Angels' top prospect 'on the radar' for bigs

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Right-hander Caden Dana keeps dominating with Double-A Rocket City, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll get called up this season despite being just 20 years old.

Dana, ranked as the club’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 74 overall by MLB Pipeline, made his latest start on Tuesday and went eight innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out nine. He's now posted a 2.64 ERA with 140 strikeouts and 39 walks in 129 2/3 innings this season despite being more than four and a half years younger than his average competition.

The Angels’ rotation is thin right now, and they called up veteran Johnny Cueto -- who went 6 1/3 innings with one strikeout, three earned runs and two walks -- as a patchwork solution on Wednesday.

Lefty Reid Detmers is also in the mix, and he is coming off two strong starts with Triple-A Salt Lake, allowing two runs over 15 innings with 20 strikeouts. But the Angels want to see Detmers be more consistent before he’s called back up after he posted a 6.14 ERA in 12 starts and 63 innings before he was optioned in early June.

Angels manager Ron Washington has been monitoring Dana, but said there’s no reason to rush him to the Majors just yet. But he also acknowledged Los Angeles has been aggressive with youngsters such as Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto, and fans are already clamoring to see second baseman Christian Moore (No. 2 prospect) after he was selected as the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s Draft.

“This kid is 20 years old, experiencing his first full season,” Washington said of Dana. “We want him to be successful now. As far as him getting here, I'm not going to say he might not get here, but we're not having a conversation about it. He's on the radar, but I don't know what's going to happen, because it's beyond my decision-making.”

Dana, though, could force his way into the rotation in September if he continues to put up impressive numbers in Double-A. He’s proved to be durable, as he leads the Southern League in innings and WHIP and also ranks second in ERA. He spoke with MiLB.com this week about his season and how he prepares for his starts.

"I'm just trying not to be stupid," Dana said. "I'm a big gym rat, and I can easily get carried away in the weight room and do something stupid. So I try not to sometimes. The whole recovery process is about being smart, knowing how your body handles things and taking it day by day."

The Angels haven’t put any restrictions on Dana despite his age, and he’s topped the 100-pitch mark six times, including 103 pitches in his last outing. So even if he doesn’t get to the Majors this year, he’ll be built up plenty for a full season next year. Dana said it’s important to not let the game speed up on him, and that’s been a big key recently.

"It's almost like, if you slow the game down, you look up and it's the sixth, seventh inning already," Dana said. "It's weird how that works. I'm glad the Angels really aren't putting the leash on me, because I think I need that and I think everything is a learning experience right now. I think I have to get used to it."

Dana has been on a roll recently, posting a 1.05 ERA with 35 strikeouts and eight walks over his past five starts, so he’s not showing any signs of slowing down despite the big jump in innings. He threw 68 1/3 innings last year and 8 1/3 in 2022 after being selected in the 11th round of the 2022 Draft out of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J.

"Feeling good right now," Dana said. "I'm throwing pitches with conviction instead of just throwing them to throw them. There is actually meaning behind what I'm doing."