Six prospects the Angels should not trade

Prospects are currency. They’re what makes the baseball world go round. You see, free agents in their late 20’s and early 30’s typically have about five years left of major league productivity and cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. But if your team has a prospect for that spot, he can play six seasons and in total make what the free agent makes in one year. This prospect may enter the league in his low to mid-20’s and have 10 years of quality production in his body. This is not only a cost-effective way of running an organization but a smart way. Veterans can all agree, young players coming up add a degree of excitement to the clubhouse unseen by the salty vets. With that potential value in mind, here are six prospects the Angels should not trade in the potential deals they will be lining up this trade deadline.

LHPs Andrew Heaney and Sean Newcomb – I’ve grouped these two together because in terms of value, they’re defined identically. Young left-handed pitchers with mid-front of the rotation upside that should be ready for the majors soon. The fact is, C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver are not long for the Angels rotation. With diminishing stuff and inflated cost, both Weaver and Wilson aren’t ideal candidates to keep in the rotation past this season, or even past the trade deadline depending on their performance. However, should the Angels change their mind and roll with these two, next season is still their last of their contracts. Meaning the Angels will need these two to step into the rotation and compete.  They’ll be able to replicate and even someday surpass Weaver and Wilson’s value for only a fraction of the cost, freeing up money to potentially be spent on impact bats the system currently lacks.

RHP Chris Ellis – We’ve already talked about Weaver and Wilson, now lets discuss Santiago and Shoemaker. Both are young an inexpensive. Both have experienced major league success and both have also experienced inconsistency at the major league level. The fact is, no one knows if/when either of these guys implode or great out into aces. The Angels need someone capable of stepping in and being something more than a “Jerome Williams” type of pitcher. Enter Ellis. He comes with a low-to-mid-90’s fastball with movement, “plus” changeup and good curve/slider, Ellis has proven in a short amount of time that he may have been the steal of last year’s draft. Once he experienced professional instruction, Ellis immediately blossomed. You don’t trade him because not only is he really good at this, he epitomizes the reason some say the MLB draft doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if Ellis was drafted in the first or 30^th round, it wouldn’t change what he’s done this year.

C Jett Bandy – We’ve all seen what Carlos Perez can do in the short amount of time he’s been with the Angels. Key hits, top of the line defense and the professional manner he manages the game. The Angels have another one of those knocking on the door in AAA in Jett Bandy. With every Iannetta swing and miss, with every runner thrown out by Bandy, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Bandy will at some point be on the Angels roster and receive a fair share of playing time. Even with the newly drafted Taylor Ward, the Angels definitely need to hold onto Bandy, who figures to be similar to Perez behind the plate with slightly less defense and more power/OBP.  On top of which, he’s an automatic hit with the media, who would undoubtedly have a field day with his name once they actually discovered his existence.

OF Chad Hinshaw – He’s on the DL anyway right now, but the progress we’ve seen Hinshaw make in his brief minor league career makes it entirely possible that fans have the next Kole Calhoun in AA right now and don’t even realize it. Hinshaw is an athletic OF that hits for some power, can steal quite a few bases and has added plate discipline to his resume. Chad still has some room for growth and isn’t likely to make an impact on the Angels this year, but after next year, he could make a dent as the Angels starting left fielder. Worst case scenario, they have a 4^th OF with pop, speed and minor league success.  Best case scenario, the Angels future left fielder is knocking on the door and will play for the major league minimum.

SS Eric Stamets – Stamets isn’t the highest rated shortstop in his own system, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better defensive infielder anywhere in baseball. The things he does at SS are unseen anywhere outside of Atlanta. He’s already the second best defensive shortstop in baseball, and he’s in AA. Plus Stamets can flat out fly around the bases, though for whatever reason, he isn’t much of a base stealing threat. Another fun fact, he’s great at making contact and is among the best bunters in the system. But admittedly, he is a bit of a light hitter, not a lot of authority in the way he drives the ball. If you haven’t caught on to what I’m implying so far, let me put it plainly. Eric Stamets has the chance to be one of the best utility infielders in the game. He may not be an All-Star someday, but the fact that he can field better, bunt better and run faster than any other utility players in the majors has to count for something. The Angels are allowing Stamets to continue to develop in AA this year, but he likely should be in AAA already.