Angels' restocked farm system reflected in new Top 30 Prospects list

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ANAHEIM -- One of the main goals for interim GM John Mozeliak has been to infuse young talent into the Angels' organization to build a winning franchise in the long term.

His first major task after being hired in late June was helping lead the direction for the MLB Draft, which saw the Angels buck recent trends by taking 17-year-old outfielder Jared Grindlinger from Huntington Beach High School with the No. 12 overall pick. Mozeliak leaned heavily on scouting director Tim McIlvaine, as the Angels also took several highly touted college players such as Georgia Tech second baseman Jarren Advincula in the second round, Texas A&M third baseman Gavin Grahovac in the third, Georgia outfielder Rylan Lujo in the fourth and Oklahoma shortstop Jaxon Willits (son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits) in the fifth.

All are now ranked among the club’s Top 30 prospects per MLB Pipeline and Mozeliak added to that list with the Angels being clear sellers at the Trade Deadline for the first time in recent memory. They traded away seven players with their biggest return being shortstop Arjun Nimmala as part of a three-prospect haul from the Blue Jays for right-hander José Soriano.

Nimmala is now the club’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 38 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline and got off to a strong start at Double-A Rocket City before sustaining a hand laceration on a slide home in his second game on Aug. 6. But he returned to the lineup on Saturday.

The Angels also acquired right-hander Mason McGwire (son of slugger Mark McGwire) from the Cubs for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn while also getting a much-needed catching prospect in Jacob Cozart from the Guardians for right fielder Jo Adell.

After adding right-hander Tyler Bremner with the No. 2 overall pick last year, the farm system is now considered on the upswing. Especially with outfield prospects Hayden Alvarez and Raudi Rodriguez having strong seasons along with breakout years from pitching prospects such as Johnny Slawinski, Trey Gregory-Alford, Dylan Jordan and Talon Haley.

Here’s a look at the Angels top prospects:
1. Arjun Nimmala, SS (No. 38)
2. Tyler Bremner, RHP (No. 46)
3. Hayden Alvarez, OF
4. Jared Grindlinger, OF
5. Johnny Slawinski, LHP
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Hayden Alvarez, OF (Preseason: 12 | Midseason: 3)
Alvarez impressed in his 20-game stint with Single-A Inland Empire last year and carried that over with an impressive .296/.396/.479 slash line with 11 homers, 26 doubles, five triples, 54 RBIs and 46 stolen bases in 96 games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. The 19-year-old Dominican Republic native recently earned a promotion to High-A Tri-City where he’s 3 1/2 years younger than the average competition. He has a rare blend of patience, power and speed but is considered a few years away from getting to the big leagues.

Fall: Chris Cortez, RHP (Preseason: 13 | Midseason: NR)
Cortez was the club’s second-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2024 and has plus stuff but has had trouble locating it. He opened this year as a starting pitcher at High-A Tri-City but had a 4.67 ERA and 26 walks in 17 1/3 innings. He was then moved to a relief role and brought up to Double-A Rocket City but has also struggled with his control there, posting a 6.11 ERA with 24 walks in 28 innings. He’s still just 23 but will need to vastly improve his command to reach the Majors.

New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 1, Arjun Nimmala, SS (Acquired in trade with Blue Jays)
No. 4, Jared Grindlinger, OF (No. 12 overall pick in Draft)
No. 7, Jarren Advincula, 2B (No. 45 overall pick in Draft)
No. 10, Gavin Grahovac, 3B (No. 81 overall pick in Draft)
No. 21, Mason McGwire, RHP (Acquired in trade with Cubs)
No. 22, Jacob Cozart, C (Acquired in trade with Guardians)
No. 23, Rylan Lujo, OF (No. 109 overall pick in Draft)
No. 24, Jaxon Willits, SS (No. 141 overall pick in Draft)

Best tools
Hit: 60 -- Jarren Advincula
Power: 60 -- Gavin Grahovac (Arjun Nimmala)
Run: 60 -- Nelson Rada (Hayden Alvarez, Advincula, Rylan Lujo, Jeyson Horton)
Arm: 65 -- Marlon Quintero
Defense: 60 -- Rada (Juan Flores, Quintero)
Fastball: 70 -- George Klassen
Curveball: 60 -- Talon Haley
Slider: 55 -- Klassen (Johnny Slawinski, Haley, Chase Shores)
Changeup: 65 -- Tyler Bremner
Control: 55 -- Bremner