Los Angeles Angels Prospect Report – 4-11-12

The Bees blew out the Reno Aces, 11-3 on a night in which snow was falling on the field.  Matt Shoemaker started for the Bees and turned in a productive start – 5.1 innings, 2 runs, 3 strikeouts.  Shokemaker has only walked 2 batters in his 11.1 innings so far this year.  Offensively, things were really cooking for Salt Lake.  Kole Calhoun had his best game to date as a Bee, going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 great plays in right field.  The 24 year old lefty bat skipped Double-A this year, and the decision seems to have paid off big time.  Third baseman Luis Jimenez and everyone’s favorite prospect Mike Trout both had 2 hits, continuing their impressive campaigns.  Of note: Kole Calhoun hit a double in the 9th in pretty steady snow… Definitely  a sight to see!  Tomorrow, Eric Hurley will look to rebound from his poor last start.

Arkansas Travelers:

Off-day.  The Travs’ are traveling to Midland, Texas, where Johnny Hellweg will start tomorrow.

Inland Empire 66ers:

The IE 66ers also picked up the “W” on Wednesday, defeating the Lake Elsinore Storm 4-2.  Donn Roach, the 22 year old former 3rd round pick was magnificent for the 2nd start in a row.  Today he went 6 innings surrendering just 1 run and striking out 7.  In his first two starts, Roach has walked just 1 batter.  Uno.  His ERA for the year stands a 0.69.  Behind Roach, Manny Correa and Dakota Robinson combined for 3 effective innings.  Center fielder Travis Witherspoon went deep again for the 66ers.  His power/speed combination is something to keep an eye out on.  Randal Grichuk, the 66ers right fielder, is picking it up after a rough start.  A 5-11 clip in the last 3 games has raised Randal’s average to .250.  Lefty Nick Maronde will start the home opener for Inland Empire tomorrow!

Cedar Rapids Kernels:

The Kernels swept the Clinton LumberKings, with a 3-1 win on Wednesday.  Starter Austin Wood absolutely stole the show.  Wood, a 21 year old 6’4″ righty, who the Angels selected in the 6th round of last year’s draft, threw 5 innings without allowing a single hit.  He also struck out 5.  Ben Badler of Baseball America says that Wood’s fastball can reach 99 MPH, and that “the results have been both promising and puzzling.”  If Wood can develop better off-speed pitches, look for him to climb the ladder similarly to Garrett Richards.  Outfielder Chevy Clarke stayed hot with 2 more hits and a base on balls.  The 20 year old out of Marietta, GA, is hitting .381 on the young season with an OPS of .887.  The sky is the limit for Clarke who has all of the tools to be a top prospect in the Angels system.  Highly regarded third base prospect Kaleb Cowart also had 2 hits, raising his average to .361.  Cowart is still a teenager.  Tomorrow, promising lefty Mike Clevinger will go for Cedar Rapids.

Prospect of the day: 

Austin Wood SP

Updates on Angels top 10 (according to AngelsWin):
1. Mike Trout (CF) (AAA) ….. 2-6, 3B.  Hitting .433.

2. Garrett Richards (RHP) (AAA) ….. 2.03 ERA in 2 starts.  Will pitch again on the 15th.

3. Jean Segura (SS) (AA) ….. Hitting .273.  2 errors at shortstop.

4. John Hellweg (RHP) (AA) ….. 1.80 ERA in 1 start.  Pitching tomorrow.

5. C. J. Cron (1B) (A+) ……345 avg, 2 home runs this season.

6. Taylor Lindsey (2B) (A+) ….. Batting only .167 this season.

7. Matt Shoemaker (RHP) (AAA) ….. 5.1 innings, 2 earned.  3.96 ERA in 2 starts. 

8. Luis Jimenez (3B) (AAA) ….. 2-5, 2B.  Hitting .300.

9. Kole Calhoun (OF) (AAA) ….. 3-4, 2 doubles.  Hitting .296.  .984 OPS.

10. Kaleb Cowart (3B) (A) ….. 2-4, 2 singles.  Hitting .361.  3 stolen bases.