Caden Dana’s thoughts were racing.
The highly-touted right-handed pitching prospect just wrapped up a round of golf in Alabama before his manager, Andy Schatzley called him on his phone.
Schatzley asked him how soon he could get to Toyota Field, the home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels’ Double-A affiliate).
Dana sprinted to his car and gave his word that he’d make it to the ballpark within a half-hour on Thursday, August 29. He didn’t really know what to expect following this impromptu call. The coaches could have wanted him down there for any reason.
Did he skip a bullpen session? Was he in trouble?
No. Caden Dana was driving to receive the news that he had been waiting for his entire life.
The former Don Bosco Prep pitcher is headed to the Major Leagues.
“When my coaches told me, I just lost it,” Dana told NJ Advance Media. “I have been working my entire life to be told that I am a big leaguer.”
Schatzley sat down in the clubhouse with Rocket City pitching coaches Michael Wuertz and Doug Henry as the deliverers of the best news possible.
”I was pretty shocked, I really didn’t know what to say, but it is definitely a relief. It’s been such a fun year, so to continue building on that and suiting up for the Angels is amazing,” Dana said.
Dana, 20, is the Angels’ No. 1 prospect and No. 74 overall prospect across baseball, according to MLB.com.
The Montgomery, N.Y. native was a star for Los Angeles’ Double-A affiliate this season, racking up 147 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings (23 starts) with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. He registered a 9-7 record behind a 2.52 earned run average and a complete-game. Dana powered two 10-strikeout contests and was the lone Angels representative at the MLB Futures Game in July.
“My goal this season was to just show up every day and work hard with my head down. It’s been a dream to play pro ball up to this point, and I never thought about getting promoted or anything,” Dana said.
An 11th round draft pick in the 2022 MLB draft, Dana was a First Team All-State player with the Ironmen. The right-hander totaled 70 strikeouts his senior year spanning 47 1/3 frames, including three scoreless innings in the 2022 Non-Public A state championship to help Don Bosco defeat St. Augustine.
Don Bosco finished No. 1 in the NJ.com final Top 20 ranking in 2022, and on top of his All-Star pitching, Dana also muscled four home runs at the plate.
Dana still keeps in contact with his high school coaches, too.
“We were just texting this morning about his last outing,” Don Bosco pitching coach Jimmy Wladyka said. “Caden didn’t even know this was going to be happening at the time. It’s really cool how things can change so fast in a matter of a day.”
“Caden is a phenomenal kid. I am so proud of him and his family. He deserves all of this because he worked for this every single day,” Don Bosco head coach Mike Rooney said.
Dana is the third player in Don Bosco Prep history to reach the Major League level, joining C.J. Nitkowski and Jason Vosler.
“It just shows how hard it is to make it to the big leagues. Don Bosco is a great program, so for Caden to make it this far as just the third Ironman is impressive. His thought process, his maturation, his work ethic, his diet, his understanding of himself is exactly why he made it to this point. He can handle it all,” Wladyka said.
Dana is scheduled to pitch against the Seattle Mariners in Anaheim on Sunday, Sept. 1. He is going to study up on the Mariners’ lineup, celebrate with his family, but won’t let the moment get too big.
Dana may be living out a childhood dream that every kid envisions, but he has earned his stripes.
“I have to pack my stuff. I have a flight in the morning to catch,” Dana said. “I can’t believe this.”
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PJ Potter may be reached at PPotter@njadvancemedia.com.
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