Baseball is the ultimate team sport but when a team is in the beginning stage of a full rebuild individual performances by key players are what really matter. And tonight Angels rookie Walbert Urena shone against a powerful Yankees lineup and thier highly touted rookie Elmer Rodriguez.

In looking at the big picture, the development of young pitchers will determine the length and severity of the Angels rebuild. Walbert Urena gives Angels fans a legitimate reason to believe the future of the Angels rotation is looking bright.

Ureña Shines, Rodriguez Falters: Inside the Yankees vs. Angels Pitching Matchup

Walbert Urena had the much tougher task this evening. The Yankees offense is second in the AL in home runs and above average in batting average, slugging, and on base percentage. Overall, this was a tough test for the Angels rookie and he passed it well enough to bolster his Rookie of the Year profile.

Urena's sinker was able to induce plenty of soft contact while his 99 mile per hour fastball got him ahead in counts. Spencer Jones did crack a lofty home run to right field but otherwise Urena kept the Yankees bats quiet.

Through six innings Urena had struck out 7 Yankees batters without issuing a single walk and had only allowed the one run. By attacking the strike zone he kept his pitch count to a very reasonable 80 with 57 of them being for strikes. Urena wrapped up his night allowing an infield hit and recording a K in the 7th inning.

Conversely, Elmer Rodriguez looked like a rookie tonight. His command was off and he threw 91 pitches before being lifted with 2 outs in the 4th inning. On the night, Rodriguez surrendered 3 earned runs and walked 3 batters while striking out 5 batters. Zach Neto accounted for 2 of those K's and seems back to his free swinging self after settling in at the plate for a week of great production.

Prospect Pedigree Flips: Walbert Ureña Outshines Yankees’ Elite Elmer Rodriguez

Coming into this season Walbert Urena's name was nowhere to be found on the top prospects lists. Yes, his newfound mastery of a sinker made him intriguing enough to be featured on Angels on SI but he rated far below Tyler Bremner and George Klassen on the Angels prospects charts. He was not rated on any Top 100 list nor was he given much of a chance to make the Angels roster when he showed up to Tempe.

Prospect lists loved Elmer Rodriguez, however. He was touted as the Yankees best pitching prospect and third best prospect overall. He appeared at 72 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list and, being a Yankee, drew plenty of interest every time he pitched in the Grapefruit League.

Early Verdict: Walbert Ureña Takes Round 1 Over Elmer Rodriguez

It is obviously very early in Rodriguez career but nights like this reveal a lot of truths about baseball. For one, pitching prospects can change their fates drastically with a new grip or pitch. Also, prospect rankings are not an exact science. Most importantly it is critical to realize that the careers of these two young pitchers have yet to be defined.

Hopefully both young hurlers have long, successful careers and match up several more times in the future. But on this night, Walbert Urena took round one and that is a great sign if you are an Angels fan.