AngelsWin.com Today: AngelsWin.com Top 30 Prospects

[AngelsWin.com]

By @Scotty@AW, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer

It’s the time of year again folks!

The leaves are turning colors, the winter rains begin to fall, and top prospect lists will begin rolling out of every website.  “Arm-chair GM’s” do their best with the information provided to give you a list they feel is worth looking at.  “Experts” will do the same thing, except they’ll make you pay a monthly fee for it.  At the end of the day, the information can look downright copy and pasted.

We here at AngelsWin have our top prospect list too, but the difference is, ours is done by a hand-picked panel of members and minor league fans.  Some have scouting experience, some are well-versed in advanced metrics, some watch the games from their computers and still others are simply fans that enjoy attending games and talking with the players.  One person’s list will be all about upside, another will be chalk full of surprise players, another with prospects that are closest to the big leagues.  The end result is a mix of all of them.

Here at AngelsWin, we’ve got it all.  We see the players from every angle an outsider (and in some cases insider) could.  We don’t watch a player once and write up a scouting report and we aren’t limited by what Google can dig up.  Several of us watch the player multiple times from multiple angles.  We make individual decisions, compare them (the debates did become quite heated this year), and come up with a list that works for everyone involved.

Sure, we are bias.

But we don’t think you’ll find a finer, more in-depth and accurate list anywhere else.  You could pay monthly fees and still not get this sort of analysis.  That’s simply what happens when you have a dedicated base of fans who work behind the scenes all season long to create this list, a culmination of a lot of time and effort.

Individual scouting reports will be released in reverse order (#30, 29, 28, etc..).

Without further ado, here are your 2017 Top 30 Prospects

1. OF Jo Adell – Rookie Ball (18)
2. OF Jahmai Jones – Advanced A Ball (20)
3. OF Brandon Marsh – Rookie Ball (19)
4. RHP Jaime Barria – AAA (20)
5. RHP Griffin Canning – DNP (21)
6. 1B Matt Thaiss – AA (22)
7. RHP Chris Rodriguez – A Ball (18)
8. OF Michael Hermosillo – AAA (22)
9. OF Trent Deveaux – DNP (17)
10. C Taylor Ward – AA (23)
11. IF Leo Rivas – A Ball (19)
12. RHP Jesus Castillo – AA (21)
13. IF David Fletcher – AAA (23)
14. RHP Jake Jewell – AA (24)
15. RHP Jose Soriano – Rookie Ball (18)
16. LHP Jose Suarez – A Ball (19)
17. OF Brennon Lund – AA (22)
18. OF Jacob Pearson – Rookie Ball (19)
19. LHP Nate Smith – AAA (25)
20. RHP Eduardo Paredes – MLB (22)
21. RHP Cole Duensing  – Rookie Ball (19)
22. IF Nonie Williams – Rookie Ball (19)
23. OF D’Shawn Knowles – DNP (16)
24. OF Torii Hunter Jr. – Rookie Ball (22)
25. OF Troy Montgomery – AA (22)
26. RHP Luis Pena – AA (21)
27. IF Julio Garcia – Rookie Ball (19)
28. LHP Jerryell Rivera – Rookie Ball (18)
29. RHP Joe Gatto – Advanced A Ball (22)
30. OF Jonah Todd – A Ball (21)

Honorable Mention: RHP Adam Hofacket, 3B Zach Houchins, RHP Osmer Morales, 3B Jose Rojas, RHP Wilkel Hernandez, RHP Nathan Bates, RHP Jose Rodriguez, LHP Jonah Wesely,

View the full article

[Angel Oracle]

Further improvement achieved.   Maybe a year away from being comfortable enough to resume trading prospects here and there without gutting the farm?

[Chuck]

Good list, @Scotty@AW. Cannot wait for the scouting reports. 

[Chuck]

Found this on Jo Adell.

 

[Chuck]

I'm really REALLY excited about the future of Jo Adell. This kid is already a great interview (for those who missed this).

 

[Chuck]

One more that also has some good info on Canning and an interview with Matt Swanson.

 

[fanfromday1]

Wow! Really top heavy in OF's (11), & RHP's (10). Only 5 IF's (& one is a 1B). Only 1 catcher listed. Where's Perez? Or is he listed on the MLB roster?

There really is some good, to great, talent developing down on the farm, but the program really needs to concentrate on developing some diversity & start drafting some top quality infielders.

Nice job on the list. Your hard work is much appreciated. 

 

[SoWhat]

Drafting Thaiss one spot ahead of Forrest Whitley reminds me of taking Cron ahead of Sonny Gray. Bummer 

[Second Base]

I think it's important to note that the Top 30 is so top heavy in athletic OF's largely because the Angels draft and international signing have been athletic OF's.

I mean we're talking about adding Jahmai Jones, Brandon Marsh, Jo Adell, Jacob Pearson, Trent Deveaux, D'Shawn Knowles and Torii Hunter Jr., all within a couple of years.

I think it's clear that the Angels want to surround Trout with as much elite talent as possible and even have enough on hand that they could still be able to compete should he decide to go elsewhere for his next contract.

[m0nkey]

No baldoquin?

[Second Base]

2 hours ago, m0nkey said:

No baldoquin?

I know such a shame given his breakout demotion to A Ball. 

[Dick B Back]

Thanks for the new list!

I'm gonna guess Torii Jr ends up much better than many who are listed in front of him.

[Second Base]

59 minutes ago, Dick B Back said:

Thanks for the new list!

I'm gonna guess Torii Jr ends up much better than many who are listed in front of him.

I think that's fair.  My guess is Torii really isn't that challenged until he gets to AA and he'll probably get there pretty quick.  Guys that have as much talent as Hunter Jr. has (Adell, comes to mind) tend to be able to just physically outplay their competition at the lower levels.  Their otherworldly abilities mask many of the deficiencies.  Once a player reaches AA we begin to find out if they can truly be major leaguers, and I think so much of that is their response to failure, their ability to adjust.  

I'm guessing Torii flies through both A Ball and Advanced A Ball next year alone and finds himself in AA a year from now. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Quite interesting that Wilkel Hernandez isn't ranked in your top 30 and that Troy Montgomery is ranked that low.    

[Angelsjunky]

What do we know about D'Shawn Knowles, other than that he's a little boy and presumably athletic? We've heard that Deveaux is a talent on par with Adell and Jones, at least in terms of athleticism, but what about Knowles?

[Dave Saltzer]

12 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

I think that's fair.  My guess is Torii really isn't that challenged until he gets to AA and he'll probably get there pretty quick.  Guys that have as much talent as Hunter Jr. has (Adell, comes to mind) tend to be able to just physically outplay their competition at the lower levels.  Their otherworldly abilities mask many of the deficiencies.  Once a player reaches AA we begin to find out if they can truly be major leaguers, and I think so much of that is their response to failure, their ability to adjust.  

I'm guessing Torii flies through both A Ball and Advanced A Ball next year alone and finds himself in AA a year from now. 

Good work on this Scotty. 

 

My bet is Hunter Jr. skips a level and goes to the 66ers and ends the year in AA if he has success. Although he hasn't played much baseball, he needs to catch up to his age appropriate league. I think he can handle the jump, and that would tell us a lot about his status as a prospect. 

[Second Base]

7 minutes ago, Dave Saltzer said:

Good work on this Scotty. 

 

My bet is Hunter Jr. skips a level and goes to the 66ers and ends the year in AA if he has success. Although he hasn't played much baseball, he needs to catch up to his age appropriate league. I think he can handle the jump, and that would tell us a lot about his status as a prospect. 

I could see that.  In fact I'm even hoping for that.  I'd love to see Torii Jr start somewhere in the OF for the Angels.  I'd also love it if Torii Sr. would come back and work in our front office or on the field in a coaching position.  You can't ask for a better family to be affiliated with your organization. 

[Chuck]

I have a feeling Hunter Jr. may surprise a bunch of people. 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

2 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I have a feeling Hunter Jr. may surprise a bunch of people. 

He looked at bit overmatched in SPT last year... In the game Torii SR was at and they did the combined interview post game. I was next to the runway telling Sr what was going on during JR's at bats as he said he was too nervous to watch. And was pacing next to Mota JR....

Good swing overall, just wasn't ready for near ready sliders from the pitchers he faced. He should work through it and gain some better strike zone knowledge as he matures.

[Second Base]

2 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

What do we know about D'Shawn Knowles, other than that he's a little boy and presumably athletic? We've heard that Deveaux is a talent on par with Adell and Jones, at least in terms of athleticism, but what about Knowles?

Knowles is supposed to be a very athletic OF as well.  Not as strong or fast as Deveaux but also a year younger and a year more experienced int he rigors that come with playing competitive ball in Jamaica.  Most of them end up going to the Dominican Republic for a year. 

[Docwaukee]

22 hours ago, SoWhat said:

Drafting Thaiss one spot ahead of Forrest Whitley reminds me of taking Cron ahead of Sonny Gray. Bummer 

Whitley is a nice player.  Probably cracks to 100 on most lists this year.  His bonus was half mil over slot and Thaiss was half mil below.  A million dollars in slot money changes the entire complexion of that draft for us.  Likely means no Brandon Marsh.  

But yeah, the Cron over Gray thing sucked.  

[Vlad27Trout27]

1 hour ago, Dochalo said:

Whitley is a nice player.  Probably cracks to 100 on most lists this year.  His bonus was half mil over slot and Thaiss was half mil below.  A million dollars in slot money changes the entire complexion of that draft for us.  Likely means no Brandon Marsh.  

But yeah, the Cron over Gray thing sucked.  

We can't always get the right players. The under slot money with Thaiss not only helped us get Marsh what also Rodriguez( who i think may have a similar ceiling to Whitley),Troy and also lund.  

[Tank]

tell me again which prospect is ralston schmidt's grandson. he's worth watching.

[Second Base]

I think that Eppler comes to the draft with an actual plan which is nice.  I think in the 2016 draft, he saw a deep class, but wasn't as top heavy as he would've liked.  The Angels system needed to have a good draft and not simply one good prospect.  So we saw him get a decent but not elite player with the first overall pick so that he could allocate more money elsewhere to come away with several key prospects.

This last draft, I think it simply came down to Adell being so talented that any way you shake it, you can't justify passing on him.  I mean that's the next Byron Buxton.

[Angel Oracle]

19 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

I think that's fair.  My guess is Torii really isn't that challenged until he gets to AA and he'll probably get there pretty quick.  Guys that have as much talent as Hunter Jr. has (Adell, comes to mind) tend to be able to just physically outplay their competition at the lower levels.  Their otherworldly abilities mask many of the deficiencies.  Once a player reaches AA we begin to find out if they can truly be major leaguers, and I think so much of that is their response to failure, their ability to adjust.  

I'm guessing Torii flies through both A Ball and Advanced A Ball next year alone and finds himself in AA a year from now. 

Does that apply though for players out of college, if the player played very little college baseball over those 4 years?    Torii Jr. focused on football in Domer land.