The Los Angeles Angels are focused solely on development for the final month of the 2024 season. And in that spirit, they are calling up two of their top prospects to start on the mound this weekend against the Seattle Mariners. Caden Dana (No. 1, MLB No. 74) and Samuel Aldegheri (No. 8) are getting the call to the big leagues.
These moves shouldn’t be a surprise, as the Angels are notable for their aggression in bringing players up from the minors. Dana has been the team’s No. 1 prospect all season, and with pitching injuries and struggles being what they were, it was only a matter of time before they turned to Dana.
Manager Ron Washington spoke about what he’s looking forward to with the debut of MLB Pipeline’s No. 74 overall prospect on Sunday, according to Brent Maguire of MLB.com:
“Well, he earned it,” Angels manager Ron Washington said Thursday after the Halos’ 3-0 win against Detroit, “so, we’re going to give him the ball. And I’m looking forward to watching him pitch. I saw him in Spring Training, and he’s gained a lot more experience pitching. It’ll be nice to see where he is.”
Aldegheri, meanwhile, gets the nod on Friday night. The Angels acquired the right-hander from the Philadelphia Phillies as one of the two returning pieces from the Carlos Estévez trade. The other pitcher they landed — George Klassen (No. 3) remains in the minor leagues.
Washington is excited to learn more about Aldegheri as a pitcher and a person in the big leagues.
“I don’t know much about [Aldegheri],” Washington said, “but he’s coming up and he’s pitching [Friday night]. I’m looking forward to watching him. We’ve got great reports on him. But I’m looking forward to the kid coming up and getting his feet wet, and see how he handles himself.”
The Angels are going to see what they have in both of these pitchers over the final month of the season as the organization starts making plans for 2025. If all goes well, L.A. can have a refreshed pitching core heading into what is likely to be another retooling campaign.
Angels starting rotation after call ups
The Angels’ starting rotation for the temporary future — at least the next five games — is virtually unrecognizable from the rotation that began the season. Only Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning remain, with Patrick Sandoval undergoing Tommy John surgery, Jose Soriano and Chase Silseth on the IL and Reid Detmers in the minors.
Aldegheri, Anderson, Dana, Canning and Jack Kochanowicz are the starters for the next five games.