The Angels will select the contract of right-hander Janson Junk today, as first reported by Matt Kardos of Pinstriped Prospects (Twitter link).
Junk, 25, was acquired earlier this summer from the Yankees in the deadline deal that sent left-hander Andrew Heaney to New York. A 22nd-rounder out of Seattle University back in 2017, Junk has elevated his prospect status in 2021 with a strong showing in Double-A, where he’s pitched to a combined 2.81 ERA with a 25.9 percent strikeout rate, a 7.2 percent walk rate and a 43.3 percent ground-ball rate in 93 innings out of the rotation.
FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein noted at the time of the trade that Junk features a fastball he can work up into the mid-90s and a newly implemented slider that gives him a solid breaking ball to pair with his primary pitch. Junk currently ranks as the No. 22 prospect in the Angels’ system over at MLB.com, where their scouting report praises the spin rate on his fastball that tops out at 97 mph and also credits him with an average curveball in addition to that new-and-improved slider.
Junk needed to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft anyhow, so it’s not a major surprise to see the Angels add him to the roster for a big league look a bit sooner than that. Coincidentally, his call-up comes on a day when the Angels are scheduled to face off against his former Double-A teammate, Glenn Otto. New York traded Otto to the Rangers as part of the Joey Gallo/Joely Rodriguez trade.
It’s not yet clear whether Junk will pitch out of the rotation or join the Halos’ bullpen for the time being, but he adds another option to a growing stable of young arms who could get auditions in the rotation before too long. Young lefty Patrick Sandoval has likely already seized a spot next season with a strong showing, and the Angels have also taken looks at 2020 top pick Reid Detmers and another promising prospect, right-hander Chris Rodriguez. Pitching help still figures to be a priority for general manager Perry Minasian and his staff this offseason, especially with Heaney now traded, Jose Quintana going to the Giants on waivers and Alex Cobb set to reach free agency at season’s end.
I can’t wait to read the clever comments for this guy
Junkyard Dog.
A bohunk with junk in the trunk
Leave it to the Angels to call up Junk from their minor league system
A GREAT pitchers name. Man I really hope he has a lousy fastball.
Meh…just another Junk baller.
I suppose we’ll see if the former Yankees Junk is another team’s treasure.
I hear he doesn’t throw hard, mostly junk
Very odd that his junk’s not hard…
You probably rubbed him the wrong way, be nicer to your fellow man
He’s junk
Perfect name for an Angels starting pitcher.
If the Junk is a rockin, don’t come a knockin!
@vtadave
How can i rec this comment 1000 times?
The Yanks had some extra Junk in their minor league trunk and used it to get Heaney.
I hope Junk has a trunk. And he keeps his junk in the trunk. Junk’s junk in the trunk.
Well, Junk is all Heaney is worth.
How the hell did Dumpster Diving Theo not find this guy?
Probably because he isn’t running a team.
Details…
He throws nothing but fastballs. Just cuz
When he is pitching, Anaheim Stadium will be called the “Junkyard”.
*Turns up the Black-Eyed Peas*
80 grade name on this guy
Please issue him jersey number 86
Trade to astros, promote to majors, debut marked by trashcan giveaway day
It’s old and tired.
astro fan spotted in wild
Wrong assessment. My posts make it clear I’m an Angels fan.
I’m a diamondbacks fan.
@prov356 I don’t care enough to check your post history
Well, don’t make uninformed assumptions then.
Bang bang
If his baseball career falters he has a future in pRon.
pr0n
Hey Siri, what are the odds that both you and Junk get called up today?
We’ve been acquiring Junk pitching for the last 10 years.
Hope the clubhouse takes a pic when inevitably luring him into the trunk.
Y’know… a legal name change just doesn’t cost that much…
You don’t like his Junk?
The Angels aren’t going to be able to build a Dodger-esque rotation in the next 1-2 years. However, we could emulate the Rays methodology and be much more successful by getting 2-3 guys in the bullpen who can go multiple innings and help us avoid using the Slegers, Guerra, etc. pile of leftovers that consistently blow games.
Chris Rodriguez was integral to the early season success. Years ago Petit was that guy.
Ideally, C Rod is back in that role next year, and one of Junk or the promising arms in AA takes another. Davis Daniel is also on my radar for this role.
We just can’t continue to think using 6 pitchers a game when most of those 6 are cast offs from other teams.
Few teams can just build a rotation like the Dodgers have from their own system in such a short period of time. There’s a lot of luck in finding those types of arms all at once. But the Angels still have more promising SP youth coming up than they’ve had in over 10 years. They just need to see who sticks. We could easily see a rotation like this by this time next season:
Shohei Ohtani
Alex Cobb (I think they should extend him)
Patrick Sandoval
Chris Rodriguez
Reid Detmers
Sam Bachman
Griffin Canning
Jaime Barria
Jose Suarez
They could also make a trade, especially using the last 3.
I think it’ll still be difficult to sign a top starter because of their 6 man rotation. In a full healthy season, each starter loses 5-6 starts from what they’d get with a 5 man rotation. All the more reason to develop from within.
Which will it be?
“Jason was anything but Junk in impressive debut” or “Angels threw Junk in blowout loss”
For his sake I hope it’s not “Junk Stunk”.
Man this dude must have had to wear it since the 2nd grade. Wow.
Even Brooks Pounders is raising his glass…
junk is a german noble name.
No wonder they lost two world wars
most nobles in germany were against the h guy.
No need for sticky stuff but watch for a blade to cut up the ball…
1) Marry Barry Bonds, and hyphenate both last names.
2). Irony demands that this guy throw flames, like 102 mph.
Call 1-800-GOT-JUNK
Better than 1-877-KARS-4-KIDS…
WORST. AD. ON. RADIO or TV.
So you want kids to starve? MLB Trade Rumors has always been against child starvation.
JFC can you imagine having that name?!? I mean seriously, “Janson?” What is that?
He wasn’t born last name Junk. He changed it to get an opportunity to join the Angels staff.
“He brings his Junk to the mound each time he’s out there.”
“Dad must be proud of his Junk.”
Madden on his way to the mound. Glancing down to his bullpen. Junk looks ready.
Fun times in Maddens office
Hey will somebody please get me the Janson. My Junk is starting to itch. Poor Basta*rd
Bob Menery voice “oh, they are just playing with the Angels junk now.”
Indeed Peter!
Now we just need to get Greg Garbage, Wesley Wastebasket, and Travis Trash to the bigs.
We can’t forget Donny Dumpster.
Missing Richard “Dick” Refuse
And Bobby Basura.
What a name! Junk against homer bush would have been a great battle. Couple different name combos there would have worked.
I have seen this kid pitch a couple of times and he was quite impressive! What cracked me up though is that he often grabbed at his crotch between pitches (no lie), which made me think he either has monster junk, or he had some gunk on his junk. For those of you who get to watch him tonight, see if he still does it. Hopefully someone told him to knock it off, but I found it hilarious given his name.
Umps Now Required to Inspect Angels’ Junk
Perfect name for an Angels pitcher.
If he was to become a star will you see angles fans with junk jerseys
Any of their pitchers in jersey form (NOT OHTANI)
I have to get something off my chest…when I was 16 we scrimmaged agains the 13 year old team and I was the pitcher. After throwing cheese by a few guys I started
To get hot hard. So in the 2nd inning I started doctoring the ball with Vaseline and
Got great movement on the ball. But one of the kids made a comment that I was “cheating” so I started “head hunting”’and throwing at the kids on purpose, hitting several before getting pulled. I’ve felt guilty ever since.
I’m “skeptical” that this “story” ever happened. Seems like you might have “made it up”. If it is indeed real, well then I think you were a huge dirtbag to go “head hunting” against kids 3 years younger than you, all because one called you out on your “cheating”, when you were in fact “cheating”. Have a “good” evening.
Season’s lost. Time to call up some junk.
Trade Mike Trout and Ohtani.
Just wait till he becomes a Ray or a Dodger. His name will mysteriously change to Janson Luck.
Junk’s shirt just passed Ohtani’s as the No1 seller.
Eighty comments so far and no one mentions that the team Janson Junk was called up from was the Rocket City Trash Pandas?