Ron Washington Sees Great Potential From Angels' Young Outfielder
Los Angeles Angeles manager Ron Washington is already bringing new energy to the team.
Although it will be interesting to see how Washington handles established superstars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon — veterans in their own right — the habits he instills in youngsters will be the more interesting development to track in Washington's first year.
The Angels are known for promoting their international signees and draft picks up faster than any other organization. Eventually, the trend might extend to the team's number-3 prospect, teenage outfielder Nelson Rada.
Rada has the skill set to be an elite player at the highest level, and Washington is a massive fan. Washington spoke to reporters on Friday, including MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, about Rada's skill set.
Although Washington said Rada has room to grow, he sees great potential from the young prospect.
“He’s a young kid with good bat-to-ball skills,” Washington said. “We just want him to play his game. He puts the ball in play and can run. We’re trying to get him a little more aggressive on the basepaths. But he’s 18 years old, so he’s in his head. We just told him to trust his speed and got an interpreter to tell him if he gets thrown out, just to dust himself off and try it again. He’s got carte blanche.”
Rada proved Washington right in a short amount of time this spring. He batted .333 (2 for 6), with two RBIs, three stolen bases, and an .833 OPS before he was reassigned to minor league camp late Sunday.
The 18-year-old was among the best and youngest players in the 2022 international class. In his minor league career, Rada is slashing .285/.410/.371 with a .781 OPS, three home runs, 74 RBIs, and 172 hits in 165 games.
Washington is a big fan of his young prospect, and if all works out, we could see him in the big leagues. He is likely to open the season with the High-A Tri-City. If worse comes to worse, don't be surprised if we see Rada in the major leagues in 2024.
