Angels Top Prospect Falls Out of MLB's Top 100 in Latest Rankings

Caden Dana's rough month of May cost him a spot in Baseball America's Top 100 prospect rankings.

Dana, 21, entered the 2025 season as the No. 86 prospect in MLB, but was not included in the updated rankings released Wednesday. He was one of five prospects bumped by J.J. Cooper, and the only Angels prospect among them.

These prospects have fallen out of the Top 100 after this month's update:

Tre’ Morgan, 1B, Rays
Brayden Taylor, 2B, Rays
Demetrio Crisantes, 2B, Diamondbacks
Caden Dana, RHP, Angels
Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets https://t.co/sqfR7YAu6y pic.twitter.com/peV504c0DT
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 4, 2025

The Angels have summoned the 21-year-old right-hander to the big leagues twice this season. Neither appearance has gone particularly well.

On April 4, he allowed two runs (both earned) in three relief innings against the Cleveland Guardians. Four of the 12 batters he faced collected hits, including a home run and a double. Another walked.

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On May 24, Dana made another three-inning relief appearance against the Miami Marlins. He struck out four batters but also walked four, allowed another home run among three hits, and allowed two stolen bases to the 11 men he faced.

Those appearances were sandwiched in between a tale of two very different months for Dana at Triple-A Salt Lake.

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In four April starts, Dana went 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA across 21.2 innings. He limited opponents to a .235/.303/.358 slash line — an impressive performance in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Dana's four May starts with Salt Lake were a different story.

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Opponents slashed .338/.419/.554 against him, and Statcast suggests those numbers were no fluke (.335/.420/.540 expected performance). The lowlight: a May 13 game at Sacramento in which Dana walked two batters, allowed three hits and four runs, and recorded only one out.

The regression in performance comes amid a season in which the Angels were hoping their 11th-round pick in the 2022 draft would take a step forward after earning his first call-up last September.

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Writes Cooper: "Dana has relied heavily on his four-seam fastball, but it’s not a pitch that generates swings and misses. He has the makings of a durable starter, but he’s going to need to find another gear to be a midrotation contributor."

In addition to a low swing-and-miss rate, Dana's fastball is averaging 94.3 mph and yielding a .313 opponents' batting average. It's been his worst pitch — and also his most-used pitch in 2025.

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Dana's slider and curveball have shown promise, which suggests he might find more success emphasizing his secondary pitches more.

By itself, a prospect falling off the fringes of a Top 100 list is not cause for alarm. In Dana's case, it tells the Angels nothing they did not already know: he still has some work to do to become a major league regular.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.