Percival -- yes, Troy's son -- joins Angels' farm system

May 21st, 2023

ANAHEIM -- A familiar last name is now in the Angels’ farm system.

The club inked right-hander Cole Percival, the son of legendary Angels closer , to a Minor League deal this week. Percival asked for his release from the Dodgers on May 9 after posting a 7.71 ERA with five strikeouts and seven walks in 4 2/3 innings at Double-A Tulsa. Percival, 24, has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League but is expected to eventually join the roster at Double-A Rocket City.

“After requesting my release last week I am extremely excited to announce I’ve signed a contract with the Angels,” Percival wrote on Instagram. “As a lifelong Angel fan this is a dream come true and I am so excited to get to work. I also cannot thank the Dodgers enough for taking great care of me during the first part of my professional career, I truly did love my time as a Dodger. It has been a winding road here but I cannot wait to see where this opportunity takes me.”

Percival, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, has a career 4.51 ERA with 141 strikeouts and 94 walks in 149 2/3 innings in three seasons in the Minors. He was undrafted out of UC Riverside in 2020 but signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent. He was used exclusively as a reliever this year, but he made six starts in 38 appearances last season.

Percival was coached by his dad at UC Riverside, where he posted a 3.23 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. Troy helped the Angels to the 2002 World Series title and holds several club records, including games pitched (579) and saves (316).

“It’s a talented arm that has had success in the past,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “Sometimes a change of scenery can be good. We felt like he was deserving of an opportunity. If his last name was Smith, we’d still feel the same way. But it’s not just because his last name is Percival. He has a talented arm and can do a lot of things. But there are bloodlines we like in players, and it doesn’t hurt any.”

Triple-A Salt Lake: 2B Michael Stefanic
Stefanic isn’t a prospect in the traditional sense, as he played 25 games in the Majors with the Angels last year, but he has been on fire offensively all season with the Bees. He reached on an RBI infield single in the eighth inning on Saturday to extend his on-base streak to a franchise-record 47 games, dating back to last year. He also has an 18-game hitting streak and is slashing .350/.449/.443 in 38 games this year. Stefanic remains on the 40-man roster and could hit his way into a promotion.

Double-A Rocket City: RHP Jack Kochanowicz
Kochanowicz hurled an 88-pitch complete game against Birmingham on Saturday, allowing a run in the ninth to just miss getting the shutout. It was yet another impressive performance from the third-round Draft pick in 2019, as he started the year with High-A Tri-City but pitched his way to Double-A. Kochanowicz, 22, posted a 1.52 ERA in five starts with the Dust Devils before being promoted to the Trash Pandas, where he has gone 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two outings. The 6-foot-7, 228-pounder is putting himself on the radar with his strong start to the year, as he’s making a push to be ranked among the club’s Top 30 Prospects.

High-A Tri-City: SS/2B Adrian Placencia
Placencia, ranked as the club’s No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline, got off to a slow start, hitting .133 in April, but he has heated up in May, batting .340 with two homers and six RBIs in 14 games. He has been splitting time at second base and shortstop, although he projects more as a second baseman. He’s still just 19 years old and has had only five at-bats this season against pitchers younger than him.

Single-A Inland Empire: RHP Jorge Marcheco
Marcheco doesn’t have elite stuff, which is why the Angels were able to sign him out of Cuba for $35,000 in 2021. But he knows how to pitch and is still just 20 years old. He has more than held his own this season, posting a 2.48 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. He has pitched his way into being ranked among the club’s Top 30 Prospects, as he’s currently ranked No. 27.