The Los Angeles Angels’ Double-A affiliate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, entered Saturday with a slightly more than routine performance ahead against the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate was not only getting the Trash Pandas on a night when No. 3 prospect George Klassen was starting on the mound, they were also seeing the return of No. 2 and top-100 prospect Christian Moore.
Moore had been out since the end of August after suffering a minor meniscus injury, but took just two weeks to return to the lineup. Klassen — the premier acquisition by the Angels at the trade deadline from the Philadelphia Phillies — was trying to clean up what has been a difficult transition statistically to the Angels organization. He posted a 7.23 ERA in his first five starts.
And the Lookouts got a full taste of why Moore and Klassen are the two best Angels’ prospects still currently in the minor leagues.
Starting with Klassen, who turned around his Trash Pandas stint in a massive way. He tossed six shutout, no-hit innings allowing only one walk. He had a perfect game through five innings. He struck out 12 of the 18 batters he faced. And Moore had huge praise for his teammate after the game, via Kenny Van Doren of MLB.com:
“That kid can have a really bright future,” Moore said. “He’s kind of like a [Caden] Dana, can definitely be in the league within a blink of an eye, could definitely dominate. … I’m so excited I don’t have to face him because I was looking at the TrackMan today like, ‘Jeez Louise, I’m so glad I’m not in the box against him.'”
It was fortunate Moore didn’t have to face Klassen. Because then he likely wouldn’t have been able to go 3-for-4 with a walk and a pro-best four RBI. It’s his 11th multihit game and fourth three-hit game in just 25 professional appearances. Moore is slashing .347/.400/.584 in a blistering start to his career.
Klassen returned the favor with some nice things to say about his fellow top prospect.
“He’s a dude,” Klassen said. “He’s a guy you don’t want stepping in the box. He’ll get you your work every time, so it’s good having him on my team, good to see him play.”
The Angels are hopeful that — potentially as soon as 2025 — Moore and Klassen will be up with the Angels together, alongside Caden Dana and some of the other rapidly-ascending top prospects. And with that, they can usher in a new and exciting era of Angels baseball to forget the disappointment of the past decade.
Angels’ Jo Adell feels he’s found something
The 2024 campaign was a pivotal one for the career arc of Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell. Out of minor league options, the Angels had to either trade, waive or keep the volatile slugger on the active roster for the entire season. They opted to go with the third option, giving him full runway to fight through mistakes and adjust at the plate.
His season was defined by one major switch in his approach. Manager Ron Washington, in late July, had Adell scrap his leg kick in favor of a toe tap. Adell had a .649 OPS prior to the switch, and posted a .771 in the month after before his season ended due to an oblique injury.
Adell’s final slash line in 2024 was .207/.280/.402 with a .682 OPS and a career best 89 OPS+ in 130 games. While those numbers don’t stand out by any means as Adell enters his arbitration years, he feels he found something with the toe tap that he can use in 2025.