In 10 words or fewer: Decent fielding infielder with enough bat to climb the ladder.
Position: 2B/3B | Age (2016): 23
Bats: R | Throws: R
Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 195
2015 Rank: 30
OFFENSE
Contact – C. Last year, we said Daniel’s ability to make contact would be tested as he climbs the ladder, and tested it was. We saw his swinging strike percentage make a big jump and as well as swinging at pitches that were deemed outside of the zone. The end result was of course, more strikeouts. Luckily, it didn’t get out of hand for Daniel, but it’s still something worth keeping an eye on.
Power – C+. As stated last year, Andrew Daniel doesn’t have power in the traditional homerun sense, though he hits a few of those too. It’s more along the lines of gap power, in very much the same fashion as former Angels like Howie Kendrick and Darin Erstad.
Discipline – C. Though Daniel did swing at pitches outside the zone more frequently, his ability to reach base via the walk stayed roughly the same. In fact his pitches-per-at-bat and walk rates either remained steady or subtly increased as he was promoted to the Cal League.
Speed – C+. Daniel isn’t heavy-footed by any means, and will run from time to time, but it isn’t the main component of his game. But 10-15 SB per year should be the par for him.
DEFENSE
Arm – B. Last year, I openly questioned whether Daniel would make the transition to 3B after playing 2B and SS in Rookie Ball. Clearly, the Angels felt the same and added 3B (while subtracting SS) to Andrew’s resume. Andrew has enough arm to play a quality 3B and more than enough arm to make any play any other 2B typically makes.
Fielding – B. Oddly enough, both advanced metrics and fielding percentage indicated that Daniel had a better year at 3B than he did at 2B. I didn’t get the chance to watch Daniel at 3B, as he only played one game there in Burlington, but upon reaching the Cal League, he was a 50/50 split between 2B and 3B. While he graded out as an average fielding at 2B, he graded out as a “plus” fielder at 3B. You have to think some of that comfort on the left side of the infield comes from his background as a shortstop. Regardless, Daniel should be able to continue playing both infield spots, which gives him a better chance at breaking into the major leagues someday. I wouldn’t put it past the Angels to give him a try in the OF next year as well.
Range – B. Can’t say much for what he does and doesn’t get to at 3B, but Daniel has more than enough range to make most of the plays at 2B. I consider range the single most important factor on defense, and overall at 2B, Daniel grades out positively.
OVERALL
Performance – C. We really expected Andrew to begin the year in Advanced A ball and either spend the full season there, or be promoted to AA toward the end. That didn’t happen. He spent half the season in A Ball and the other half in Advanced A Ball. This shouldn’t hurt his timeline too much, but it is indicative of where Daniel is on the progression of minor leaguers. He didn’t overly impress with the bat at any level, but at the same rate, he also wasn’t showing any glaring weaknesses in his game, both offensive and defensively. We expected a bit more in the way of batting average, but in terms of every other offensive category, he was about as expected. He also added another position to his resume, so that’s a positive.
Projection – C. The Angels were able to grab Daniel in the 11th round a year ago because he wouldn’t be subject to the spending restrictions on the draft set in place in the first ten rounds, which is a bit of consolation as the general consensus was he probably should’ve gone around the fifth round. At any rate, the Angels have a pretty decent infielder on their hands. Right now, he doesn’t look like he’d be of the starting variety in the major leagues, but he does look like he can provide depth a the upper levels of the minors at 2B and 3B, both positions the Angels are hurting on right now. If he does make it to the majors, I’d expect it to be in more of a utility infielder type of fashion.
What to expect in 2016 – Since Andrew managed to hold his own in the Cal League in the second half of last year, the Angels may be aggressive and move him up to AA. They could also have him repeat the Cal League, I think that one would simply come down to who they have playing in AA and whether there’s room for consistent at bats for him. Regardless, I expect Daniel to have a better season than he did this past year. I just think there’s more offensive talent there than he showed.
Most Likely Scenario – Takes up a corner OF position as well as 2B and 3B and becomes utility depth of the 40-man roster in the future.
Grade as a Prospect – C. His age 22 season was generally a success. But he can’t stop or even be stalled at climbing the ladder if he wants to remain on or ahead of the age curve. Daniel does just enough on offense and defense to garner some recognition.
Estimated Time of Arrival – 2019. Daniel will probably repeat at Inland Empire, at least the first part of the season before moving on to AA later in the season.
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