We are so excited to start the 2015 MWAH Angels Prospect Countdown that we can’t even wait until 2015. To kick things off, we’re putting the spotlight on a quick riser from this year’s draft class (get used to that, by the way), Andrew Daniel. Try not to hold it against him that he has two first names.
Andrew Daniel
In 10 words or less: Athletic 2B, So-Cal product. Just keeps hitting.
Position: 2B/3B Born: 1/27/93
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 190
Last Year Rank: Unranked
2014 Season Stats
[table id=35 /]
OFFENSE
Contact – B. Daniel has a level swing with quick hands and a barrel that spends optimum time in the hitting zone. Translation: Making contact is one of his better qualities. This grade however, will be tested once he begins to experience more advanced pitch sequencing, location and better quality breaking balls at the higher levels, which he’s expected to see this upcoming year.
Power – C+. Believe it or not, we have an infielder with power on our hands. And not just the “power for an infielder” sort of power but real legitimate line-to-line, gap-to-gap power that should translate at any level. Daniel should be able to hit 30-40 doubles in full season at any level. Because of the nature of his swing (level, line drive oriented, great point of contact, hand-eye coordination) you may only see him hit 10 HR’s a year.
Discipline – C. He’s around average in this department. He has great “see-the-ball-hit-the-ball” skills and has a decent understanding of what a ball and a strike are. However, at more avanced levels the lines between ball and a strike become more blurred because of a pitchers ability to locate and bury breaking balls or throw them for strikes. Without considerable growth, this very much could turn into a “D” grade within a couple years.
Speed – B. What we see from Daniel isn’t as much actual footspeed as much as it is athleticism and baseruning instincts. Daniel is a smart ball player, everything on the diamond seems to be second nature for him, from turning double plays to picking up the coach and taking an extra base. Is he fast? Yeah, kind of. But is he athletic and smart? Definitely, and that’s why you should see 15+ SB on an annual basis from Daniel. I’d rather have a smart and kind of fast runner than an unguided missile.
DEFENSE
Arm – B. Daniel has more than enough arm to play 2B. He may have just enough for the OF. He won’t be a shortstop at the higher levels but can make the plays there. Part of me wonders if Daniel may even transition to 3B. What I saw from Andrew that I particularly liked was a quick release. Due to his arm, he’s best suited for 2B, but as most fans know, the angels have a glut of 2B already.
Fielding – B. From what I saw, Daniel has more than enough glove to stick at 2B if needed. I can’t say how he’d play out at another position, but he is an athletic middle infielder, which suggests that he potentially could make a switch if needed.
Range – B. Again, plus ahtleticism/insticts and adequte foot-speed can take you a long way. He’s no Aybar out there, but perhaps he could be a Kendrick.
OVERALL
Performance – B+. 2014 really couldn’t have gone much better for Daniel. Upon making the team at University of San Diego, Daniel crushed the ball as a freshman. He had a solid season as a sophomore then absolutely exploded as a junior, which lead to the Angels drafting him in the 11th round. Upon reporting to Orem, we saw more of the same from Daniel, just crushing the ball. We can’t use the “inferior level of play” tag with him because Daniel grew up playing in the toughest high school baseball enviornment in the country in Southern California. Then, he went on to attend a D-1 college, in California (seeing a trend?). Once he arrived in Orem, Daniel layed waste to the league and the majority of it had nothing to do with the hitter friendly environment. He’s just a good hitter. Oh by the way, he led the Owlz in most major offensive categories, so there’s that too.
Projection – C. In essence what led to Daniel not being drafted until the 11th round in his junior year were his physical tools. They didn’t stand out far enough above the crowd other than to say he’ll play college ball. But once he began crushing college pitching it became clear that despite the mediocre tools, Daniel was going to hit no matter what (sound like Kole Calhoun doesn’t it?). These are the players the Angels love to draft. Daniel doesn’t project to be an all-star at the major league level, but he does enough things right to carve out a role as a utility infielder or AAAA player. If he begins walking more often, then we can start envisioning him in a full time role in the majors.
Grade as a Prospect – C. There are countless prospects who come from college and hit the ball in Orem. He’s an average prospect right now, but in Daniel’s case we (Garrett and I at MWAH) believe Daniel will have enough bat to climb the minor league ladder and become a major leaguer. But he’ll need to prove it in the coming seasons.
Estimated Time of Arrival – Beginning 2018. I expect Daniel will skip over the Midwest League and head to the angels Advanced A ball affiliate in 2015. From there, a year at each stop seems sufficient.
2014 in Review*
An 11th round pick in the most recent draft, Daniel is the token guy that hit at a such a high clip that he can’t be ignored even if he isn’t toolsy. His story isn’t one that Angels fans aren’t unfamiliar with. A college bat comes to the Pioneer League and puts up excellent numbers. That’s not to downplay what he did, his 137 wRC+ shows that he was excellent even after adjusting league and his .385 BABIP is perfectly reasonable for a player with his athleticism in league with poor fielding. The performance is very real, though maybe a bit inflated since he is a little above the average age of the league.
The point is that Daniel showed that he’s got a bat that could be interesting. What’s more interesting though is that the Angels moved him off the hot corner, where he primarily played in college, and shifted him to second base with an occasional cameo at shortstop. He’s got the athleticism for second and his bat profiles much better at that position, so this is a decision everyone should be rooting for this position change to stick.
Looking Ahead*
What also isn’t unfamiliar for Angels fans is that Daniel is a high-contact guy that swings at everything. He isn’t whiffing very much right now and his walk rate is solid, but with his approach, that may not play as well as he climbs the ladder. Even if the bat starts to lose some luster, his defense and potential versatility should at least keep him in the organizational conversation. The versatility angle should be especially interesting to monitor. The franchise used to rely heavily on guys who could be moved around the field, but they don’t have much of that anymore. Part of that is a lack of athleticism in the farm system, but Daniel has the requisite physical abilities to take on the task.
*As we do every year, the scouting reports and grades are provided by Scotty Allen while Garrett Wilson provides the 2014 in Review and Looking Ahead sections.
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