Fanmail Friday #3: Prospect Risers, Spring Battles, and Trout Expectations
March 6, 2026 - Written by Alex Sukyas
Mike Trout hits one off the foul pole 💥
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 14, 2025
(via @mlb)pic.twitter.com/FxsJ281Il3
Hello InsideHalos readers! I’m Alex Sukyas, and welcome to the 3rd Fanmail Friday of the season! If you don’t already know what Fanmail Friday is, it's an article series we do here at InsideHalos where each week 1 writer from our team answers questions submitted by you guys on our Instagram story! Now, let’s get into this week’s questions:
Q: What are your views on Raudi Rodriguez? (@bigluke72)
A: Rodriguez was the Angels’ highest riser on the most recent Top 30 prospect list refresh, which happened on March 4th, 2026. He rose from being Unranked to Rank 16 in the Angels’ top 30. I definitely see some potential in him. He won the MVP in the Arizona Fall Stars game last year and has batted .429 in 15 plate appearances this spring. However, while he does have the potential, I think it will be 2-5 seasons until we see him in the majors.
Q: How do you feel about O’Hoppe’s new swing/plate discipline? (@randlek87)
A: There are definitely some minor changes in his swing. It looks like he’s got a lower stance as well as some more hip movement in the swing. This should allow him to have more balance in his swing, and maybe even a higher barrel contact rate, which could mean more HRs out of the catcher this year. As for his plate discipline, that was a big issue for him. He had a high 30.8% strikeout rate compared to only a 5.3% walk rate. So to see him focusing on his plate discipline will definitely tackle a few issues he’s had in 2025.
Q: How are the pitching prospects doing? (@jay.merlo)
A: There’s been a change in the Angels' approach to pitching this spring under new pitching coach Mike Maddux. It was reported at the start of Spring Training that the Angels did not have radar guns at training camp to record pitch velocity. This shows that the Angels are trying to prioritize pitch placement/accuracy over velocity. This makes sense as the Angels had the second-lowest SO/BB ratio in the MLB last season. Now, with this, how is this affecting some of the top pitching prospects in the Angels’ system?
Angels' top pitching prospect & top prospect in general, Tyler Bremner, has yet to pitch in a Spring Training game. This is primarily due to trying to incorporate a slider into his pitch arsenal to join his mid-90s fastball and his scary changeup. The 2nd-best Angels pitching prospect, Ryan Johnson, has pitched this spring. In 4.2 total innings, he has a 7.71 ERA, which may seem alarming, but he does also have a 4.00 SO/BB rate. The next pitcher that has stood out this spring is George Klassen, who has a 3.60 ERA in 5 IP. He’s also had a 3.50 SO/BB rate and 7 Ks this spring. His pitching arsenal has also looked great, with his slider getting a high chase rate and his changeup having a high whiff rate. The last pitcher to point out is Samy Natera Jr., who, despite his 4.50 ERA in 2 IP, has 4 Ks to 1 BB, giving him a 4.00 SO/BB rate. Although these facts look good, I still think it’s too early in spring to get a good idea of the pitching prospects this season, and as more games are played, we’ll get a better idea of the prospects.
Q: Is Jose Siri making the team? (@yotzo)
A: As of now, probably not. He’s batted .111 in 19 PAs this spring against mostly minor league pitchers. Fielding-wise, he’s been good. As of now, I think he’ll start the season in Triple-A.
Q: How’s Paris doing? Will he make the team? (@perez_mars1)
A: Paris has looked pretty good. He’s batting .313 with a .889 OPS in 18 PAs. As for making the team, I don’t think so. Both Adam Frazier and Christian Moore have looked great as well and will most likely be put ahead of him in the 2nd baseman depth chart. I think Paris will start the season in Triple-A so he can develop more.
Q: Do you think Mike Trout will have a healthy season and hit 30 HRs or more? (@jacob_kiryakos)
A: Health isn’t something we can predict, but based on how he was last year, I think it’s safe to assume he’ll have a fairly healthy season. As for 30 HRs, I don’t think so. While there is always a solid chance of him doing that, I think we’ll see him hit around 25 HRs.
Q: Will Zach Neto be extended?? (@corydanielestrella & @colinblecha)
A: Well, the Angels still have control over Neto until 2029, when he’ll become a free agent, so they still have plenty of time to extend him. However, he’ll become a free agent when he’s 29, so the smartest move for the Angels is to give him an extension that’ll keep him in Anaheim until he’s 31 or 32 and give the Angels the majority, if not all, of his prime. When it comes to money, I think another season to see how he performs will decide how much the extension would be worth. So with this, I don’t think the Angels will offer him an extension this year, but 2027 will be the year when extension talks start up with Neto.
Q: What is the best food at Angel Stadium in your opinion? (@evs._collazo27)
A: Gotta be the Helmet Nachos.
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