Los Angeles Angels: Have You Heard Of Nelson Rada?
A lot of chatter has come from the minor league ranks regarding the impact Ethan Salas has had on minor league baseball. The 17-year-old has morphed into an ahead-of-his-time prodigy showcasing his skills from Arizona, to Southern California, to Fort Wayne, and now, San Antonio, progressing to AA almost 11 months before he hits the legal age to vote. What I find a bit concerning, is the lack of hype for Los Angeles Angels young star, Nelson Rada, who himself, has torn up the Lo-A Cal League at only 17 (Rada turns 18 on August 24th).
Looking at Rada, you will see a lanky, rather young-looking high school teen. He does not have the frame of Salas, who looks well beyond his years. The saying of looks can be deceiving is true in this case. No, Rada is not a potential 70-power hitter like Salas (more on that later), Rada is just a damn good ballplayer.
As Anaheim is continuously promoting and advancing players with MLB-ready skills at a high rate, Rada should gain much traction in the Angles system. Is he going to hit the majors next year? No, and nobody should expect that. However, with a system such as Anaheim, which has been widely criticized for player development and advancement, Rada is a real shot at adding some legitimacy to the organization’s player development. Why isn’t anyone praising him as they should be, though?
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I have made a lot of comparisons to Rada and Salas already. When it comes down to it, aside from the age similarity, the two are vastly different players. Rada, as mentioned before, has a slimmer frame. Salas has a lot of power potential to tap into. Rada profiles as a hit-over power player. Not only that, Rada profiles as a hit-over power player who will hit for average. Unlike the Angels’ last teenage phenom, Arol Vera, Rada has an advanced batting eye. During a game in Stockton, I expected to see Rada overmatched at the plate. I felt quite the opposite after the game. He was not swinging at pitches off the zone. His older teammates showed less discipline than he did.
As you dig into these numbers deeper, Rada has a 13.8 percent walk rate. In 2021, the average Lo-A player walked at a 10.9 percent rate. Thus far, Rada has remained on par with most of his peers at his level 2 years ago. Some of these players also go on to MLB careers. In addition, Rada maintains a .74 BB/K rate. While others have a much stronger ratio, again, the age makes a world of difference in his approach (some dip below .25 in BB/K ratios).
Given the aggressive nature of the Angels farm development, it is rather curious Rada is still situated at Lo-A. In normal circumstances, this is very easy to explain. However, when a fellow Lo-A team 30 miles from you promoted one of the youngest minor leaguers in history to Hi-A (now AA), why not challenge the kid with another aggressive move on your end? Given Rada is 17, perhaps my following belief is a bit exaggerated, but if you (the Angels) promote Zach Neto, who spent less than 1 year in affiliated ball after his draft date, to the majors, and, Nolan Schanuel, who spent less than 1 month (it’s literally unheard of) in affiliated ball after his draft date, to the majors, how hard is it to fathom a move for Rada to Hi-A Tri City?
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If there is one real area that perhaps the Angels are trying to develop Rada, thus making a promotion to Hi-A a bit more challenging, Rada has virtually no pop in his bat. Nada. He has hit 2 HRs, but he plays in the dry California air. You, yourself could hit that. While Rada pulls the ball at 37 percent rate (6 percent higher than the Lo-A average from 2021), the ball does not have the lift to get out of the park with a 21.8 percent fly ball rate. The following tells us Rada hits either a ground ball or line drive 78.2 percent of the time. With Rada’s frame not really an indicator of future power success, and, according to Fangraphs, a raw power ceiling of 45 on a 20-80 scouting scale, that HR ability is not likely to develop.
That begs the question, “If Rada is indeed not really a power hitter, but is making a really strong impression on Lo-A, why is he not considered more of an impact prospect or receive a promotion?” You’d assume he is what he is at this point and want to challenge his batting eye and contact ability at the higher levels. At the end of the day, the HR ball is what the chicks dig. In this case, the chicks are the evaluators, fans, card collectors, all of those who really determine a player’s appeal and exposure. If the true sex appeal of Rada’s play is a consistent singles hitter (and to some a top-of-the-order bat who can hit and steal bags is sexy) what are the Angels really waiting to see? The appeal is a 17-year-old who has shown consistent baseball intangibles and good play at the plate and in the OF.
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The Angels have set a precedent for fast-moving prospects and challenging them (whether that ends well or bad). Rada can only grow by a move to Hi-A. Rada is not Ethan Salas. It is wrong of anyone to compare him to such. Just envision a world where Salas is non-existent. How much attention is Rada being given then? Perhaps it is the same because of a lack of power but Rada is still just as remarkable given his age. It is not his fault someone else is hogging the spotlight.
Thanks, Ethan.
Image via @BenBadler on Twitter
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
