Each month, we at MWAH (ok, just me) undertake the task of keeping you up to date on how the Angels top prospects are looking, at least compared to how we viewed them in January. As most of us already know, lots can change across the span of a month with these kids, much less six months. As the draft nears, the chances of these prospects staying in the Top 30 is very much in the air. Those that are rising, may not even climb the rankings because of sheer numbers. Those that are falling will almost certainly have a hard time staying on the list.
- 2B Andrew Daniel – Same. Daniel was viewed as an offensively capable 2B coming out of San Diego last draft. He’s in A Ball so far and that reputation remains true. Still struggling with OBP, but lots of pop for a middle infielder.
- OF Miguel Hermosillo – Rising. We believed Hermosillo was a raw OF with good tools and good-not-great plate discipline. So far in A Ball at age 20, Miguel has GREAT plate discipline and good speed. The power hasn’t come through yet, but it is a pitching friendly environment.
- RHP Daniel Hurtado – Falling. Hurtado hasn’t pitched at all this year. With the Angels system improving with every passing day he’s been passed up on the depth chart.
- RHP Drew Rucinski – Falling. Drew was never supposed to be a major leaguer. But he’s never given up and surpassed all expectations for him. This created the new expectation that he could be a good back-end option in the rotation. However, it just hasn’t worked out in AAA as a starter this year, so the Angels have used him sparingly as insurance in the bullpen.
- RF Cal Towey – Falling. Towey was ranked as high as he was because he played 3B, was fast and could reach base at a great clip. Since then, Towey shifted to the OF, hasn’t run as much, and is now reaching base at a good-not-great clip.
- C Jett Bandy – Rising. For the first time in forever (Frozen reference), Jett Bandy showed us what he’s capable of doing in AA. We ranked him in the top 30 because of his plus defensive abilities, newfound plate discipline, power and athleticism. Upon being promoted to AAA Salt Lake, we’ve seen more of the same from Bandy. While he isn’t likely to put up such great numbers in the majors, he certainly looks like he’ll be an outstanding platoon partner with Carlos Perez in the future.
- 3B Zach Houchins – Falling. Zach was seen as a good defensive 3B with the athleticism to stick at the position and offensive upside across the board. Defensively, Houchins has been better than advertised, he’s a great 3B that is miscast at SS from time to time. However, he isn’t hitting for average or reaching base as often as he should. The pop is certainly still there, but he needs to reach base more often at this point.
- C Carlos Perez – Graduated. Perez forced his way onto the roster with his play in AAA and has now played himself into regular starts. He’s a plus defensive catcher that’s great at making contact at the plate. That’s more than the Angels have typically had in the past.
- RHP Jeremy Rhoades – Rising. We thought he was a bullpen destined pitcher with limited upside and little refinement. Still, the fastball and slider were nice. This year, he’s retooled his mechanics, developed a filthy changeup to go along with his fastball and slider, and has found the strike zone consistently. Translation: he might end up being REALLY good.
- RHP Austin Wood – Rising. Wood has been an oft-injured pitcher with tremendous upside. Now, he’s a RAW pitcher with tremendous upside. Still dialing it up 95-99 with good off-speed offerings, Wood has struggled with command and has paid the price for it in AA so far.
- SS Eric Stamets – Rising. Stamets really struggled last year in AA, but started to catch fire toward the end of the year. It wasn’t enough to earn a promotion, but he went to the AFL and did a great job. This year in AA (he should be in AAA), he still isn’t utilizing his speed as much as he should, but he’s hitting for average and is an amazing defensive shortstop. Definitely a future big leaguer.
- OF Bo Way – Same. Way was a fast riser after he was drafted and set the low minors on fire. He really struggled to start the year, but has caught fire over the past couple weeks. So far, he’s made great contact, is reaching base (all things considered), has decent pop, good speed and defense.
- OF Chad Hinshaw – Rising. Hinshaw’s been hurt of late, but before his injury, Hinshaw showed power, speed, defense and discipline, all well above his age. With that sort of across the board production, Hinshaw has an outside chance at being a Calhoun type of player for the Angels very soon.
- LHP Tyler DeLoach – Rising. I seriously questioned DeLoach’s success just because the stuff isn’t there. It looked like a gimmick. But by now, he’s experience so much success over a long period of time that we can’t call it a gimmick anymore. DeLoach has figured out how to make his 88 MPH fastball play up in a starting role. Statistically, he’s one of the best pitchers in the organization.
- OF Natanael Delgado – Rising. Delgado has always had the caveat that he’s “good considering his age.” Yeah, that’s definitely true. He’s raw, very raw but he’s also really good at a few things. When he makes contact, he does so with authority. He hits for average, can run a little and is improving defensively. But he’s also raw. His lack of plate discipline has led to pitchers getting him to swing at pitches he can’t punish.
- RHP Trevor Gott – Rising. Gott’s still the same as we saw earlier in the year, but he’s experienced success in AA and AAA now. He should be a major leaguer by the end of the year and ready for a setup role to start next year.
- LHP Nate Smith – Rising. Nate has added a couple ticks on his fastball and tightened up his off-speed pitches since last year. He’s still experiencing the same success in AA as he did last year. A promotion to AAA and future starting role in the majors are still very much on the table.
- LHP Hunter Green – Falling. Hurt again.
- 3B Kaleb Cowart – Falling. He’s been demoted and is hitting lots of doubles and can still run and pick it at 3B. But he just can’t hit from the right-side, and not enough at the left side to be promoted. I hoped to see him on the mound soon, but it appears that isn’t what he wants.
- RHP Kyle McGowin – Falling. McGowin still has plus stuff, but it isn’t quite as good as it as before injury. The issue now is simply that he’s getting hit hard in AA, missing his spots.
- RHP Victor Alcantara – Same. He still throws hard, he still throws from the stretch, and he still is inconsistent. He’s still a future RP, and a good one at that.
- RHP Chris Ellis – Rising. Perhaps no pitcher has climbed higher than Ellis so far this season. No one was sure last year if his stuff would translate from college to the pros and still allow him to stay in the rotation. This is why he lasted until the 3rd round, despite having the stuff to go in the first or second round. He’s been wildly successful in Advanced-A ball so far this year and figures to be ready for the majors a year earlier than anticipated.
- RHP Joe Gatto – Same. We were hoping to see him in A ball this year, but coming from high school last year, it isn’t surprising to see him log another year in Rookie Ball. The upside remains.
- 2B Alex Yarbrough – Falling. Yarbrough just hasn’t found his niche in AAA. With Giavotella emerging as a steady 2B for the Angels at the top level and Yarbrough’s stalled development in AAA, things are up in the air for now.
- 3B Kyle Kubitza – Rising. Kubitza is as advertised, thankfully. He’s hitting for considerable gap power, has a good batting average, good OBP and has improved on defense since coming over in the Ricardo Sanchez trade. He figures to be a better than average 3B in the majros soon.
- RHP Cam Bedrosian – Graduated. Or at least he’s about to. The Angels unexpected RP shortage has forced their hand in promoted Bedrock. Still, he’s done exactly what he did last year in the minors and is beginning to find some more consistency in the majors.
- RHP Nick Tropeano – Falling. Nick’s had some hard luck playing in Salt Lake this year, not the friendliest environment. Still, he wasn’t supposed to be in AAA in the first place, but a roster crunch and the Angels unwillingness to play youngsters over veterans has led to Tropeano’s banishment to AAA. But in his only MLB start, he was stellar. For his sake, I hope the Angels trade some assets and promote him soon, though that will have to wait until he comes off the Triple-A disabled list.
- SS Roberto Baldoquin – Falling. After being such a big profile Cuban signing, there was talk of Baldoquin perhaps making the majors sometime this year. Instead he went to the Cal League, and really wasn’t very good there. Now he’s hurt. Hopefully he’s mended up and plays the way he’s capable of soon.
- LHP Sean Newcomb – Same. He’s been exactly what we expected coming into the year. Big, left handed, three good pitches. He’s just logging his time and working on finding the strike zone before being promoted again. His time will come by the end of next year. He should be a very good major leaguer too.
- LHP Andrew Heaney – Same. Before the season, we though he’d for sure be in the Angels rotation, but Santiago over-performing and Heaney underperforming in spring training led to another go of it in AAA. Considering the harsh environment he’s in, Heaney has been absolutely STELLAR. The only step left before becoming a good major league starter is finding a way to throw his slider and change up for a strike consistently. He’s still struggled a bit with that in AAA, but it really shouldn’t be long at all.
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