At Just 19-Years-Old, Nelson Rada Is Banging On The Door To The Majors
A Blog By Tobey
The Angels have notoriously fast-tracked many of their top prospects to the majors in recent years. Picks like Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Ben Joyce, and Christian Moore all come to mind. This strategy is loved and hated by the baseball world, and whether you like it or not, it’s hard to disagree with the fact that it’s fun watching these young talented prospects get a shot. 19-year-old Nelson Rada is the next to be added to this list.
Rada will turn 20 later this month, as he keeps his eyes on a potential September callup to try and help an Angels roster with playoff hopes. An international signing out of Venezuela, Rada was the No. 29 overall international prospect back in 2022.
He’s graded with an average hit tool and not much power to go along with it. However as you’ll see, 2025 has been productive with the bat. His speed and defense is what excites scouts more than anything, receiving plus grades on his speed, glove, and arm.
Rada has spent most of the 2025 season in Double-A Rocket City, where his production is looking incredibly similar to that of his 2023 season in Single-A.
2023 (A): 115 G | .276/.395/.346 | .742 OPS | 2 HR | 48 RBI | .364 wOBA | 113 wRC+
2025 (AA/AAA): 106 G | .287/.394/.351| .745 OPS | 2 HR | 29 RBI | .364 wOBA | 126 wRC+
While the grades may just be average to below average with the bat, he’s shown he can consistently put up above average production across multiple 100+ game seasons.
After posting an 89 wRC+ his first season in Double-A, he improved over his 2025 stretch, where he had a .713 OPS compared to .600 in 2024, with a 122 wRC+. He walked above 11% of the time as well, while keeping his K% around 20%.
This earned him a callup to AAA Salt Lake, where he’s been incredible in his first 13 games.
48 AB
.354 AVG
.483 OBP
.479 SLG
.963 OPS
1 HR
10 R
7 RBI
10 BB
10 SO
.446 wOBA
152 wRC+
He’s swinging the bat well at the right time, and it’s not just a great bat, but a great approach at the plate in general. His small sample size so far in AAA has given us a profile that shows a disciplined hitter, with great swing decisions.
Data: ProspectSavant
Plate Discipline - Statcast (AAA Data via FanGraphs)
O-Swing%: 17.8%
Z-Swing%: 67.5%
Swing%: 43.1%
O-Contact%: 60.9%
Z-Contact%: 87.3%
Contact%: 76.1%
While he won’t hit the ball harder than most, he’s an on-base machine making swings at a level that very few his age could make.
When it comes to pitch type performance we’ve seen Rada crush Curveballs and Changeups so far in Salt Lake.
Curveball (10.2% Usage): .371 xBA | .430 xSLG | .432 xwOBA
Changeup (7.7% Usage): .425 xBA | .773 xSLG | .508 xwOBA
He’s been struggling more against Sweepers and Cutters than anything else. Good news being he also doesn’t face these pitches all too often.
Sweeper (9.3% Usage): .285 xBA | .296 xSLG | .258 xwOBA
Cutter (7.7% Usage): .243 xBA | .256 xSLG | .377 xwOBA
Date: ProspectSavant
His batted ball data this year shows majority opposite field contact (40% Oppo%). In his short AAA sample size however, he’s flipped the Pull% to 47.5%, and the Oppo% to 27.5%.
With Rada’s speed and defense combined, there’s definitely an argument that he can make a meaningful impact with the Angels during the tail end of the regular season. He’ll be a bat to hit for average as a major threat on the basepaths, recording 43 stolen bases this year.
In terms of other top prospects with the Angels, Rada is the highest ranked outfield prospect right now. He’s banging on the door, and it now feels like a matter of time before the Angels decide to give him the call.