Los Angeles Angels Calling Up Top-Five Prospect

The Los Angeles Angels, winners of four consecutive games are calling up the organization's second-ranked pitching prospect, Sam Bachman.

The Los Angeles Angels, winners of four straight games after sweeping the Boston Red Sox, are calling up the organization's second-ranked pitching prospect.

Robert Murray of Fansided reported that Sam Bachman, drafted in the first round (No. 9) of the 2021 draft, is getting the call. He's the No. 5 overall prospect in the organization.

Here's Murray's tweet which broke the news:

The Los Angeles Angels are calling up right-hander Sam Bachman, one of their top pitching prospects, according to sources familiar with the situation. Bachman was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Los Angeles Angels are calling up right-hander Sam Bachman, one of their top pitching prospects, according to sources familiar with the situation. Bachman was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) May 25, 2023

Here's the prospect profile on Bachman from MLB.com:

A three-year member of the Miami (Ohio) rotation, Bachman’s Draft stock soared when his stuff did in the spring of 2021. He might have had the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the class, a big reason why the Angels made him the first of 20 straight arms they took in the 2021 Draft, signing him for a below-slot bonus of $3.85 million with the ninth pick. He wasn’t able to put that stuff to good use in 2022 as he only collected 43 2/3 innings due to back and biceps issues, causing a regression in his repertoire.

The good news for the Angels is that, now healthy, Bachman was back to showing off the elite-level velocity at instructs and in early bullpen sessions this spring. After only averaging around 93 mph with his fastball in Double-A last year, he was back over 100 mph in those sessions, the rarified air he was in regularly during his 2021 dominant college season. His mid-80s slider still missed bats in 2022 and was a plus breaking ball, even though it wasn’t quite as sharp as it has been. His mid-80s changeup has heavy sink and gets a lot of weak contact on the ground.

In addition to his stuff backing up, Bachman struggled to find the strike zone consistently when he was on the mound last season, something he had improved tremendously in his last two years at Miami. With health, Bachman has gotten back to the preparation that made him jump up boards as an amateur, with many in the organization thinking he’s poised for a breakout.

The Angels are now 28-23 and will take on the Marlins on Friday night.

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