Sean Rodriguez and Brandon Wood are the top 2 in this week’s Hotlist
By David Saltzer – Angelswin.com Columnist
Once a week (Every Monday) AngelsWin.com will cover the top 10 hottest prospects in the organization. We will list their current stats and feats with a little blurb on each player. This is a great way for you Halo fans to find out who’s hot in the Angels organization. It is important as a fan to know who is up and coming in the organization because prospects not only strengthen our team in the future, but they also become trade fodder for teams looking to rebuild who might give up an established player in the big leagues.
Covering the minor leagues has been something we at Angelswin.com enjoy doing for for the fans and parents of the Halos minor leaguers, giving recognition to top performers for the previous week . The top 10 hottest future Halos will be covered here, but if you have any questions on other prospects in other organizations or if want to send your comments on our weekly lists, send me an email at [email protected] and I will respond in a timely manner.
Now, on to this weeks’ Angelswin.com Prospect Hotlist….
1. Sean Rodriguez, INF, Class AAA Salt Lake Bees
Past 10 Games: 12/36 (333), 1 Doubles, 1Triple, 4 HRs, 11 Runs, 8 RBIs, 0 SB
Overall: 312/410/665 with 19 HRs and 4 SBs
While Sean’s been working out at a variety of positions, one thing has been steady: His hitting. With only about 60% of the ABs as the league leaders, Sean’s numbers would rank him in the top 20 in several categories. Sean takes walks, hits for both average and power, and should get another shot to stick in the majors next year. The only question for Sean will be where he will play—either SS or 3B.
2. Brandon Wood, INF, Class AAA Salt Lake Bees
Past 10 Games: 15/38 (395), 1 Doubles, 0 Triple, 6 HRs, 12 Runs, 9 RBIs, 1 SB
Overall: 290/356/587 with 23 HRs and 4 SBs
Brandon currently ranks 4th in HRs in the PCL with 71 fewer ABs than the guy above him. He’s ranked 5th in SLG and 11th in OPS. And this is after he got off to a very rough start while he bounced back and forth from the majors. Once he got settled and locked in, he has been much improved. With a strong showing in winter ball, Brandon should stick in the majors in 2009. The Angels will have to choose whether to keep him at 3B or SS, but either way, Brandon will be a power bat in our lineup.
3. Freddy Sandoval, INF, Class AAA Salt Lake Bees
Past 10 Games: 21/41 (512), 6 Doubles, 1 Triple, 1 HR, 6 Runs, 6 RBIs, 0 SB
Overall: 341/396/539 with 14 HRs and 6 SBs
For those who want to replace Quinlan, they need to look at Freddy Sandoval. He’s not overly impressive in any major category, but, can backup both CIF spots. Should he get the shot to win the job, his main competition will come from Matt Brown, another CIFer. Freddy offers better plate discipline and average, but Brown has more power and better defense.
4. Jason Bulger, RP, Class AAA Salt Lake Bees
Past 10 Days: 0-0, 3 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K, 1.09 WHIP
Overall: 2-0, 13 Saves, 0.56 ERA, 32.0 IP, 20 H, 13 BB, 57 K, 1.03 WHIP, 177 BAA
Bulger is 5th in the PCL in saves. His 57:13 K:BB ratio is off the charts, and he is finally starting to show the mound presence, maturity, and composure to be an ML pitcher. That’s good because he has earned another shot at being one—but likely his last shot. When he gets up here, he needs to keep the movement on his ball (in previous callups the ball has not had much movement) and he needs to keep his composure better. If he does that he should stick as a 7th inning type player.
5. Sean O’Sullivan, SP, Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Past 10 Days: 2-0, 0 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 15 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 11 K, 0.73 WHIP
Overall: 13-4, 0 Saves, 4.63 ERA, 114.2 IP, 119 H, 36 BB, 82 K, 1.35 WHIP, 262 BAA
After struggling with the adjustment to the high octane Cal League, Sean is finally returning to form that led him to win 2 ERA titles. Sean’s leading the league with wins. He’s 16th in ERA and strikeouts. And, he’s only 20—one of the youngest players in the league. Sean has the potential to be a top of the rotation pitcher. There’s no need to rush him—at his present pace he should hit AAA at age 22. But it is great to see him making the adjustments to a much tougher league and a much more explosive league.
6. Michael Anton, SP, Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Past 10 Days: 2-0, 0 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 13 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 1.15 WHIP
Overall: 10-7, 0 Saves, 3.26 ERA, 135.1 IP, 127 H, 43 BB, 86 K, 1.11 WHIP, 257 BAA
After a rough welcome to the Cal League (Sean O’Sullivan can talk to him about that), Michael is starting to turn the corner. He has 3 quality starts in a row, and 4 out of his last 5. Michael should finish up the year here and depending on how he does, may either start here next year for a brief refresher or may earn a spot in Arkansas.
7. Andrew Romine, SS, Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels
Past 10 Games: 18/39 (462), 4 Doubles, 0 Triples, 0 HRs, 12 Runs, 3 RBIs, 6 SBs
Overall: 253/334/672 with 2 HRs and 47 SBs
Andrew is a tall (6’1”) switch hitting SS with speed. Drafted in the 5th round last year, his speed and plate discipline (43 walks so far) could help him move up the organizational depth chart. Originally from Orange County (he played for Trabuco High School), he needs to work a bit on the fundamentals of base stealing (he’s been caught 12 times to go with his 47 SBs) and his defense (he has 22 errors in 98 games).
8. Drew Touissant, OF, Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Past 10 Games: 18/41 (439), 3 Doubles, 1 Triple, 3 HRs, 7 Runs, 9 RBIs, 0 SBs
Overall: 292/330/438 with 10 HRs and 5 SBs
For the past 10 games, Drew has been showing the promise that had fans excited when he was first drafted. At his best, Drew has power and speed. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always have plate discipline, and his power has been sapped at times. At this point, Drew is a bit behind the curve in development, having only briefly reaching AA this year (and struggling). But, since going back down to Rancho, it appears that he’s starting to figure things out more.
9. Brian Stavisky, OF/DH, Class AA Arkansas Travelers
For the Week: 15/39 (385), 3 Doubles, 0 Triple, 4 HRs, 9 Runs, 13 RBIs, 0 SBs
Overall: 338/418/580 with 12 HRs and 10 SBs
A month ago, I said that this veteran of the Texas League hit the ground running. Well, he hasn’t stopped. In an OF that has been plagued with injuries, and on a team without much firepower, Brian has been a very pleasant surprise. Brian should form the heart of a lineup with Trumbo and Pettit.
10. Amalio Diaz, SP, Class AA Arkansas Travelers
Past 10 Days: 1-0, 0 Saves, 0.60 ERA, 15 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 14 K, 1.07 WHIP
Overall: 8-6, 0 Saves, 4.08 ERA, 128.0 IP, 134 H, 35 BB, 83 K, 1.32 WHIP, 269 BAA
Signed out of Venezuela in 2003, and developed in our Dominican Academy, Amalio has bounced between A and AA for the past year and a half. For a 21 year old, he’s doing much better with this trip to AA, and needs to continue to spend time here to develop.
Others to Watch:
AAA Salt Lake Bees
Matt Brown
AA Arkansas Travelers
Mark Trumbo—just promoted so not ranked this week.
A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Bryan Rembisz
Jordan Walden—just promoted so not ranked this week.
A Cedar Rapids Kernels
Michael Davitt
Clay Fuller
Gabriel Jacobo—just promoted so not ranked this week.
Rookie Orem Owlz
Roberto Lopez
Jayson Miller
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