Angels Prospect Weekly: Munroe Keeps Mashing at Double-A, Grahovac's Power Surge Rolls On
By Blake Foster ·
Angels Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Angels farm system.
Munroe's Double-A Bat Refuses to Cool Down
Jake Munroe (AA, 3B, Rank: 23) put together another week that is hard to set aside, collecting 9 hits, a double, a home run, and 5 RBI across 23 plate appearances while adding three walks and a hit by pitch. He has now hit .305/.430/.500 over his last 30 days at Double-A, a stretch that includes four home runs and 12 RBI in 100 plate appearances. For the full season across two levels, the combined line sits at .290/.402/.495 with 18 home runs and 29 doubles in 488 plate appearances, a 12.3 BB%, and a 17.8 K%. That is a volume and quality of production that 22-year-olds at Double-A simply do not post in bunches.
The scouting picture is honest about where this goes long term: a 40 field grade and fringe-average athleticism make a future at third base unlikely, and the pressure shifts to the bat to carry a corner profile. A 50 hit tool and 60 power grade are the tools that matter most, and both have shown up in the numbers this season. His swing can get rotational when he hunts pull-side power, and the contact rate dipped to 71.8% over the last 30 days, so there is still a real concern about how that plays against better spin. But 76.3% contact on the season and a walk rate that has held at 12% or better at every stop suggest the underlying plate approach is genuine. He projects as a bench piece or first-base type at the big league level, but right now the bat is running well ahead of that floor, and a full Double-A sample this clean will be worth watching as the offseason evaluation begins.
Grahovac Keeps Adding to a Remarkable Debut Month
Gavin Grahovac (A, 1B, Rank: 5) had another productive week at Rancho Cucamonga, going 6 for 19 with a pair of doubles, a triple, two home runs, six RBI, and two walks. It was more of the same from a debut month that has been legitimately striking: over his last 30 days he is slashing .313/.418/.651 with seven home runs, five doubles, and a triple across 98 plate appearances at Low-A. For the full 24-game professional sample, the line reads .304/.402/.641 with eight home runs, a 12.1 BB%, and 13 stolen bases. That last number is a bit of a surprise given a 45 speed grade and a corner defensive profile, and the stolen base total may normalize, but the rest of it lines up directly with what the scouting report anticipated from the power tool.
Grahovac is a 21-year-old out of the SEC with a 60 power grade and a swing built for pull-side damage, and the contact rate (69.3% on the season) is the number to watch as he climbs. At Low-A, the swing-and-miss has not been a disqualifying issue yet, but it will face a real test when he sees more advanced breaking balls at High-A. The projection has him landing at third base for now with a path to first base if range or durability becomes a factor; either way, the offensive bar for a corner profile matches what he is clearing right now. He is the fifth-ranked prospect in the system for a reason, and the first month of professional baseball has given no argument against that standing.
Quick Hits
- Jaxon Willits (A, SS, Rank: 8) · drove in four runs on 8 hits, including three doubles, across 19 plate appearances this week. A switch-hitter with a 55 hit tool and 60 makeup grade, he has been consistently effective at Rancho Cucamonga all month: .326/.443/.477 over his last 30 days with an 18.5 BB% on the season that is genuinely elite for the level. The power is a 45 grade and the profile will always be more on-base than slug, but 22 walks against 28 strikeouts in 119 plate appearances shows the discipline is real and not passive. Eleven stolen bases add another layer of value to what projects as a second-division regular or quality utility infielder.
- Lucas Ramirez (A, OF, Rank: 31) · went 5 for 19 with two doubles and two home runs, including a long ball on September 3, driving in three across 19 plate appearances. The power output is worth noting because his season contact rate sits at 62.9%, one of the lowest marks in the system, and the last 30 days show a 31.9 K% that underscores how much the swing-and-miss risk follows him. He is a 45 hit, 45 power bat with a second-division ceiling if the contact profile settles; the extra-base output this week is encouraging, but he is hitting .243 on the season and striking out in roughly one of every three plate appearances. The 20-year-old still has room to develop, and the athleticism gives him a real path, but the bat needs to close that gap against better arms.
- Joswa Lugo (A, SS, Rank: 17) · had his most productive week at Low-A in a while, going 7 for 29 with two doubles, a homer, five RBI, three walks, and a hit by pitch. The surface line pops, but the last 30 days at Low-A tell a more complicated story: a 52.3% swing rate and 63% contact rate have combined to push strikeouts up and the walk rate down to 6.8%. He is 19 years old and the raw power is real, a 55 power grade on a large, leveraged frame, but the swing-and-miss and zone control issues that project him toward third base long term have been on full display since his promotion from rookie ball. The ceiling remains interesting; the present contact profile is still a work in progress.
- Nelson Rada (AAA, CF, Rank: 7) · had a rough week to close August, collecting just 1 hit and 1 walk across 19 plate appearances with four strikeouts. It is a noticeable dip for a player who had been one of the more disciplined hitters in the system, and the last 30 days at Triple-A show a .211 average and a 23.9 K% that sit well below his seasonal norms. For the full year at Salt Lake, he is hitting .269 with a 12.1 BB% and 35 stolen bases, and the 60 hit and 60 speed grades remain intact as carrying tools. A rough week at Triple-A from a 21-year-old center fielder built around contact and athleticism is not a cause for alarm; the underlying profile is still there.
- Arjun Nimmala (AA, SS, Rank: 1) · finished the week with just 2 hits across 29 plate appearances, though he drew six walks and hit two home runs for four RBI, keeping the performance index from looking worse than it was. That is Nimmala in a microcosm right now: over his last 30 days at Double-A he is hitting .192 with a 26.7 K% but carrying an 18.9 BB% and three home runs, which means the power and patience are present even when the average craters. He is a 45 hit tool with a 55 power grade and a plus arm, and the contact rate (71% on the season) and swing-and-miss against spin remain the questions the profile has always carried. The ceiling as an everyday shortstop is still on the table at 20 years old.
- Samy Natera Jr. (MLB, LHP, Rank: 26) · was activated from the 15-day injured list on September 1 after missing time with low back muscle spasms. He has appeared twice since returning, logging 1.2 innings with three strikeouts, two walks, and two earned runs. The season line at the big league level remains strong, a 2.51 ERA across 28.2 innings in 25 appearances, so the two shaky outings post-activation are more likely rust than a signal. Worth watching to see how quickly the command comes back in relief situations.
- George Klassen (MLB, RHP, Rank: 6) · landed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 27 with left lower back inflammation. He had been pitching well in the two weeks before the placement, posting a 1.54 ERA across 11.2 innings in two big league appearances. His season split between Salt Lake and the majors shows 91 innings at Triple-A to go with a 3.67 ERA in six MLB starts, and the back issue is one to monitor as September rosters expand. No timetable has been announced.