middle rotation, as opposed to the back of rotation potential most of our pitchers have.  He's been a bit inconsistent this year, but is improving and he is only 20.

Jake Jewell, RHP, 22, Inland Empire 66ers (A Adv)
5th Round Pick in 2014
#5 Baseball America Top Prospect
2017 might be a bit aggressive for Jewell, but he could make the cut by season end.  He is starting right now, but may end up int he bullpen.

Grayson Long, 21, RHP, Burlington Bees (A)
3rd Round Pick in 2015
#13 in MLB Pipeline
Long has back end rotation potential and is having an amazing season so far for Burlington.  He was the only pitcher drafted by the Angels in the first 9 rounds of the 2015 draft

Eduardo Paredes, 21, RHP, Inland Empire 66ers (A Adv)
Has been pretty dominant in the minors with a 1.05WHIP, 2.30ERA and 187K in 149IP over his 4 seasons.  Paredes is likely a future setup man or closer.

2019 or No ETA

Kenan Middleton, 22, RHP, Inland Empire 66ers (A Adv)
3rd Round Pick in 2013
Middleton could be an impact middle of the rotation guy but he still needs some refining and better control.

Jaime Barria, 19, RHP, Burlington Bees (A)
Signed out of Panama in 2013
#9 Baseball America Top Prospect
Barria is young and has all the tools but has no MLB ETA at this point.  We'll have to see how he develops.  He has a 2.89 ERA so far this season and has throw two games were he only gave up 1 hit.

Jose Suarez, 18, LHP, AZL Angels (Rok)
#25 in MLB Pipeline
About as green as you get in our farm system.  He pitched 72 innings of rookie ball last year and had a pretty decent showing.  Control is supposed to be his strong point, but he walked 12 and hit 5 batters. Age and nerves probably played a role, so it will be interesting to see how he does in 2016.