Every year, a handful of players ranked outside the top 10 in their respective farm systems take meaningful steps forward to improve their stock and vault up prospect rankings. Part of the fun is trying to identify those breakouts before it happens. So today, we’re identifying Angels prospects who have the potential to make a jump in 2026.

To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s preseason Top 10 prospects. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2026 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.

You can find Top 30 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.

Breakout Prospects

Chase Shores, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
Adjusted Grade: 35

Track Record: Shores was a touted prep arm who made it to campus at LSU and made immediate contributions as a freshman before an elbow injury forced Tommy John surgery in April 2023 and sidelined him through 2024. He returned to the Tigers’ rotation to open his junior year, though his most meaningful production came in relief. Shores finished the season with 2.2 scoreless innings to help LSU clinch the College World Series title. The Angels drafted him 47th overall in 2025 and signed him for full slot value at $2,077,200.

Scouting Report: Shores is a massive 6-foot-8 righthander with a power arsenal. His fastball averages just over 97 mph and can touch 102 with a fair amount of armside run. It’s more of a velocity-driven pitch right now that may need better life to induce more swings and misses. His best secondary is a hard, high-spin slider that flashes plus in the upper 80s as a gyro-style breaker that darts under the zone, though he can manipulate its shape and power to become more of an 87-91 mph sweeper. Shores’ upper-80s changeup is a distant third offering. A good athlete with some remaining projection, he works from a low three-quarters slot with the mechanical markers to give him a shot as a starter, though his below-average control makes it more likely he ends up in relief.

The Future: Shores’ special arm talent and athleticism will give him every opportunity to develop as a starter. His power arsenal could ultimately work best in high-leverage situations.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40

Hayden Alvarez, OF

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Adjusted Grade: 30

Track Record: Alvarez signed the second-largest deal in the Angels’ 2024 international class when he inked a $685,000 bonus. He enjoyed a solid pro debut in the Dominican Summer League that year on a team that reached the circuit’s league championship, then made his stateside debut in 2025 where he was the catalyst for the Angels’ title-winning Arizona Complex League team. Alvarez slashed .335/.427/.429 with 24 stolen bases and was then promoted to Low-A Inland Empire, where he played for his third league championship in a 13-month span and posted an .895 OPS over 76 plate appearances.

Scouting Report: An athletic outfielder with a great body, Alvarez has enticing tools. He has a simple, efficient and compact righthanded swing with a solid feel for contact, especially in the strike zone. He’s quite disciplined with solid plate coverage, rarely chasing in 2025, though more advanced pitching could test his patience. There’s plenty of room for Alvarez to fill out his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, but his middling bat speed suggests a fringy power ceiling. He’s a plus runner and aggressive baserunner who loves to utilize his speed. Scouts were mixed on his center field defense, where he’s an average thrower who has some aptitude for the position, but may need to rein in some of his decision-making as he matures.

The Future: Alvarez has a well-rounded profile and some of the biggest upside among position players in the Angels’ system, even if there’s plenty of development ahead to reach a ceiling as an everyday outfielder.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50