Five Breakout Angels Prospects for 2015

Much like the stock market, prospects are something teams invest in. Sometimes, you spend a lot of money (Roberto Baldoquin/Sean Newcomb) in hopes the payoff will be even greater. Other times, seeming penny-stocks can turn into somewhat of a jackpot (Matt Shoemaker/Kole Calhoun). These are the five players who I feel are going to “breakout” in 2015, and by that I mean their stock will inflate to levels unreached before.

But before we begin, let’s take a look at last year’s “breakout” candidates and how MWAH did.

1. Kyle McGowin – He’s hovering right around the #10 mark among top prospects, which is where we predicted he’d be this year. The elbow injury is cause for concern though, but I’d say we correctly predicted his breakout.
2. Natanael Delgado – We predicted he’d have a huge breakout as an 18 year old playing in either A Ball or in the Pioneer League. Before injury, it looked like we were right. Delgado his .300 at a level where he’s almost 3 years younger than the average player. He even flashed some of that power we thought he’d grow into. But a rib injury coupled with a poor BB/K ration hurts his stock a little, but it seems clear his stock is rising, just not as much as we believed it would.
3. Victor Alcantara – It was common knowledge this pitcher throwing in the mid or upper 90’s would collect his fair share of strikeouts, but we correctly his predicted his ascension into the upper echelon of Angels prospects. It’s still clear he’s going to be a reliever, but in the mean time we shall enjoy the fact that there remains a very remote possibility his mechanics are ironed out and he starts throwing strikes.
4. Elliot Morris – Before being dealt in the Huston Street deal, it appeared Morris was the real deal. He posted great numbers in the Midwest League and was much more average in the Cal League in a less friendly environment. No matter, Morris’ stock rose high enough to be sought after by other organizations.
5. Jose Rondon – This was a our big jackpot prediction, that Jose Rondon would be a Top 100 prospect by the end of the year. Well, that didn’t quite come true but by most measures he’s close. Blessed with a patient approach at the plate, gap power and instincts at shortstop, Rondon was destined to be the next Jean Segura. He was well on his way too for the Angels. As a 20 year old in Advanced A Ball he was hitting .327 before he became the centerpiece of the Huston Street deal. Some are higher on him than others but Keith Law’s reaction to the trade should speak how good some see him becoming. Law felt that Rondon alone was an overpay for Street, let alone the others that were included. I compared Rondon to Alcides Escobar of the Royals and I think that comp still holds weight.

2015 Breakout Predictions

1. OF Bo Way – This young OF was selected in the 7^th round of the draft and was paid well below slot money in order for the Angels to be able to afford to sign their higher picks as there is spending limit on the first ten rounds of the draft. He was seen as an over-draft at the time but it was acceptable given their need. As a college senior coming out of Kennesaw State, Way is the prototypical high floor, low ceiling type of player that is drafted in order to fill the ranks in the minors with adequate competition. While there remains the strong possibility Way himself will inevitably be one of these players, the way he burst onto the scene after being drafted indicates there may be more than meets the eye here. In the hitter haven Pioneer League, Way torched the competition. In just 32 games, he his .354/.397 with 18 XBH and 7 SB. The Angels then aggressively pushed him up to the more friendly Midwest League where he hit .339/.424 with 8 XBH and 6 SB in 29 games. All the while, Way showed a great eye at the plate posting 21 walks to only 29 strikeouts. The ability to work his way on base, hit for average and steal bases makes Way an excellent candidate to hit at the top of any batting order. Undoubtedly, he’ll head to the hitter friendly Cal League in 2015 as a 23 year old. He’ll still be considered a year older than the majority of the competition there, but his numbers should still translate. I expect Way will bat over .300 with a strong OBP and steal 30+ bases. This should place him at AA in 2016 and if he succeeds, the possibility of breaking into the majors at age 25.

2. LHP Hunter Green – Green’s stock was inflated from his strong showing in high school and the fact that he was projected to go in the first round before the Angels scooped him up in the second. Green was on an aggressive workout regimen that saw him gain over 20 pounds of muscle before a back injury derailed his season. Green was expected to pitch in Orem last year as an 18 year old. Instead, he’ll give it another go this year as a 19 year old. I think he’ll come into Spring Training healthy enough and open some eyes, which will convince the Angels to move him up to A Ball. Green’s combination of stuff should result in his fair share of strikeouts and ground balls. He could be the next good lefty from an Angels organization that currently has young LHP’s Hector Santiago, Tyler Skaggs Andrew Heaney and Sean Newcomb.

3. RHP Chris Ellis – Ellis is a fixture on most Top 10 lists for the angels, but the curious thing is that he’s almost glossed over completely. There’s no discussion on him, he’s just a decent pitcher the Angels have. I fear most don’t realize exactly how good he’s going to end up being. He was drafted in the third round by the Angels and most saw him as an overdraft, but also a interesting prospect in that he’s a gamble. He wasn’t very good in his previous two seasons as a reliever at Mississippi before catching fire as a junior in the rotation and just setting the opposition down. No one is quite sure if the numbers are real. But the Angels see the potential and feel he’s worth taking a shot on. His fastball comes in at 92-93, but he has some physical maturation left in him, so 93-95 shouldn’t be out of the question. His curve is already arguably the best in the system, he just has trouble throwing it for strikes right now, and his change up is considered by some to be his best offering and a “plus” pitch. If he can learn to keep the ball down and throw his curve for a strike, Ellis should be a good mid rotation starter. I think the growth for him starts this year. As a 22 year old, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him skip A Ball and go straight to Advanced A Ball where the Cal League won’t be the friendliest of places to pitch, but should teach him to hit his spots. If not, a start in A Ball wouldn’t hurt him either. I expect Ellis will be fringe Top 5 among Angels prospects a year from now.

4. RHP Joe Gatto – Gatto’s big body and fastball curve combo should be enough to move him to A Ball as a 19/20 year old, but if not a showing in the Pioneer League shouldn’t hurt. The Angels felt that Gatto could’ve gone higher in the draft but was overlooked because of being from the Northeast. Honestly, when I look at Gatto I see a younger version of Elliot Morris who was dealt last year in the Huston Street deal. I think he’ll experience similar success.

5. LHP Greg Mahle – The Angels drafted Mahle in the 15^th round of the last draft, and admittedly, I’d never heard of him, couldn’t find anything on him and didn’t really pay attention when he breezed through Orem. I began to pay attention however when he went to A Ball and was completely and utterly dominant. I was especially intrigued when he was promoted to Advanced A Ball for the playoffs just a few short months after being drafted. I never put him on the Top 30 list because there just isn’t any room for relievers in A Ball on the list when there are higher performing SP and position players at higher levels. This doesn’t mean that I’m not thoroughly impressed with Mahle so far though. I’ve only watched video, but his numbers are intriguing and every site indicates he throws a sinker/splitter from a sidearm angle that sits in the high 80’s/low 90’s. This sinker/screwball/splitter absolutely has the bottom drop out of it and moves all over the place. Yeah, he doesn’t throw hard, doesn’t have very good of-speed pitches and doesn’t project that well, but he’s got one extremely effective pitch and is left-handed. That alone should be enough to get him into he conversation for the angels bullpen in a couple of years. Mahle should begin next year in the Cal League and could move to AA shortly thereafter. I think he’ll make his way onto a few more Top Prospect lists next year after he posts impressive numbers in AA.

Honorable Mention: RHP Jeremy Rhoades. With a very good slider and fastball combo sitting in the rotation, I think Rhoades will experience a decent degree of success in 2015.