Feb 28, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the Los Angeles Angels logo on a hat in the dugout during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Surprise Angels Pitcher Named Top Prospect By Rival Scout

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 5:00 PM ET

An anonymous rival scout named Los Angeles Angels' No. 11 prospect Chris Cortez as one of the best pitchers in the organization, per the Orange County Register.

The Angels drafted Cortez in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and began the right-hander at High-A Tri-City in 2025. Through 26 starts in 2025, Cortes has a 4.28 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 113.2 innings pitched. He has allowed just five home runs during that time.

“I’ve got him as the best of all their pitchers I’ve seen this year,” the scout said to the Orange County Register. “He’s No. 1 for me. … He’s got a big fastball. It’s a devastating pitch when he gets it down and away. I think his slider is a plus pitch with swing and miss. The cutter is very serviceable. He is durable. The pitch that needs to come is the changeup. When that pitch comes, he’s going to be a problem for hitters.”

Cortez was an elite bullpen weapon for Texas A&M in 2024, featuring in 25 games with a 2.78 ERA. He ripped up the College World Series in the Aggies' runner-up effort, posting a 1.18 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 15.2 innings in the college postseason.

The right-hander's prospect scouting report echoes the sentiments of the anonymous scout, stating his fastball and slider are solid options and that his changeup needs to see more play.

"Cortez enters pro ball with two plus pitches that really play," the report reads. "He actually threw his 86-92 mph power slider more than his fastball last year, and it’s easy to see why. It features horizontal and vertical action and elicited a 56-percent miss rate, according to Synergy. His fastball averaged a tick over 98 mph in 2024 and topped out at 101, thrown with power sink that’s extremely difficult to leverage. He has an upper-80s changeup, but it gathered a lot of dust on the pitching shelf."

The Angels are aching for young pitching talent, and their fielding positions are mostly taken care of for the next couple years, the exception being third base. If they are able to build a talented rotation involving potentially their best pitching prospect in Cortez, who has a 2026 ETA to the majors, they could make a run at ending their MLB-longest postseason drought.