The Los Angeles Angels announced that Werner Blakely, Kyren Paris, and Bryce Teodosio all received invites to the Arizona Fall League.
Blakely had the premier year of the bunch, posting a .917 on-base plus slugging over 55 games for the Single-A Visalia. The 20-year-old shortstop battled injuries for a good portion of the year, but there’s a lot to like about the young prospect, including his speed.
On top of slashing .297/.447/.470 with 20 extra-base hits and 40 RBIs, Blakeley stole 19 bags and was thrown out only once. The former fourth-round pick is making his first appearance in the AFL, and for him, it’s a special honor, via Jesse Borek of MLB.com:
“It definitely was a surprise, but I put in a lot of work,” Blakely, the club’s No. 15-ranked prospect, said. “I work hard and I believe that the Angels believe in me. Selecting me here to the Fall League, that was great to hear. But now the real work begins.”
Another middle infielder, Paris, who played in the first full season of his professional career, rose to Double-A in 2022. Like Blakely, Paris is regarded for his plus speed and carried an above-average OBP through 671 career plate appearances.
The former second-round pick is the Angels 20th ranked prospect, and just another up-and-coming player in general manager Perry Minasian’s farm system.
Teodosio is the outlier for the Angels, and this selection to the AFL is going to serve as a spot to play against some of the game’s best young talent, while also working to find himself. Other speedsters like Paris and Blakely, have doubled their ability to reach base to use their wheels, but Teodosio has struggled to find his own way on base.
Angels draft lottery odds for 2023
With the MLB Playoffs underway and the Angels — for the eighth consecutive season — watching from home, they have time to begin exploring the 2023 MLB Draft class. In prior years, the Angels would automatically be slotted with the 10th overall pick, but things have changed this year.
Due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a draft lottery system has been implemented. Now, all 18 teams that do not make the playoffs take part in a lottery that awards the top six picks in the draft. The remaining 12 are organized by reverse order of record.
The only restrictions to the lottery are that a revenue-sharing team cannot receive a top-six pick more than two years in a row, and a non-revenue-sharing team cannot receive a top-six pick in consecutive years.
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