Halos calling up top prospect Caden Dana and Italian-born pitcher Aldegheri
Dana, ranked No. 74 overall, to debut Sunday vs. Mariners
Brent Maguire
@bmags94Steve Kornacki
DETROIT -- The Angels are calling up a pair of top pitching prospects for this weekend¡¯s series against the Mariners in Anaheim.
On Thursday, the Angels announced that Caden Dana -- MLB Pipeline's No. 74 prospect and the top Angels prospect -- will be called up and make his MLB debut on Sunday at home against the Mariners.
¡°Well, he earned it,¡± Angels manager Ron Washington said Thursday after the Halos' 3-0 win against Detroit, ¡°so, we¡¯re going to give him the ball. And I¡¯m looking forward to watching him pitch. I saw him in Spring Training, and he¡¯s gained a lot more experience pitching. It¡¯ll be nice to see where he is.¡±
Left-hander Samuel Aldegheri, the club's No. 8 prospect, is being recalled and will start Friday's series opener against Seattle.
¡°I don¡¯t know much about [Aldegheri],¡± Washington said, ¡°but he¡¯s coming up and he¡¯s pitching [Friday night]. I¡¯m looking forward to watching him. We¡¯ve got great reports on him. But I¡¯m looking forward to the kid coming up and getting his feet wet, and see how he handles himself.
¡°We get the chance to look at some of our good young kids, and they¡¯ve been handling themselves well.¡±
Washington added, ¡°They are two of our top guys [in the Minors], and with the way things are, they¡¯re getting their chance. There¡¯s nowhere else we can go. We¡¯re going to have to see what they¡¯ve got to offer. They¡¯ve got good arms. They¡¯re supposed to have a little bit of maturity. And we¡¯re going to see all of those things in the next few days.¡±
Dana has had a fantastic season with Double-A Rocket City, posting a 2.52 ERA and striking out 147 batters across 23 starts in 135 2/3 innings. It¡¯s been a big developmental success for the Angels, who selected Dana as a high-schooler in the 11th round of the 2022 Draft out of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J. Considered a potential top-100 pick, Dana was expected to honor his commitment to pitch at Kentucky, but the Angels went over the $125,000 slot and gave him $1.5 million to get him to sign.
A 6-foot-4 right-hander with long, flowing hair and electric stuff, Dana has elicited comparisons to Noah Syndergaard. Dana¡¯s fastball sits in the mid-90s and he has a trio of average or better secondaries in his changeup, slider and curveball. Given where things stand with the Angels rotation, Dana figures to be an integral part of the team¡¯s future. He's gone 12-12 in 41 Minor League starts across three seasons, logging a combined 3.01 ERA while striking out 244 over 212 1/3 innings.
Aldegheri doesn¡¯t carry the same upside or success as Dana, but he is an exciting pitcher whom the Angels acquired in the Carlos Est¨¦vez trade at this year¡¯s Deadline. Aldegheri, along with right-hander George Klassen, were both big additions to the system.
Aldegheri has a 3.59 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings this season. He would be the first Italian-born pitcher in the Major Leagues since Marino Pieretti in 1950.
Given the state of the Angels' rotation -- Patrick Sandoval could be out until 2026 after undergoing left elbow surgery and Reid Detmers has had mixed results after being demoted to the Minors earlier this season -- Aldegheri and Dana could be vital parts of the club¡¯s pitching plans moving forward.