Angels Prospect Weekly: Munroe's Double-A surge peaks, Bremner keeps turning heads
By Blake Foster ·
Angels Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Angels farm system.
Munroe’s Bat Is Making the Position Question Less Critical
Jake Munroe (AA, 3B, Rank: 23) had another week that is difficult to ignore. Over seven games he collected 5 hits, two home runs, a double, six walks, and two hit-by-pitches across 26 plate appearances. Those counting numbers sit on top of a last-30-day line of .342/.454/.595 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 97 plate appearances. He now owns a combined .287/.402/.496 slash across 101 games and two levels, with 16 home runs, 27 doubles, and 52 RBI. This is a 22-year-old in his first full professional season performing like a bat with legitimate upper-level chops.
The long-running question with Munroe is whether the defensive profile forces a move to first base, which raises the offensive bar considerably. The concern is fair; he is a 40 fielder with a swing that can get rotational when he starts hunting power. But over the last 30 days, his contact rate is holding at 74.6 percent even with a slightly elevated swing rate, which means he is doing damage without losing the barrel. He has a 60 power grade and a swing built for backspin and pull-side authority, and the walk-heavy weeks show the zone awareness is genuine rather than cosmetic. Fifty-five walks against 72 strikeouts on the season tell the same story. If he keeps this up through August and arrives at spring training with a full Double-A sample this clean, the first-base question becomes secondary to the bigger one: how quickly does this bat get a big-league look?
Bremner's Changeup Is Already a Problem at Double-A
Tyler Bremner (AA, RHP, Rank: 4) posted another sharp line this week: 6 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. That was his third start at the Double-A level since a promotion from High-A, and the results have held up: a 4.20 ERA across three Rocket City starts with 20 strikeouts in 15 innings. Zoom out to the last 30 days and the picture is even more compelling: 33 strikeouts across 25 innings, a 3.60 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 34.9 percent whiff rate. He has allowed just one home run in that stretch.
Bremner's carrying tool is a 70-grade changeup, and at 22 years old that is a separator that changes how you think about a pitcher's ceiling. The mid-80s offering has late fade, genuine velocity separation from the 95-to-98 fastball, and enough arm-speed replication to draw weak contact from both sides. The slider is a 55 that can lose bite when he gets out of sync, and command grades as average, so there are still levers for improvement. But when the three pitches are working together as they have been this month, his stuff is already outpacing Double-A hitters. He projects as a potential number-two starter with an all-star outcome listed, and the last five starts are doing nothing to argue against that ceiling. I would not be surprised to see him in Salt Lake before the calendar flips to September.
Quick Hits
Raudi Rodriguez (AAA, OF, Rank: 29) · had the biggest raw week among Angels hitters by production index: 8 hits, two triples, a homer, and 5 RBI across 26 plate appearances in his first extended Triple-A look. The promotion from Double-A came August 4, and the surface numbers pop. The caution is that his last-30-day line at AAA sits at .207/.311/.293 with a 49.1 percent swing rate and a 71.4 percent contact rate, so the level jump is clearly a real challenge. He is a 50 hit tool with a 55 speed grade and an up-down profile projection; the OBP track record at Double-A (.374 combined) gave the Angels reason to push him, but he will need more sustained contact to stick.
Slate Alford (A+, 3B, Rank: 46) · was assigned to Tri-City on August 15 and went straight to work: 6 hits, a homer, 4 RBI, and 3 walks in his first 16 plate appearances at the level. His combined line across three stops this season sits at .273/.386/.434 with 7 home runs and 38 walks in 246 plate appearances. The 66.4 percent contact rate and occasional swing-and-miss remain the profile's biggest developmental question, but the walk rate is real and the power has been consistent. At 24, he needs to prove the bat at High-A quickly.
Austin Gordon (AA, RHP, Rank: 34) · turned in 6 innings of one-run ball with 7 strikeouts and just 2 hits allowed. That start fits a notable recent turn: over his last four outings he carries a 2.74 ERA across 23 innings with 30 strikeouts and a 36.9 percent whiff rate. The four-seamer sits 95-to-97 with above-average ride, and the strike rate has climbed to 50 percent in that stretch. The season ERA is 4.39 through 23 starts, dragged partly by 18 home runs allowed in 108.2 innings. Keeping the ball in the yard remains the main obstacle between him and a back-end starter conversation.
Hayden Alvarez (A+, OF, Rank: 17) · racked up 9 hits, 3 doubles, and 3 RBI in 23 plate appearances, his best counting-stat week since arriving at High-A after the promotion from Low-A. Over the last 30 days at Tri-City he is hitting .313 with a .415 OBP in 82 plate appearances. The combined season line across both levels reads .300/.400/.478 with 46 stolen bases and 67 walks in 491 plate appearances. He is a 60 athlete and 60 runner who grades as a plus center-field defender; the power is light at 40 raw, but the contact-and-speed foundation gives him a legitimate path to a second-division regular role if the gap power arrives.
Jacob Cozart (AA, C, Rank: 24) · launched 3 home runs in 23 plate appearances this week, pushing his home run total at Rocket City to 4 in just 55 at-bats since arriving from Cleveland in the Jo Adell trade. His Rocket City line reads .277/.370/.532, a sharp contrast to the .239/.330/.384 he posted in 327 plate appearances with Akron. He has a 55 defensive grade at catcher with above-average receiving polish, and the pop has been the pleasant addition. The full-season strikeout rate (100 in 382 PA) remains the profile's main tension point, but three-homer weeks from a left-handed hitting catcher are impossible to overlook.
Chase Shores (A+, RHP, Rank: 16) · worked 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. The ERA over his last four starts is 2.95 across 21.1 innings, a significant improvement from the 4.50 season ERA. He carries a 96-to-99 fastball with a 55-grade slider, and the two-pitch foundation is legitimate; the walk rate, with 24 issued in 54 innings on the year, is the command gap that has capped efficiency. The 40 command grade reflects a real developmental challenge, but the recent results suggest the delivery is finding more consistency.
Jaxon Willits (A, SS, Rank: 10) · went 9-for-27 with 3 doubles and 3 walks in his most productive week since arriving at Low-A. The season contact rate holds at 73.1 percent with a 36.2 percent swing rate, making him one of the more selective bats in the system. He is a switch-hitter with a 55 hit tool and a 60 makeup grade; the power is light at 45, but the zone feel at 21 years old at Low-A is the foundational piece. His 16 walks against 18 strikeouts in 72 plate appearances this season is a ratio that keeps evaluators engaged.
Nelson Rada (AAA, CF, Rank: 6) · collected 6 hits, a homer, and 5 walks over 26 plate appearances, a solid individual week. The season line sits at .282/.380/.371 through 106 games at Triple-A, and the 33 stolen bases reflect the 60 speed that anchors the profile. The last 30 days have been a bit softer: .259/.337/.376 with 26 strikeouts in 97 plate appearances. He is a 55 hitter and 60 center fielder with minimal power, and the offensive bar he needs to clear against big-league arms will require that OBP to stay elevated. The tools are real; the question is whether the bat can handle a sustained big-league environment.
Gavin Grahovac (A, 3B, Rank: 5) · went 5 hits with a homer and a double across 21 plate appearances, adding 4 walks to the line. The 21-year-old's season sits at .268/.379/.482 with 3 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 66 plate appearances at Low-A. He carries 60 raw power and a 55 arm, and the early returns on his contact rate are encouraging given the swing-and-miss concerns that followed him out of the draft. Only 66 PA is a shallow sample, but the combination of walks, power, and on-base rate is the profile you want to see develop from a 59th-overall pick.
Samy Natera Jr. (MLB, LHP, Rank: 28) · was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 17 with low back muscle spasms. He had been a productive relief arm for the Angels this year: a 2.00 ERA across 27 innings in 23 major league appearances, with 42 strikeouts and just 10 walks. His last MLB outing before the placement came August 11. The back issue does not appear structural based on the diagnosis, but any lost time for an arm this effective stings given the Angels' late-season circumstances.
Joel Hurtado (AAA, RHP, Rank: 27) · allowed 1 run on 4 hits over 4 innings in his Triple-A turn, a modest line on a difficult stretch: the last-30-day ERA sits at 9.61 across 19.2 innings at the AAA level. His Double-A body of work this year was genuinely solid, a 3.63 ERA in 101.2 innings, but the jump to Salt Lake has revealed the thin margin for error in his profile. He is a 40 command grade arm without a true plus pitch, which means hitters who extend at-bats find the fastball-slider combo manageable. Back-end starter or swingman is still the most realistic outcome, but the AAA results are a real test of whether that floor holds.
Joswa Lugo (A, SS, Rank: 12) · hit 2 homers in 26 plate appearances this week, but the broader Low-A context is rough: he is hitting .151/.250/.264 in 60 PA since arriving at Rancho Cucamonga, a sharp drop from the .281/.415/.495 he posted at the rookie level. He is a 19-year-old with a 55 power grade and the physicality to impact the ball, but the 63.8 percent contact rate and 18 strikeouts in 60 PA at Low-A signal that the adjustment is real. The power flashes keep the profile interesting; the question is whether the contact rate can firm up before the swing-and-miss becomes the dominant story.