Here are the Angels' 2026 Top 30 prospects

If you like high-ceiling pitching prospects, you've come to the right place.

A total of 19 of the Angels' new Top 30 list are pitchers, and they come with a ton of arm strength and the usual risk associated with those kinds of arms. Over the past few years, the Angels have liked going after high-end high school hurlers later in the Draft, moving their bonus pool around to bring them into the fold. There are four from last year's class alone -- Johnny Slawinski, CJ Gray, Talon Haley and Xavier Mitchell (and that doesn't count Luke LaCourse, who didn't quite make the Top 30) -- and in 2024, big arms like Trey Gregory-Alford and Dylan Jordan entered the fold.

We all know how young pitching can go, though the Angels are hopeful the addition of Jared Hughes as their new pitching coordinator will help maximize the returns on the risky investments. If things start clicking for the names on this list, we could see this system jump up farm rankings everywhere.

The one other thing that has made it hard to evaluate this system in recent years is the usual disclaimer: Prospects in view might be closer than they appear. The Angels are not shy about pushing guys to the big leagues quickly with top prospects like Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Christian Moore graduating so fast, there wasn't time to appreciate them as prospects. Now all of those guys hit for a living, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if Tyler Bremner makes a similar beeline to Los Angeles.

Here's a look at the Angels' top prospects:

1. Tyler Bremner, RHP (MLB No. 81)
2. Ryan Johnson, RHP
3. Nelson Rada, OF
4. Johnny Slawinski, LHP
5. George Klassen, RHP
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:

Jump: Raudi Rodriguez, OF (2025: NR | 2026: 16)

Rodriguez spent two years in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League after being a high school draftee in Round 19 of the 2023 Draft, then started to click with a move to full-season ball last year. He was second in the entire organization with his 130 wRC+, then he went and hit .433 in the Arizona Fall League while also earning Fall Stars Game MVP honors.

Fall: Dario Laverde, C (2025: 12 | 2026: NR)

Part of a robust group of catching prospects, Laverde looked like the one who would really hit, putting up good numbers across two levels of Rookie ball in the Dominican Summer and Arizona Complex Leagues from 2022-2024, but his defensive home was in question. When the bat-first backstop's bat stopped working in 2025 -- he hit just .214/.289/.292 in 98 games -- it made it more difficult to put him on a list.

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 55 -- Nelson Rada (Hayden Alvarez)
Power: 55 -- Gabriel Davalillo (Joswa Lugo, Raudi Rodriguez)
Run: 60 -- Rada (Alvarez, Jeyson Horton)
Arm: 65 -- Marlon Quintero
Defense: 60 -- Rada (Quintero)
Fastball: 70 -- Chris Cortez (George Klassen, Walbert Urena)
Curveball: 60 -- Talon Haley
Slider: 60 -- Ryan Johnson (Cortez)
Changeup: 65 -- Tyler Bremner
Control: 65 -- Johnson

How they were built
Draft: 15 | International: 13 | Trade: 2

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Breakdown by ETA
2026: 9 | 2027: 5 | 2028: 4 | 2029: 9 | 2030: 2 | 2031: 1

Breakdown by position
C: 3 | SS: 4 | OF: 4 | RHP: 15 | LHP: 4