Angels prospects primed to be traded

This time of year, speculation can run wild, especially for teams that are buying at the trade deadline. Sure, everyone likes the fancy name that is made available by a struggling team, but beneath the surface is really where all the action is. The June draft is finally in the rearview mirror, the Angels have signed their draft picks and have started playing Rookie Ball games in Orem and Arizona, and players across all affiliates are being shuffled back and forth in mid-season promotions and showcases for potential trades. These are the players the Angels may potentially be showcasing.

1. RHP Jeremy Rhoades – While Rhoades has not earned the promotion that was expected before the All-Star break, the Angels appear to be consciously protecting Rhoades value as a breakout prospect this year. Despite tremendous success, they’ve kept Rhoades in the hitter friendly Midwest League, where he’s leading his team in most pitching categories. They’ve also put Rhoades on a bit of an innings limit to protect his arm, having started his last two games but tossing only 1-2 innings in each appearance.

2. 3B Kaleb Cowart – Cowart is the latest fallen Angel when it comes to prospect rankings. Once the darling of the system, a former first rounder and future All-Star caliber 3B, Kaleb has fallen on hard times after two failed attempts to compete at the AA level. A move to the mound has been widely contemplated, where Cowart’s low to mid-90’s fastball would likely play up in a relief role. However, he’s stuck with 3B, and after a mediocre showing in the Cal League, Cowart earned a surprising promotion to AAA Salt Lake following the Kyle Kubitza promotion. In his 11 games since promotion, Cowart has hit over .300 with surprising pop and elite defense. If Cowart continues this recent hot streak, other teams may be interested in acquiring Cowart as a reclamation project with high upside.

3. 2B Sherman Johnson – A 3B by trade, Johnson also has the ability to play a solid 2B and LF, with the occasional appearance at SS. Once the Kubitza promotion occurred, the logical next move would have been to promote Sherman Johnson to play 3B for the Angels AAA affilitae. However, they curiously went in a different direction and instead moved Johnson off 3B to 2B. Normally, this wouldn’t mean much of anything at all, except that Johnson has been far and away, the best player for the Angels AA affiliate this year and a shift to 2B could be somewhat of a showcase, where his OBP, speed and pop would really make him a valuable asset. With Johnny Giavotella emerging as a legitimately decent option at 2B at the MLB level, the Angels could find themselves in the unlikely position of trading two of their top position players in the minors in Sherman Johnson and Alex Yarbrough.

4. LHP Tyler DeLoach – Tyler’s ascension up the prospect rankings was certainly unexpected. While he has an ideal pitcher’s body, the stuff never seemed to manifest. Then he moved from the bullpen to the rotation in the Cal League and things took off from there. After a dominant performance spanning two seasons in AA, DeLoach was promoted to AAA and is now a key member of the Salt Lake Bees’ staff. While his numbers have certainly taken a hit, the environment certainly has played a big part. DeLoach’s upper 80’s fastball, strange motion/delivery and effective off-speed pitches have wreaked havoc on the opposition. Other teams may question his value based off his lack of upside, but even if DeLoach doesn’t succeed as a starter, he’d make a deadly lefty reliever.

5. RHP Chris Ellis – Ellis is no stranger to prospect reports on this website. Needless to say, we’re rather bullish on him and his upside. However, the longer he puts up great numbers, the more other teams will take notice. He probably already should’ve been a first round pick in last year’s draft, but teams had trouble buying into his success as a starter in his final year of college. The Angels took him in the 3^rd round and since then, Ellis has quickly skyrocketed into one of the top pitching prospects in a pitching heavy system. His recent promotion to AA has resulted in two stellar outings with the chance of more to come.