ANAHEIM -- While the Angels are in the market for a center fielder this offseason, their potential center fielder of the future isn’t considered too far away from the Majors.
Nelson Rada, ranked as their No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, reached Triple-A Salt Lake last year for the first time despite being in his age-19 season. And even though he was nearly eight years younger than his average competition, he more than held his own, batting .323/.433/.416 with a homer, six doubles, three triples, 20 stolen bases and 17 RBIs in 42 games.
Rada will come into Spring Training competing for a roster spot, and while it’s more likely he goes back to Triple-A for more seasoning, he’s put himself firmly on the club’s radar with his blend of on-base skills, stolen-base ability and defense in center.
“He’ll be in big league camp and I’m not ruling anything out,” general manager Perry Minasian told reporters at the GM Meetings in November. “They don’t check IDs in the dugout. If you can play and you’re going to help us win games, we’ll take a look.”
Rada, a Venezuela native who joined the organization as part of the 2022 international signing class with a $1.85 million bonus, was also in big league camp each of the last two years. He impressed last spring, hitting .333 with six RBIs in 11 games and also had five stolen bases in 12 Cactus League games in '24.
Rada isn’t an 80-grade burner speed-wise but gets good jumps and has a natural feel for the game. It’s why he’s considered a premium defender in center and why he has 171 career stolen bases in 423 career Minor League games, including 54 across Double-A and Triple-A last year and 55 in '23.
Rada also got his first taste of Winter Ball this offseason, playing for Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League. Again, he was much younger than his average competition (9.6 years) but showed his on-base skills by hitting .229/.339/.271 with three stolen bases and five walks in 24 games.
He’s listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds and he hit just two homers in 135 games last year, but the Angels believe he’ll develop more power as he gets older. More importantly, he improved his strikeout rate from 23.3 percent in ’24 to 19.9 percent in ’25, as contact will be a big part of his game. The league average strikeout rate in the Majors in ’25 was 22.2 percent.
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Rada’s ascent comes at a perfect time for the Angels, especially after superstar Mike Trout was moved from center field to right field before last season in an effort to keep him healthy. Trout, though, only played in 22 games in right before sustaining a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee that caused him to miss a month and serve as designated hitter the rest of the season.
The Angels mostly used a combination of Jo Adell (62 games) and Bryce Teodosio (49 games) in center last year. But they like Adell better in a corner spot after he struggled in center (minus-8 outs above average), while Teodosio provided excellent defense (10 outs above average) but has struggled to hit in the Majors with a career .193/.236/.287 slash line in 55 career games.
The Angels have a plethora of corner outfielders with Jorge Soler on the roster and Matthew Lugo providing depth even after trading Taylor Ward to the Orioles for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. But they lack a true center fielder with offensive upside, which is why they could target one this offseason.
Rada, though, could be a reason they don’t look for an external long-term solution, as he’s getting tantalizing close to the Majors and could fit the bill as a much-needed prototypical leadoff hitter and center fielder for the club very soon.
“Do we have to go get a center fielder? Not necessarily,” Minasian said at the Winter Meetings. “We have some players that we believe can fill the position and obviously can play defense at a very high level. It’s more player specific. Does this guy fit? Does he change our team? Does he help us on both sides of the ball? That type of thing. Does it improve our depth? So is it a must? I wouldn't say it's a must, but it is an area we're looking at, absolutely.”