The Los Angeles Angels made another round of Spring Training roster cuts involving top prospects Zach Neto, Edgar Quero, Kyren Paris and Jeremiah Jackson being optioned to the Minor Leagues.
Victor Mederos, Mason Erla, Eric Torres, Coleman Crow, Jhonathan Diaz and Nash Walters were assigned to Minor League camp as well. Each of which will still be eligible to participate in games this spring despite no longer being on the big league side of camp.
Neto was the biggest name in camp among prospect name power, and the 2022 first-round pick was overmatched during his Cactus League appearances. He posted a .564 on-base plus slugging in 18 at-bats, registering just three hits.
Quero was recently ranked the No. 10 catching prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline after a stellar 2022 season with Single-A Inland Empire that saw him bat .312/.435/.530 with 35 doubles and 85 runs scored in 111 games.
Paris played at three levels in the Angels Minor League system last season, reaching Double-A to end the year while having solid success. This spring he continued that trend, posting a .881 OPS with seven RBI and four runs scored.
The 21-year-old is quickly making a solid name for himself and reinforced his spot among the Angels best infield options.
Crow pitched in Double-A during 2022, earning an invitation to Major League Spring Training. He struggled in four outings, allowing three earned runs over four innings of work. The right-hander failed to register more than one strikeout in as many games.
The 26-year-old Diaz was stellar in camp, and his option to the minors could simply be a numbers game. In seven innings with the Angels this spring he registered six punchouts with just four hits allowed. On March 8 against the Colorado Rockies, he allowed three hits and one unearned run.
Diaz has been with the Angels in Major League Baseball in both 2021 and 2022, couple that with his success this spring and it’s safe to assume he’ll be back with the big club soon enough.
Erla is a former 17th-round pick of the Angels in 2021, and in three games in camp, he posted a 1.80 ERA across five innings. The young right-hander will require some more time in the minors before he’s ready to make a sure impact at the MLB level.
Jackson slots in as the club’s No. 13 prospect, and after a difficult 2022 season with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas, his inclusion at big league Spring Training was a solid boost in his development.
Through 15 Cactus League at-bats, he logged four base hits, including one homer and two runs batted in. Still, at just 22 years of age, Jackson’s demotion was expected.
Mederos is one of the youngest of the bunch at 21 years old, pitching at High-A in 2022. In 2.2 innings pitched, he didn’t allow a run and punched out three, but against the Dodgers, on March 10 he surrendered three walks leading to two unearned runs.
Torres didn’t have much of an impact this spring, appearing in three games for the Angels, allowing one earned run, and walking three. He didn’t flash much swing-and-miss stuff, logging just one in 2.2 innings pitched.
Walters opened camp with two shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres but allowed his first earned run against the Dodgers on March 10. In 2.1 innings pitched he allowed two walks and four hits.
Angels catcher Max Stassi working on catching stance
Among Angels players looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season is Max Stassi, who endured one of the worst offensive showings of his career.
Stassi at one point was mired in a 4-for-72 slump and finished the year with a .180/.267/.303 batting line and 112 strikeouts across 102 games, taking full blame for his struggles and said this past September that his play was “way below” his standards.
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