ACL Angels Notebook: Edition One
May 23, 2025 - Written by Noah Pohle
Photo Credit : @BaseballAmerica - X
WRITER’S NOTE: I am not a professional scout. However, living 20 minutes from the Angels’ Spring Complex allows me to get down there and see the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Rookie-level Angels affiliate during games and practices when I have free time, and I take notes on what I see or hear. These players are multiple years away from Major League consideration, but with a relative lack of information available on them, I would like to make my contribution to their public profile. These are my thoughts on the highest-profile names to start, as well as some guys who could be on the rise. I will start with backgrounds for each player, then include my impressions of them so far, supported by data available from FanGraphs. Let’s begin!
Joswa Lugo, SS, 18:
Signed in 2024 for the highest International Amateur Free Agent(IAFA) contract bonus the Angels have doled out since Shohei Ohtani ($2.3 million), and the third-highest ever from the team, Lugo showed well to start his professional career. Listed at 6 '3, 187 lbs and profiled as a right-handed speed/power threat, his debut season saw him knock 19 extra-base hits and steal 18 bases in his native Dominican Summer League. While he showed more swing-and-miss in that debut than you would like, his defense proved adept at shortstop and he was brought over stateside to make his ACL debut here in 2025.
Noticeably a little bigger and stronger than the other players in the lineup, Lugo gets the ball to jump off his bat with a slightly uphill swing path. He can turn on inside pitches, but also wait on a pitch and drive it back up the middle and to the opposite field. His approach is still extremely aggressive, but his contact rates have gone up (51.6% 2024, 70.4% 2025) and swinging strikes have gone down (34.3% 2024, 17.5% 2025), which leads to good things when you hit the ball as hard as Lugo does. Defensively, he shows sound instincts, smooth footwork and a good internal clock. He has enough range and arm to beat runners from the hole, and enough speed to continue playing shortstop until/unless his body grows too big to cover the position. There is enough physical projection left to worry about his defense and steals slowing down as the 18-year old continues to grow, but not enough to worry now.
Hayden Alvarez, CF, 18:
Alvarez signed for the second-highest IAFA bonus in the 2024 period, netting $685,000. His profile stems off of his athleticism, with his 6 ’3, 190 lbs frame leading to a ton of projection. His standout speed could lead to a comfortable center field projection, and in his first professional season 32 stolen bases, 31:35 BB:K ratio, and all-fields approach from his native DSL convinced the Halos the toolsy righty was ready for stateside ball.
Alvarez comes with a longer, lankier build than Lugo, despite their similar listings. He shows a strong ability to make contact at the plate, and with his speed, good things have happened when he does. However, what stands out about Alvarez to me is his advanced plate approach. He has a very strong feel for the zone, and isn’t afraid to get deep into counts to find a pitch he can work with. He looks to do damage early, but expands his zone and spoils pitches late into at-bats. Alvarez has racked up more walks than strikeouts this year, is running a 78.6% contact rate while swinging at just 38.1% of pitches, and has improved his Line Drive % by 12 points. His power mainly plays in the gaps for now, but maturity should help bring that along. In center field, his speed helps him get back to the wall and into the gaps, but he always seems to have a strong read off the bat. The baseball IQ here is pretty evident and leans into the strong athletic projection this profile already has.
Marlon Quintero, C, 18:
Quintero signed in the same 2024 IAFA period Lugo and Alvarez did, although he received a much more modest “$20-25K” (Taylor Blake Ward, TheSportingTribune), signing bonus. The right-handed Panamanian catcher was known more for his defensive skills than offensive potential, with a 5 ‘9, 175 lbs frame producing more gap power than home run power. He made a ton of contact in his professional debut in the DSL last year (82.5%), walked more than he struck out, and continued to improve behind the dish. He made the jump to stateside ball in 2025.
Quintero has impressed me with his ability to make contact and hit the ball hard consistently, meeting pitches in a place where he is able to do damage even with his shorter frame and spoiling the pitches he can’t. He has maintained an 80% contact rate this year, while pulling the ball almost 20% more often and nearly doubling his Line Drive %. He is a strong athlete who works hard to beat out ground balls, has stolen a few bases, and is in command of the field when behind the dish. He has shown an impressive ability to pick balls, important for a potential catcher of his stature, and is aware and confident enough in his arm to make some backpick attempts behind runners. The Angels have shown an ability to turn some catching prospects out of small commitments, and Quintero has impressed enough to put himself on the radar.
Quick Hits:
David Mershon and Brett Kerry have been rehabbing at the Complex recently, and I was fortunate enough to see both. Mershon is an undersized middle infielder with solid line-drive based contact skills who should eventually rejoin AAA Salt Lake. He should arrive there before teammate Kerry, a starting pitcher who worked an inning in his first appearance, seeing four batters and giving up lots of contact on a fastball he is presumably still ramping up.
Lucas Ramirez and Samil Dishmey are two outfielders I will be keeping a close eye on, and perhaps will be profiled in future editions of this notebook.
I have not timed any of Dylan Jordan’s in-game pitching appearances correctly yet, however he is involved on the field every single gameday, most days running balls out to the umpire and sitting in his spot at the edge of the dugout chatting with coaches and players.
Luis Rodriguez and Edgar Alfonso were both just promoted to Low-A Inland Empire, where Caleb Bartolero was placed on the Injured List. Each has been with the ACL team since 2023, with Rodriguez getting 15 games down the stretch in Low-A last season. He plays a good shortstop, but had his best offensive season in 2023, while Alfonso profiles as a corner infielder and put together a nice slash line in just 13 plate appearances. This should open up some playing time for Oswaldo Patino, who received the first start there after these two promotions.
Disclaimer : (1) All photos are not owned by InsideHalos and have been given proper credit beneath each photo. (2) Links of players are property of MLB, MiLB, and Baseball Reference. (3) InsideHalos is a fan-made site not affiliated with Angels Baseball.
