MLB rumors: 5 prospects who can help Angels in 2019

1. Griffin Canning, RHP

The Angels’ No. 2 overall prospect, Griffin Canning is already building hype for himself with Angels fans who are constantly tweeting after his every start with Triple-A Salt Lake. But with two of the Angels best arms in Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Skaggs out for an extended period of time, Canning is easily the most obvious candidate for a call-up should the Angels decide to call for backup. With a 1.13 ERA and 17 strikeouts compared to just two walks, Canning has been dealing in his three starts for AAA this season.

Canning struggled when he was first promoted to AAA Salt Lake last year, posting an 8.44 ERA in his first five games with the club, but in his final eight games, he lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.82. The 22-year-old righty has four pitches that look MLB quality, featuring a fastball that sits around 94 MPH, a curve with a sharp break, a slider that has plenty of tilt and a change-up that allows him to set hitters up with when paired with his heater.

Canning doesn’t have much more to prove at this point but with only three starts under his belt and never pitching into the seventh inning, the Angels need to see a little more from him before he officially gets the call-up.