AngelsWin Top 30 Prospects Version 3.0

[Second Base]

Hopefully the final version we need to release this offseason. 

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

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

That top 5 is respectable as shit! 

[Chuck]

Jacob Pearson is still on the list. 

 

[bloodbrother]

Hopefully they can add Marte in there. Need some more high upside guys in the IF to round this farm system out

[Second Base]

1 minute ago, Angels_Make_Me_Drink said:

That top 5 is respectable as shit! 

That Top 10 may be the best I've ever seen the Angels have since I started paying attention 10 years ago.  The only time I can think it was stronger was when we had Trout, Richards, Segura...

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Jacob Pearson is still on the list. 

 

Fixed. 

[eligrba]

Thanks for the list. Scotty.

Its nice to see the Angels prospects are starting to trend in a positive direction.

[NrM]

29 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

That Top 10 may be the best I've ever seen the Angels have since I started paying attention 10 years ago.  The only time I can think it was stronger was when we had Trout, Richards, Segura...

Brandon wood, casey kotchman, howie kendrick, jeff mathis, mcpherson.. I think all were rated top 10-15 around the same time 

[Hubs]

Livan Soto is too low. After what I heard about him on the baseball America podcast they think he's top 8-10 in this system. And they'd put Maitan right behind Jones. 

[Dtwncbad]

Taylor Ward belongs about 10 spots lower.  He is the one guy always mentioned that I just can't see it.

[Second Base]

3 minutes ago, Hubs said:

Livan Soto is too low. After what I heard about him on the baseball America podcast they think he's top 8-10 in this system. And they'd put Maitan right behind Jones. 

I think that's mostly because Baseball America has literally no idea how good our system actually is and is still regurgitating the same stuff someone else wrote from three years ago. 

[Second Base]

1 minute ago, Dtwncbad said:

Taylor Ward belongs about 10 spots lower.  He is the one guy always mentioned that I just can't see it.

Did you watch him play this year?

[tdawg87]

Just now, Dtwncbad said:

Taylor Ward belongs about 10 spots lower.  He is the one guy always mentioned that I just can't see it.

I disagree. He had a very good 2017 and is the definition of a "sure thing". He may only be a backup catcher but he's a guaranteed major leaguer. 

[Hubs]

Just now, Scotty@AW said:

I think that's mostly because Baseball America has literally no idea how good our system actually is and is still regurgitating the same stuff someone else wrote from three years ago. 

Maybe, but they were really high on Soto. Between he, Maitan, Adell, and Deveraux the low minor leagues are going to be fun to watch.

[Dtwncbad]

No just watching numbers.  I dont think it should have taken him this long to get to AA.  Now he is going to be 24 at AA.

That's "fine" but also getting close to being behind.

[Second Base]

3 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I disagree. He had a very good 2017 and is the definition of a "sure thing". He may only be a backup catcher but he's a guaranteed major leaguer. 

Ward really turned a corner this year.  I could see him growing into being a Chris Iannetta type.  Inconsistent hitter that consistently gets on base, has a couple power surges each year that put him around 10-15 HR, and a good enough defender that you really don't worry about plugging him in at any time.  Not a gold glover but solid. 

[Inside Pitch]

31 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

No just watching numbers.  I dont think it should have taken him this long to get to AA.  Now he is going to be 24 at AA.

That's "fine" but also getting close to being behind.

Not really behind for a catcher...  Jason Varitek was a golden spikes award winner and he didn't become a regular until he was 27....  

[Dtwncbad]

7 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Not really behind for a catcher...  Jason Varitek was a golden spikes award winner and he didn't become a regular until he was 27....  

Well except you can always find an example of a player in the past to fit a narrative.

I am not pulling against this guy.  Just saying I haven't seen anything yet that justifies his draft spot, and I am starting to notice the relationship between age and level mastered isn't really very impressive.

Will he be a major leaguer?  Yes likely.

Will he ever be someone you are not trying to upgrade from?  Questionable.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

Well except you can always find an example of a player in the past to fit a narrative.

Except it's not a narrative, catchers have historically had the slowest "graduation" rate of all positions -- similarly HS catchers have the lowest success rate of any position player drafted of even making MLB.   Your statement is true at pretty much every position save for catcher... it's just the nature of the position and the responsibilities they carry.  

I know you're not banging on the guy -- I wasn't trying to bang on you either...   Truthfully I think the whole catchers take longer thing has been less true the last decade or so ... in part because as the game gets more and more specialized it's become much more common for teams to bring up a bat first guy and pair him with a glove only guy.... there are also more and more teams that have the dugout calling the game for the catcher than in the past.

Regardless..  Ward is entering his age 24 season -- if he splits his time between AA and AAA this year it's possible his glove first reputation might be enough to get him a cup of tea -- if he's in the majors as a back up at age 25 he's pretty much where you would expect him to be.

I'm not a huge Ward fan, but he's not really being overrated in the rankings - particularly when you consider MLB.com had him as high as number 3 in 2016 and 10th this year.

[tdawg87]

23 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Well except you can always find an example of a player in the past to fit a narrative.

I am not pulling against this guy.  Just saying I haven't seen anything yet that justifies his draft spot, and I am starting to notice the relationship between age and level mastered isn't really very impressive.

Will he be a major leaguer?  Yes likely.

Will he ever be someone you are not trying to upgrade from?  Questionable.

He was definitely taken earlier than he should have been. But he's absolutely a top 15 prospect in this org. He doesn't have a high ceiling but he's got a very high floor. His defense alone will make him a major leaguer.

[Pujols4MVP]

What happened to stock in Taylor Ward & Matt Thaais ? A few years ago those guys seemed like the future of the team.

[tdawg87]

3 minutes ago, Scioscia4MVP said:

What happened to stock in Taylor Ward & Matt Thaais ? A few years ago those guys seemed like the future of the team.

They've actually improved, but we now have guys in front of them who are much better prospects. A great sign of depth.

[Pujols4MVP]

33 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

They've actually improved, but we now have guys in front of them who are much better prospects. A great sign of depth.

Thats awesome then

[Angelsjunky]

We'll see how @Scotty@AW ends up grading them, but per John Sickels' approach here's how I would grade them:

1. Shohei Ohtani A : Expectations are high but the more I read about him, the more I think they're warranted.
2. Jo Adell B+/A- : We need to see more before grading him higher, but could be A/A- a year from now.
3. Jahmai Jones B/B+ - Very high floor, but his ceiling remains in question; looks like a Victorino/Hunter type borderline star, but also be just average. There's also a small but legitimate possibility that he becomes Andrew McCutchen.
4. Brandon Marsh B:  I like his upside even more than Jones, but has a lower floor.
5. Kevin Maitan B/B- : We'll see how he adjusts. Another player who could jump up quickly.
6. Jaime Barria B- : A year ago he looked like a future #4-5, now he looks like a future #2-3. At worst he's Matt Shoemaker.
7. Griffin Canning B- : The question is his health. He's going to move through the minors quickly if healthy.
8. Matt Thaiss B- : Hasn't raised or lowered his stock in a year. High floor but low ceiling. 
9. Chris Rodriguez B-/C+ : Yet another player who could be legit...or a bust.
10. Michael Hermosillo B-/C+ : Probably 4th outfielder/fringe starter, but could also be a poor man's Curtis Granderson.
11. Trent Deveaux C+: Could be on par with Adell/Jones/Marsh, or could be Chevy Clarke.
12. Taylor Ward C+: Has solidified as a future major leaguer, but with a low ceiling.

I see 11-14 as C+ and 15-30 as either C/C+ or C. I'd probably rank Livan Soto #15 and make him a C+.

 

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

We'll see how @Scotty@AW ends up grading them, but per John Sickels' approach here's how I would grade them:

1. Shohei Ohtani A : Expectations are high but the more I read about him, the more I think they're warranted.
2. Jo Adell B+/A- : We need to see more before grading him higher, but could be A/A- a year from now.
3. Jahmai Jones B/B+ - Very high floor, but his ceiling remains in question; looks like a Victorino/Hunter type borderline star, but also be just average. There's also a small but legitimate possibility that he becomes Andrew McCutchen.
4. Brandon Marsh B:  I like his upside even more than Jones, but has a lower floor.
5. Kevin Maitan B/B- : We'll see how he adjusts. Another player who could jump up quickly.
6. Jaime Barria B- : A year ago he looked like a future #4-5, now he looks like a future #2-3. At worst he's Matt Shoemaker.
7. Griffin Canning B- : The question is his health. He's going to move through the minors quickly if healthy.
8. Matt Thaiss B- : Hasn't raised or lowered his stock in a year. High floor but low ceiling. 
9. Chris Rodriguez B-/C+ : Yet another player who could be legit...or a bust.
10. Michael Hermosillo B-/C+ : Probably 4th outfielder/fringe starter, but could also be a poor man's Curtis Granderson.
11. Trent Deveaux C+: Could be on par with Adell/Jones/Marsh, or could be Chevy Clarke.
12. Taylor Ward C+: Has solidified as a future major leaguer, but with a low ceiling.

I see 11-14 as C+ and 15-30 as either C/C+ or C. I'd probably rank Livan Soto #15 and make him a C+.

 

I'll say it again, Sickels is the one major publication I trust.