Dana just keeps posting zeros for Trash Pandas

Not many 11th-round picks sign seven-figure bonuses. Not many pitching prospects throw complete games before they can legally drink. But then again, Caden Dana isn’t like most prospects. And he’s spent much of this season showing why.

The latest example came Thursday when Dana’s latest strong start paved the way for Double-A Rocket City’s 7-5 win over Birmingham at Toyota Field. In his second consecutive scoreless outing since throwing a 10-strikeout, nine-inning complete game, the No. 1 Angels prospect struck out five over 6⅔ innings.

"Feeling good right now," Dana said. "I'm throwing pitches with conviction instead of just throwing them to throw them. There is actually meaning behind what I'm doing."

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Those outings are just part of an impressive run of starts for MLB's No. 88 overall prospect stretching back to the beginning of last month. He sports a 1.87 ERA and a stellar 39-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last five outings. All told, Dana is 7-7 with a 2.75 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 118 innings at Double-A, where he is more than four years younger than his average competition.

The Angels went tenfold over slot to sign Dana for $1.5 million in 2022 after he fell to the 11th round due to a commitment to Kentucky. They eased him into pro ball that summer and limited him to more traditional usage in his first full season. This year, the gloves have come off.

Dana threw 105 pitches on Thursday, going over the 100-pitch mark for the fifth time this season. Unlike most 20-year-olds, he's spent the year learning how to maintain that level of success while keeping his body fresh and recovering properly in the time between long outings.

"I'm just trying not to be stupid," he said. "I'm a big gym rat, and I can easily get carried away in the weight room and do something stupid. So I try not to sometimes. The whole recovery process is about being smart, knowing how your body handles things and taking it day by day."

It's working so far. Dana leads the Southern League in innings and ranks seventh in workload among all Double-A hurlers – and he’s at least two years younger than all six pitchers ahead of him on that list. He also ranks fourth in ERA, and second in WHIP and BAA among fellow hurlers on the circuit.

"You can't let the game speed you up," he said. "That is definitely a major change I've made from last year."

In short, it's been a banner year for Dana, who represented the Angels in the All-Star Futures Game last month. Who knows what the next few months have in store? Los Angeles is always looking for pitching and has shown no qualms about moving top prospects like Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Ben Joyce through their system quickly in recent years. With almost two years, 38 starts and 118 Minor League innings under his belt, Dana already has more experience than all those guys did when they debuted in The Show.

"It's almost like if you slow the game down, you look up and it's the sixth, seventh inning already," Dana said. "It's weird how that works. I'm glad the Angels really aren't putting the leash on me, because I think I need that and I think everything is a learning experience right now. I think I have to get used to it."

It’ll be fascinating to see how Los Angeles handles Dana, who won’t turn 21 until December. Especially if he keeps pitching like this.