Mason Erla

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #23 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Passed over in the 2019 draft and pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, Erla returned to Michigan State as a fifth-year senior in 2021. The Angels liked his arm strength and took him in the 17th round of their all-pitcher draft, signing him for $125,000. Erla impressed in his brief pro debut and was a standout during instructional league. He suffered a minor injury that kept him out for two months in 2022 but returned to pitch well in Double-A Rocket City's rotation the rest of the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Erla is older at 25, but he has excellent arm strength and a good feel for throwing strikes. His fastball has jumped from 90-94 mph in college to 93-97 mph in pro ball and he commands it well to make it a plus pitch. The Angels believe even more velocity is coming as he gets completely healthy. Erla shows good feel for an average, mid-80's changeup that induces chase swings below the zone. He has improved his slider over the year, tightening the break, but it can still be overly sweepy due to his violent delivery and low three-quarters arm slot. Erla throws strikes with above-average control despite his delivery and locates his pitches in the zone.
  
  The Future: The Angels will continue to develop Erla as a starter, but he'll need to develop his offspeed pitchers to avoid a move to the bullpen. He is likely to end up a useful middle reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #24 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Erla was passed over in the five-round 2020 draft, so he returned to Michigan State for a fifth season and went 5-6, 3.50 with 80 strikeouts and only three home runs allowed in 79.2 innings. The Angels drafted him in the 17th round and he immediately showed promise in his pro debut with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 7.1 innings across two levels.
  
  Scouting Report: The big-bodied Erla has good command of a fastball that averages 95-96 mph and touches 98 mph in short bursts. He added a low-90s cutter that has more slider-like action after being drafted to give him a potentially average secondary pitch, He has shown a good feel for a mid-80s changeup and is still developing a mid-80s slider that is more of a slurve. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  The Future: Erla is already 24, but his velocity and strike-throwing capabilities make him a sleeper candidate. He will remain a starter for now and can slide into relief if needed.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #410 prospect in 2021 draft
  Erla ranked as the No. 170 prospect in the 2020 class as a redshirt junior who took a step forward with his fastball velocity and posted a 1.04 ERA with impressive strikeout and walk rates over 26 innings. He was passed over in the five-round draft and made it back to campus where he has backed up from that 2020 performance. Erla posted a 3.50 ERA over 79.2 innings and 13 starts, with 80 strikeouts (9.0 K/9) and 30 walks (3.4 BB/9), but he allowed almost a hit per inning. His fastball still gets into the upper 90s, though he sits in the 91-94 mph range, and he has two fringy secondaries in a mid-80s slider and mid-80s changeup. Erla will turn 24 a month after the draft which could hurt him with teams that prioritize age.
• Ranked #170 prospect in 2020 draft
  Erla will be something of a wild card in the 2020 draft, considering the quality of his 2019 season and the lack of in-person crosschecker looks he was able to get before the 2020 season shut down. In his second full season as a starter for Michigan State in 2019, Erla posted a 5.49 ERA over 14 starts and 82 innings, with just 61 strikeouts and 29 walks. He proved too hittable (102 hits) that season and entered the year as a day three draft candidate. However, coaches thought Erla looked significantly better during the fall, showing a fastball that got up into the mid-90s at its best. He performed at a much higher level through four starts and 26 innings this spring, posting a 1.38 ERA and more than doubling his previous career strikeout rate. Scouts saw a fastball that got up to 96, and some scouts believe it was one of the better swing-and-miss heaters in the country, making it a potential plus pitch. The reports on his secondary stuff aren’t quite as loud, and scouts don’t have a great feel for Erla, as he looks like a completely different pitcher this spring than in 2019. Listed at 6-foot-4, 217 pounds, Erla has a plus body, but as a redshirt junior who missed almost the entire 2017 season with arm surgery, there are some health questions as well.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Passed over in the 2019 draft and pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, Erla returned to Michigan State as a fifth-year senior in 2021. The Angels liked his arm strength and took him in the 17th round of their all-pitcher draft, signing him for $125,000. Erla impressed in his brief pro debut and was a standout during instructional league. He suffered a minor injury that kept him out for two months in 2022 but returned to pitch well in Double-A Rocket City's rotation the rest of the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Erla is older at 25, but he has excellent arm strength and a good feel for throwing strikes. His fastball has jumped from 90-94 mph in college to 93-97 mph in pro ball and he commands it well to make it a plus pitch. The Angels believe even more velocity is coming as he gets completely healthy. Erla shows good feel for an average, mid-80's changeup that induces chase swings below the zone. He has improved his slider over the year, tightening the break, but it can still be overly sweepy due to his violent delivery and low three-quarters arm slot. Erla throws strikes with above-average control despite his delivery and locates his pitches in the zone.
  
  The Future: The Angels will continue to develop Erla as a starter, but he'll need to develop his offspeed pitchers to avoid a move to the bullpen. He is likely to end up a useful middle reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 55
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Passed over in the 2019 draft and pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, Erla returned to Michigan State as a fifth-year senior in 2021. The Angels liked his arm strength and took him in the 17th round of their all-pitcher draft, signing him for $125,000. Erla impressed in his brief pro debut and was a standout during instructional league. He suffered a minor injury that kept him out for two months in 2022 but returned to pitch well in Double-A Rocket City's rotation the rest of the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Erla is older at 25, but he has excellent arm strength and a good feel for throwing strikes. His fastball has jumped from 90-94 mph in college to 93-97 mph in pro ball and he commands it well to make it a plus pitch. The Angels believe even more velocity is coming as he gets completely healthy. Erla shows good feel for an average, mid-80's changeup that induces chase swings below the zone. He has improved his slider over the year, tightening the break, but it can still be overly sweepy due to his violent delivery and low three-quarters arm slot. Erla throws strikes with above-average control despite his delivery and locates his pitches in the zone.
  
  The Future: The Angels will continue to develop Erla as a starter, but he'll need to develop his offspeed pitchers to avoid a move to the bullpen. He is likely to end up a useful middle reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 55
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Erla was passed over in the five-round 2020 draft, so he returned to Michigan State for a fifth season and went 5-6, 3.50 with 80 strikeouts and only three home runs allowed in 79.2 innings. The Angels drafted him in the 17th round and he immediately showed promise in his pro debut with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 7.1 innings across two levels.
  
  Scouting Report: The big-bodied Erla has good command of a fastball that averages 95-96 mph and touches 98 mph in short bursts. He added a low-90s cutter that has more slider-like action after being drafted to give him a potentially average secondary pitch, He has shown a good feel for a mid-80s changeup and is still developing a mid-80s slider that is more of a slurve. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  The Future: Erla is already 24, but his velocity and strike-throwing capabilities make him a sleeper candidate. He will remain a starter for now and can slide into relief if needed.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Erla was passed over in the five-round 2020 draft, so he returned to Michigan State for a fifth season and went 5-6, 3.50 with 80 strikeouts and only three home runs allowed in 79.2 innings. The Angels drafted him in the 17th round and he immediately showed promise in his pro debut with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 7.1 innings across two levels.
  
  Scouting Report: The big-bodied Erla has good command of a fastball that averages 95-96 mph and touches 98 mph in short bursts. He added a low-90s cutter that has more slider-like action after being drafted to give him a potentially average secondary pitch, He has shown a good feel for a mid-80s changeup and is still developing a mid-80s slider that is more of a slurve. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  The Future: Erla is already 24, but his velocity and strike-throwing capabilities make him a sleeper candidate. He will remain a starter for now and can slide into relief if needed.