Angels Could Have 'Diamond in the Rough' in Double-A, Says Experts

MLB writers Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra listed Los Angeles Angels No. 16 prospect Samy Natera Jr. as one of the best prospect finds in the major leagues.

The Angels drafted Natera in the 17th round in 2022 with the 508th overall pick. He began his career in the minors, starting 20 games with High-A Tri-City before a brief stint with Double-A Rocket City in 2023. An elbow strain kept Natera out for most of the 2024 season, where he only allowed one run and fanning 24 batters in 15 innings of work across five appearances in High-A.

Between his 2024 and 2025 seasons, Natera caught the eye of many in the Arizona Fall League, posting a team-low 0.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched.

His return to Rocket City in 2025 marked a move to the bullpen, where Natera has been lights out for the Trash Pandas. Through 12 appearances this season, Natrera has a 2-0 record and a 2.70 ERA. He leads his team's bullpen with 23 strikeouts and has only given up five runs. Though Natera is walking 6.8 batters per nine innings, his mark of 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings and .174 batting average against are the best in Double-A Rocket City with a minimum of 30 batters faced. He has not given up a home run in MiLB since 2023.

MLB projects Natera to reach the majors during 2026, however with the Angels' MLB-worst bullpen ERA of 6.97 and home runs per 9 innings of 1.86, he could come to Los Angeles sooner than expected.

"While Natera is already 25, he has very low mileage on his arm between starting late, the pandemic and the missed time in 2024," reads Natera's MLB prospect report. "In his brief mound time last year, he was finding the strike zone with more consistency, raising the bar a little bit more. Left-handers who are 6-foot-4 and have two out pitches tend to make it to the big leagues, so everyone is intrigued to see how Natera follows up his AFL breakout."

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