The Official 2018 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[Second Base]

6 minutes ago, The Boogie Man said:

In all fairness they are doing it against AAA pitching.  Blash dominates AAA and swings through everything at the major league level.  Hermosillo wasn’t any better.  Now Thiass has a better more compact swing than either of those guys, and I am really looking forward to seeing him get the call soon.  

If Blash played for the Angels every day, we'd see stretches where he hits tons of HR's.

In all honesty, I think this just comes down to scouting.

We knew JMF would be good in the majors because everything about his swing is geared toward producing at the major league level. Blash's swing...not so much. It's an all or nothing approach. 

Thaiss' swing would produce a lot of doubles at the major league level and a pretty decent BA/OBP.

[Taylor]

11 hours ago, rafibomb said:

Maitan starting the year strong with a hit in every game so far. Slashing .375/.474/.375 (waiting for the power numbers to show) with only 1 strikeout in 4 games. I am no scout but his swing looks ALOT better.....

Man, getting him could be the steal of the decade. 

[taylorblakeward]

1 hour ago, Scotty@AW said:

If I had to guess, it was just Longenhagen snapping pictures at unfortunate angles and showing video of every bad thing Maitan has done at the plate.

He made up his mind about Maitan as a prospect and has created a narrative where he's right.

... 

Longenhagen has a ton of power and influence writing for a major blog and having access to these guys. He essentially tells the public what they should think.

He's not a scout and never was. Before last year, FG's prospect lists were an absolute joke. They've since improved a ton though.

Scotty, this is probably your worst opinion to date.

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, taylorblakeward said:

Scotty, this is probably your worst opinion to date.

You must be new here.  Just kidding Scotty.  

[John Smith]

Orem Owlz reportedly moving to Pueblo, Colorado

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900022119/orem-owlz-reportedly-moving-to-pueblo-colorado.html

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Scotty@AW said:

If I had to guess, it was just Longenhagen snapping pictures at unfortunate angles and showing video of every bad thing Maitan has done at the plate.

He made up his mind about Maitan as a prospect and has created a narrative where he's right.

Imagine for a moment Mike Trout's numbers weren't easily accessible and none of his games were televised. The only videos you ever watched on him were from a guy that doesn't like Trout, videos where he's chasing outside the zone or swinging under a high fastball.

They'd tell you Mike Trout had no pitch recognition, couldn't catch up with a decent fastball and was too thick to play CF. 

Longenhagen has a ton of power and influence writing for a major blog and having access to these guys. He essentially tells the public what they should think.

He's not a scout and never was. Before last year, FG's prospect lists were an absolute joke. They've since improved a ton though.

This seems a tad critical.  I don't know much about his background, I remember when he was mostly a Phillies prospect hound and was pretty gung-ho on Dominic Brown ... as was most everyone at the time.  He's been in early on guys, been off on others -- so he's like everyone else in that regard..  My first big miss was Keith Luuloa - though some of that had to do with PEDs.  What I do know is that 95% of the people writing about scouts were never put through MLB's scout school and most of the people I know who are employed as scouts just transitioned into it after playing.   So, not sure what a real scout is .vs what isn't.

Based on my conversations with people outside the Angels on Maitan the feeling seemed to be that he's got a bit of laziness to him.  Sometimes that manifests itself in how they carry themselves, more often than not it shows up in how a player practices.  It may have been that those videos of his swing were an example of how he just kind of goes through the motions while "practicing".  I dunno.   But we do know he let his body get away from him when he first came up, so it's something that bears watching.   

Personally, I hope something or someone lights a fire under his ass and he decides he wants to be the best player in MLB -- then maybe those tools that saw scouts (real and imaigned), fawning all over will come into play and the Angels end up ahead.

 

[mtangelsfan]

49 minutes ago, John Smith said:

Orem Owlz reportedly moving to Pueblo, Colorado

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900022119/orem-owlz-reportedly-moving-to-pueblo-colorado.html

Wow, sucks to be them.

[TroutField]

26 minutes ago, mtangelsfan said:

Wow, sucks to be them.

Why? I feel like Colorado is much nice than Utah. Although I have never been to either place, I haven’t heard great things about Utah. 

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, John Smith said:

Orem Owlz reportedly moving to Pueblo, Colorado

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900022119/orem-owlz-reportedly-moving-to-pueblo-colorado.html

Guess the Angels like making the kids in rookie ball rise the bus even longer for games. Pueblo is pretty off the beaten path, not to say that Orem is a metropolitan hub either, but for the Pioneer League, it seems centrally located.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

This seems a tad critical.  I don't know much about his background, I remember when he was mostly a Phillies prospect hound and was pretty gung-ho on Dominic Brown ... as was most everyone at the time.  He's been in early on guys, been off on others -- so he's like everyone else in that regard..  My first big miss was Keith Luuloa - though some of that had to do with PEDs.  What I do know is that 95% of the people writing about scouts were never put through MLB's scout school and most of the people I know who are employed as scouts just transitioned into it after playing.   So, not sure what a real scout is .vs what isn't.

Based on my conversations with people outside the Angels on Maitan the feeling seemed to be that he's got a bit of laziness to him.  Sometimes that manifests itself in how they carry themselves, more often than not it shows up in how a player practices.  It may have been that those videos of his swing were an example of how he just kind of goes through the motions while "practicing".  I dunno.   But we do know he let his body get away from him when he first came up, so it's something that bears watching.   

Personally, I hope something or someone lights a fire under his ass and he decides he wants to be the best player in MLB -- then maybe those tools that saw scouts (real and imaigned), fawning all over will come into play and the Angels end up ahead.

 

Did M-Cab have a similar background when he first played pro ball?

[Angelsfan1984]

8 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Why? I feel like Colorado is much nice than Utah. Although I have never been to either place, I haven’t heard great things about Utah. 

Colorado is Utah without the Mormons. I've been to both and that's basically the only difference other than legal marijuana.

[Second Base]

2 hours ago, taylorblakeward said:

Scotty, this is probably your worst opinion to date.

Clearly, you haven't watched me speak on cable television. 

[mtangelsfan]

35 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Why? I feel like Colorado is much nice than Utah. Although I have never been to either place, I haven’t heard great things about Utah. 

I don't think you have been to Pueblo.

We aren't talking Aspen here.

[Inside Pitch]

33 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Did M-Cab have a similar background when he first played pro ball?

Not sure what you mean by background but despite having started at SS, M-Cab was always seen as a future 3B, apparently everyone in his family was "big boned".  

[Angelsjunky]

Utah and Colorado are both incredibly beautiful states in terms of nature, but Pueblo is both a dump and very remote - an old steel town that is a couple hours from Denver. At least Orem is close to Salt Lake City. Either way, they're pit stops along the way and should prove incentive. There's a reason (beyond distance) that there isn't a minor league club in Maui.

[Angel Oracle]

56 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Not sure what you mean by background but despite having started at SS, M-Cab was always seen as a future 3B, apparently everyone in his family was "big boned".  

Thanks, that's what I was asking about.

[Angel Oracle]

Rengifo is tearing it up in Mobile.   In 88 at bats, .330/.404/.568/.972 with 6 for 7 SBs, 7 2B's/4 3B's/2 HRs, 8/8 BB's/K's

If that keeps up through early September, does he move into someone's Top 100 overall prospects list?   Seems to have the complete offense package, aside from HRs.

Leadoff hitter for the Halos in 2020?  

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

Rengifo is tearing it up in Mobile.   In 88 at bats, .330/.404/.568/.972 with 6 for 7 SBs, 7 2B's/4 3B's/2 HRs, 8/8 BB's/K's

If that keeps up through early September, does he move into someone's Top 100 overall prospects list?   Seems to have the complete offense package, aside from HRs.

Leadoff hitter for the Halos in 2020?  

Not sure he has the track record beforehand to get a Top 100 selection - no matter how good it is, some folks will chalk it up to just having one really good year. There would have to be some sustained success. And he wasn't bad before, but certainly nothing Top 100. I mean, to a much lesser degree, Jared Walsh has had a phenomenal season too, also in the Cal League and a great showing so far in AA, and while yeah, there's an age difference, it could just be he's having a really good year. 

Now if both pick up next year doing the same thing, could see a shift, definitely for Rengifo. Walsh may top off as a Nick Gorneault-styled AAAA masher.

[Inside Pitch]

TBW article with some international signing info...  https://247sports.com/mlb/angels/Article/Angels-International-Signing-Preview-119178417/

[Second Base]

32 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

TBW article with some international signing info...  https://247sports.com/mlb/angels/Article/Angels-International-Signing-Preview-119178417/

I've read about Ramirez and Bonilla a couple times now, and each time I see the Angels linked to them, I have to shake my head. 

We truly are in a different era of Angels baseball. The wrongdoings and clearing of the house down there in 2008, the Dipoto era international policy....they've truly come to an end. 

The Angels are major players again in the international market. We've made a splash in Japan with Ohtani, a splash in the Bahamas with Deveaux and Knowles, and now potentially if major splashes in the DR.

[bloodbrother]

In Salt Lake tonight

Matt Thaiss is currently 4-4 with a double and a HR - his 6th in Triple-A and 12th of the season

Taylor Ward is 2-2 with a walk and 2 HR - his 3rd in Triple-A and 9th of the season

[Inside Pitch]

24 minutes ago, bloodbrother said:

In Salt Lake tonight

Matt Thaiss is currently 4-4 with a double and a HR - his 6th in Triple-A and 12th of the season

Taylor Ward is 2-2 with a walk and 2 HR - his 3rd in Triple-A and 9th of the season

Ward 3-3 now and it's only the 5th inning..  LOL...

[bloodbrother]

God bless the PCL

[Second Base]

Numbers are absolutely inflated in the PCL.  Scouting is super important in that league.  For example, Jabari Blash, power hitter, struggles with breaking balls, comes into an environment when breaking balls don't break, and fly balls fly a few dozen feet further.  Those numbers he's putting up aren't going to translate to sea-level and the majors.  He'll still be a power threat regardless, and that's why he's on our 40 man, but I don't think anyone is buying that he's suddenly a .340 hitter.  More likely he's a .240 hitter across regular AB's. 

But someone like JMF who can stay back and hit the breaking ball, and isn't dependent upon power to be a productive hitter, the fact that he's hitting .340 in AAA is much more transferable to sea level and the majors.  I'm not saying he's going to hit .340 in the majors, but he looks like he'll be a legitimate .280 or .290 or better hitter. 

Taylor Ward's changes in his approach are legitimate.  Ward has always had excellent pitch recognition and tends to just not swing at breaking balls, even if they're in the zone.  But his swing in much stronger now, much better balance and he's seeing the ball very clearly.  He won't be a .30 and 30 HR hitter in the major leagues, but he doesn't have to be.  He looks like a legitimate .250/.350 and 20 HR though. 

Thaiss' power numbers and numbers on the whole are definitely being inflated by the PCL.  He has a newer, more aggressive, power-prototype approach.  The swing isn't completely dissimilar to what it was before when he was more patient, more conservative.  It's what he's trying to do with the swing that's different.  He isn't just swinging to get on base, he's swinging to inflict damage now.  So those HR's in the PCL will turn into a lot of doubles at sea level.  But Thaiss has never had a problem with the breaking ball either, so the adjustment won't be too harsh on him.  And the HR's he's pulling out to RF, those are still HR's in the majors.  They aren't cheap by any means.  So Thaiss is legit. 

[rafibomb]

Thaiss ended the night 5 for 7 with a homerun, double and 3 singles

Ward ended the night 4 for 4 with 2 homeruns, a double, single and 2 walks