Angels Prospects On The Margins

Prospect-watching for fans is a basic game of informed speculation. I’ll watch some of the players in person, some I’ll watch on the computer. Some, I’ll ask some folks within the organization about, and others I basically just have to trust numbers and the internet. I’m an optimistic homer by nature, but there are certain Angels players that other sites may rank high for whom I just haven’t been able to fully jump on board.

Here are five such players:

1. SS Julio Garcia

He was a high profile, expensive signing for the Angels two years ago as a 16-year-old. Knowing this, it gives us a little leeway as far as expectations for Julio go. He’ll be understandably raw, but his future projection will hopefully make the investment worth it. So far, however, it’s difficult to see him as anything more than a project. Even with tempered expectations, the fact that he hit .162 and .217 in Rookie Ball isn’t entirely encouraging. He’s 18 now, and the Angels will need to see some progress or dividends within the next year or two before this one becomes a sunken cost.

2. RHP Danny Reynolds

Despite getting clean and putting his suspensions behind him, the hard-throwing Reynolds just hasn’t turned the corner the way I expected from the last two years. His deception, slider and mid-90’s heat make him a tantalizing relief prospect, but he still hasn’t developed much in the way of command or control, which has been the undoing of previous relief prospects that Reynolds resembles such as Kevin Jepsen, David Carpenter, Michael Kohn, and Cam Bedrosian.

3. RHP Victor Alcantara

There’s only so long you can keep talking about his fastball and slider combination before you realize that Alcantara is still in A+ Ball at age 22 and owns an ERA near 6. Sure the strikeouts are lovely, and the walk rate is continually improving to the point where it’s bad instead of embarrassing. But there’s just no way this kid is a starting pitcher. Just because he can throw six innings or 100 pitches doesn’t mean he should.

He’s roped in his fastball from the triple digits down to a more comfortable 94-97, which allows for greater control, but he still can’t throw his wipeout slider for a strike. This kid has relief project written all over him, and even then, it still may be a couple years before he finds a delivery that works.

4. 2B/3B Sherman Johnson

Do I like his defense, pop, speed and plate discipline from the second base spot? Yes, I do. But let’s get real for a minute. He’s 24 years old and hitting .205 in AA. That means if he repeats AA as he probably should, he’ll be 25 next season, and still two levels away from the major leagues, and currently buried in the depth chart under Giavotella, Featherston, and Yarbrough. Now granted that isn’t exactly murderer’s row in front of him, but they all posted considerably better numbers in the high minors at a younger age than Johnson has.

I still have hope that he can grow into a utility infielder a few years down the road, because he plays a solid third base and can chip in at SS, but I think I’ve all but abandoned hope of him growing into a starting second baseman at the major league level.

5. RHP Austin Wood

The past is the past. This is very much a “what have you done for me lately” game, and lately, we haven’t seen much from Austin Wood. Quick background: the Angels were able to grab him in the 6th round out of USC. His frame, fastball, change up and slider made him worthy of first round consideration, especially after his dominating performance in the Cape Cod league. But at the collegiate level, the results just weren’t there, so he fell to the Angels.

When I saw him as a 21-year-old in A Ball, I immediately thought of Garrett Richards. Both have the larger frame with mid-90’s fastball, electric slider and knee buckling third offering. They both were lit up in college, and both had command issues too. But injuries robbed Wood of his next two years, yet I held out hope of him successfully returning to the mound. This year he reappeared in AA. The Angels tried easing him back into a starter’s role but it just didn’t work out. The fastball is still there to an extent, sitting around 93 or 94 (not the 97 I saw two years ago), but the command just hasn’t been there at all.

He showed some short glimpses of hope lately in a multi-inning relief role, but the fact remains he isn’t missing bats, isn’t throwing enough strikes and isn’t posting the numbers he’s capable of. I’m beginning to think he simply won’t.