Angelswin Prospect Hotlist, 3rd edition

Adenhart’s last two starts have been incredible. He’s given up 2 runs in 15 1/3 innings, striking out 13 batters. His season ERA rose to 1.01. Adenhart’s velocity has been clocked in the mid 90’s late in the game and his plus curve/changeup combo has been really effective. Nick’s presence in the organization could force a trade at the deadline of one of the Angels current members of the rotation to bring in a bat.

2. Christopher Pettit, OF, Low Class A Cedar Rapids (Angels)

Pettit has picked up his game significantly in the last 2 weeks, showing tremendous patience at the plate (.413 OBP), while flashing his speed/power combo. Pettit has 4 2b’s, 3 Hr’s and 7 stolen bases, while hitting .313 through 14 games. Look for a promotion to Rancho Cucamonga before mid season for Pettit.

3. Terry Evans, OF, Class AAA Salt Lake (Angels)

Speaking of future 30/30 men, Evans is on pace for yet another 30/30 minor league season. With his 3 home runs & 5 stolen bases, Evans is starting to make a believer out of everyone as a possible late bloomer. Unlike toolsy outfielder Christopher Pettit, Evans needs to be more selective at the plate, his walks to strikeouts (4/22) is still cause for concern. Still, Terry is hitting at a .338 clip and he continues to build off a fantastic 2006 season.

4. Bradley Coon, OF, Class A, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels)

You’re not going to find a hound that will catch this Coon. Bradley Coon who is extremely fast, leads the league in stolen bases with 12. It isn’t just his base stealing ability that has caught my eye, but he puts the bat on the ball and he’s got an excellent eye at the plate. Coon is 2nd among all future Angels with a .352 batting average, posting a .418 OBP (6 walks, 8 strikeouts).

5. Sean Rodriguez, SS, Class AA Arkansas (Angels)

Alright, so enough of S-Rod for now, we’ll come up with something better down the road for Sean. Rodriguez is hitting a .322 clip with 5 doubles and 4 Hr’s through 17 games. Against Wichita 3 nights ago, Sean clubbed two home runs and drove in 3. We’ll be talking a lot about this underrated prospect throughout the season so stay tuned.

6. Nathan Haynes, OF, Class AAA Salt Lake (Angels)

Boy, Haynes is on fire and another week of this and he’ll shoot to the top of the list, despite his age (26). Nathan is leading all future Angels in BA/OBP, posting a .387 batting average and a .486 on base percentage (11 walks, 12 strikeouts). With his range in the outfield and his ability to get on base and steal a bag (8 stolen base). Haynes could be dealt to a team that can’t afford to spend 50+ million dollars to a player of the same caliber. Haynes isn’t exactly a slap hitter either. He has 2 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs as well.

7. Jeff Mathis, C, Class AAA Salt Lake (Angels)

Mathis is on fire of late and if he continues to hit, he’ll be up with the big league club soon. Mathis is hitting .328 through 16 games, after starting the season slow. Jeff has clubbed 2 home runs and smacked 5 doubles thus far, while only fanning 10 times. His arm strength and accuracy is a lot better than Napoli’s so if he hits, he’ll be up soon. Not like Napoli has been doing either with the Angels.

8. Douglas Brandt, SP, Low Class A, Cedar Rapids (Angels)

Pitching in relief for the AZL Angels in ’06, the southpaw Brandt was moved to the rotation after starting the season as a reliever with CR and in 4 innings last night, he didn’t give up a run and fanned 6 batters. Brandt has good stuff and we’ll continue to keep an eye on him as a possible sleeper. He’s fanned 15 batters through 12 2/3 innings.

9. Timothy Schoeninger, SP, Low Class A, Cedar Rapids (Angels)

Drafted out of the University of Reno, Schoeninger hurled a gem on Monday night, notching a complete game (9 inning) shutout, fanning 8. Through 3 starts, Timothy sports a solid 2.14 ERA and has struck out 18 in 21 innings.

10. Brok Butcher, SP, Class A, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels)

The sinker, slider artist has looked real good in the notorious California League for hitters. Sporting a 1.33 ERA, Butcher has held Cal League hitters to a .227 batting average against. Not only does he have a complete game and 2 wins through 4 appearances, but he also has a save to his credit. Butcher through 4 starts in ’06 with the AZL Angels had a 1.56 ERA and working as a reliever/starter with Cedar Rapids, he posted a 3.94 ERA.

Keep an eye on: Stephen Marek – He’s back!! Marek who was held back in Arizona (Instructional League) to work on his command, especially of his secondary pitches, has returned to Rancho Cucamonga where he finished in ’06. Marek looked real good in his 2nd start of the season with RC, hurling 6 scoreless innings, fanning 5. Marek, could join Adenhart in Arkansas with a few more of these types of outings. He’s one to keep an eye on, he’s got a nice fastball, but his off speed pitches will determine with he ends up as a start or reliever in the future.

On the outside looking to get in soon:
Brandon Wood, Matt Brown, David Herndon, Robert Mosebach, Ryan Aldridge, Nick Green, Peter Bourjos, Matthew Sweeney, Jose Arredondo, Sean O’Sullivan, Jeremy Haynes, Steven Shell, Trevor Bell, PJ Phillips, Amalio Diaz, Nick Gorneault, Hank Conger, Jordan Renz, Andrew Hill, Michael Collins, Mark Trumbo, Anthony Ortega, Kevin Jepsen, and Hainley Statia.