The Los Angeles Angels have among the best and possibly most special prospects in baseball: 18-year-old outfielder Nelson Rada. At such a young age, he's established himself as the number-2 prospect in the organization.
At a time when many prospects are just finishing high school, the Venezuelan native already has a full season of North American Class-A ball under his belt and has been invited to a major league spring training camp.
The sky is the limit for Rada — so much that it feels like a matter of "when," not "if" he arrives in the big leagues. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, we don't have to look too far ahead. Nightengale reports that Rada could make his big league debut by 2026.
Angels outfield prospect Nelson Rada, 18, is opening eyes this spring with several officials believing he could be a perennial All-Star. He’s already a Gold Glove outfielder, and stole 55 bases last season, and now just needs experience. He could be in the big leagues by 2026.
Rada will be a force to be reckoned with. The Halos signed him at age 16 as an international amateur. He ranked 29th on MLB Pipeline's top 50 international prospects in the 2022 class, but quickly climbed the list.
For now, Rada is listed at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. He might lack power at the plate, but he does everything else really well. He has been commended for taking great at-bats, and can use the whole field with his line-drive approach.
On top of that, Rada draws walks and has instincts that make him a legitimate threat to steal bases. In 2023, Rada was successful in 55 of 66 stolen-base attempts with the Inland Empire 66ers.
In a relatively thin Angels farm system, Rada offers a name to watch in 2024.
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