Don’t let the late round selection fool you, Caden Dana was one of the best prep pitchers in the nation following his senior year.  Bosco Prep, where Dana is from, in New Jersey is the East Coast equivalent of a Harvard Westlake or Bishop Gorman out West.  It’s a private school where players are recruited from a very young age and typically go on to play after high school. Dana had a strong college commitment to Kentucky and wasn’t expected to sign unless he was selected in the first couple rounds.  As day three of the draft came around and Dana was undrafted, the Angels came calling, offering him a record setting deal outside of the first ten rounds of the draft, which was on par with an early second round selection.  Not only that, the Angels mentioned that they’d like to draft his older brother Casey as well, which seemed to seal the deal for the Dana family. 

Since being drafted, Caden has continued to open eyes in and out of the organization and has since entered MLB Pipeline's and Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list.

Already solidly built for an 18 year old, since signing his contract Dana’s frame has continued to fill out in muscle.  With that physique and his long blonde flowing locks, Dana is getting lazy comps to Noah Syndergaard.  Dana’s fastball, which comfortably sat 92 mph in high school has steadily climbed and is now frequently 94-95.  The slider, which was fringe average before now flashes as solid average to plus pitch.  While his change piece and curve lack consistency in command, he’s usually able to keep them in the strike zone, though I’m skeptical either pitch will ever be more than average.  Still, having three average or better offerings is the starter kit for a successful major league starting pitcher.  As much as anything else, it seems to be Dana’s delivery and disposition that have helped set him apart.  His motion was clean looking two or three years ago and has remained so as a professional.  And Caden’s demeanor runs in pretty stark contrast to many young pitchers, or even current starters on the Angels pitching staff.  By watching his mannerisms, you’d be hard-pressed to find the difference between him throwing a perfect game or getting shelled. 

This season in his first taste of Double-A the 20-year-old righthander is holding hitters to a .184 batting average and has a 0.94 WHIP & 2.52 ERA this season through August 26th, 2024.  

In our interview with Dana below you'll get an idea of his pitch repertoire, his season to date, the things he has been working on to reach the next level, who he'd love to face at the major league level and strike out and much more, including some questions on the lighter side that will make you smile.