The Official 2018 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[Inside Pitch]

8 hours ago, rafibomb said:

I always thought (and I remember reading here too) that Jam was a bit unlucky and his numbers were not a true representative of his season thus far. It's nice to see the numbers trending up, it was bound to happen. The Angels would not have promoted him to AA carrying a .235/.338/.383 slash line at High-A if they did not see the proper development.

People have a tendency to obsess over triple slash numbers which is a nice simple snapshot when looking at MLB players but offer less insight as to how minor league hitters are progressing.   The focus in both cases should always be on the predictive data, but even more so with minor leaguers three levels away.  

Jones' walk, swinging strike, and K, rates all came in as above average (when compared to league).   He was putting up a career high LD%, his pull rate was on par with his career high, his pop up rate was improved from last year .... and he did all of this while being 2.3 years below the league average.  Basically he was doing everything you'd want to see only it was being suppressed by the babip as has been referenced by you and others.

Brandon Marsh is another guy where the triple slash numbers aren't telling us everything...  Marsh's predictive data has been has been static after moving from A ball to high A, but he too outperformed the league in key areas while also being below the league average age.  With him right now it's a case of him needing to show he can turn on balls... His pull rate on FBs is a bit weak, whether that's a case of his making a CJ Cron like effort to go the other way or just him not yet tapping into his power is hard to say without watching him get everyday at bats -- this is the primary area where Jo Adell was absolutely wrecking house.   

Both guys have shown growth and legit improvement despite not having put up gaudy triple slash numbers.  It's nice to see Jam Jones enjoying success after what may have been a trying season in high A.  You can't teach perseverance .... If you could maybe Brandon Wood may have had a happier ending.

 

Edited August 6, 2018 by Inside Pitch

[Inside Pitch]

41 minutes ago, GrittyVeterans said:

Jones has learned how to take a walk. I’d like to see him continue to drive the ball now. His slugging is under .400 this year and I think he can definitely improve that in the next couple years. Interesting development path he’s taking 

Power is typically the last tool to develop.  His HR/of rate was pretty much at league average in High A, he's slightly above it in AA where he 4.0 years younger than the league.   Physical maturity and experience will push those numbers up.  He can always do better but he's in a pretty good place development wise.  

[totdprods]

Last night down on the farm...

• Bo Way: 3-5, 2 2B, SB - Bo has quietly returned to the fringes of the 4th/5th OF depth chart. In '18, 43 G/140 AB: .279/.380/.343/.723 - 19 walks, 25 strikeouts
• Thaiss: 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, Ward: 1-4, RBI, BB, 3 K, Blash: 4-4, RBI, BB, Rengifo: 2-4, RBI, K
• Ivan Pineyro: 6 IP, 3 H, 6 K - don't get too excited though, this brings his season ERA down to 7.30 (22 G, 98.2 IP)
• Jeremy Rhoades, last 10 games: 13 IP, 0.00 ERA, .136 BAA, 3 walks, 15 strikeouts. He's gotta be close to getting a look. 
• Jahmai Jones: 2-5, 2B, HR (2), 5 RBI - .257/.353/.406/.759 at AA in 25 G/101 AB
• Jack Kruger keeps hitting: 2-5, .314/.340/.471/.810 at AA in 36 G/159 PA
• Jose Rojas: 1-5, HR (16), 2 RBI, K - hitting .311/.387/.567/.954 - 39 XBH in 289 AB!
• Another Vanguard product, Brandon Sandoval, also has had a decent year: .308/.363/.373/.737 in 81 G/292 AB, 26 BB, 61 K, 17-28 SB attempts
• Alex Klonowski with a good start: 7 IP, 3 H, 6 K
• Last year, Jared Walsh destroyed A+, slumped hard at AA, and then killed it again at A+, and is now hitting well in AAA. Connor Justus and now Brendan Sanger seem to be on the same path - hit well in A+, slumped hard in AA, and dominating A+ again. Will be interesting to see if they continue rebounding next year as well. 
• David MacKinnon: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (3), 3 RBI - intriguing late-round guy with excellent discipline.Will he find power? .264/.403/.359/.762 in 100 G/329 AB at A/A+, 72 BB, 84 K
• Simon Mathews with another solid start: 6.2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K - 3.74 ERA, .262 BAA, 1.32 WHIP in 101 IP (A, A+, and AAA)
• Brett Hanewich is pitching well; his last 11 games: 18 innings, 9 hits, 1.00 ERA, 8 walks, 22 strikeouts
• Torii Jr: 1-4, R, 3B, RBI, Rivas: 1-5, RBI, 3 K, Martinez: 1-4, RBI, BB
• Tim Millard: 5-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, Kiki Menendez: 1-4, HR (1), 3 RBI - Kiki's 9th HR in 34 pro games
• Oliver Ortega with another solid start: In 59 IP, (14 G/13 GS), 3.81 ERA, .214 BAA, 1.31 WHIP, 31 BB, 68 K
• Jeremiah Jackson: 2-5, R, K, SB, E, Jordyn Adams: 1-5, RBI, K, E, OF assist, Francisco Del Valle: 1-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 K, D'Shawn Knowles: 2-5, K, OF assist, 
• Kevin Maitan: 3-5, HR (4), RBI, K, Livan Soto: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB (8), E
• Trent Deveaux: 2-3, 2B, RBI, K, William English: 2-3, R, K, Johan Sala: 3-4, 2B, RBI
• Jerryell Rivera: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

[tdawg87]

Lol @ Blash

[Angelsfan1984]

1 hour ago, tdawg87 said:

Lol @ Blash

Call him up! Seriously though...how bad is the pitching in AAA that he can go 4-4 but in the majors he looks like he's never held a bat in his life.

[Blarg]

On 8/1/2018 at 9:31 PM, Dochalo said:

owlz are 13-32.  yeesh.  allowing 8.14 runs/game before giving up 20 today.  

I wonder how much team records matter relative to the strength of farm systems.  Because our lower levels are terrible.  

DSL 15-33

AZL 10-24

Orem 13-32

Burlington 41-63

what does that mean if anything?  

Eppler needs to draft another dozen pitchers.

[Blarg]

5 minutes ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

If the Angels get rid of Blash, they will regret it.

A small market team with little power in their lineup will give him a shot, and he will produce.

It may require fixing his swing, but I think it will happen. Blash is putting up huge numbers in SLC despite his swing.

He has to change his swing, similar to the way Ohtani did. Keep the front toe on the ground.  It would be a shame if Blash is unable to be a major leaguer because he doesn't want to make that adjustment.

It's worth pointing out he has excellent plate discipline.

Some guys are really adept at Triple A. Blash is 29 and he has had 5 seasons of playing against and tuning his game to beat  Triple A pitching. That is where his talent ceiling is at. He will be released this off season. 

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Some guys are really adept at Triple A. Blash is 29 and he has had 5 seasons of playing against and tuning his game to beat  Triple A pitching. That is where his talent ceiling is at. He will be released this off season. 

#AAAA

He's not that bad really. Blash is the sort of player that needs everyday reps at a level in order to master it. That and he's slow to make adjustments which leads to extended cold streaks.

If a non-competing team sticks him in RF for a full season, he'll hit .230 with 30 HR. The problem with that though is that it comes with substandard defense and the majority of his production will come in 2-3 months, which means for 3-4 months out and f the season, he'd be actively hurting the team until he finds a way to make adjustments again.

Ultimately, I think he could develop/profile as a power bat off the bench the way Russell Branyon was. Not a starter though.

[BackUpTheTruck]

I could easily see Baltimore picking him up. Maybe TB, TOR, KC, CWS, TEX, and DET as well. National league teams less likely.

[Blarg]

They are welcome to him.

[Angelsjunky]

Sickels likes Rengifo. Gives him a grade B or B+.

And here's his midseason review of the Angels top 20.

[rafibomb]

39 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Sickels likes Rengifo. Gives him a grade B or B+.

And here's his midseason review of the Angels top 20.

what a year for prospect development in this organization

[rafibomb]

can anyone with a BA subscription check if there are any changes to the Angels?

 

 

[Angel Oracle]

Livan Soto is exhibiting leadoff hitter traits, especially for an 18 year-old, with a near .400 OBP and 8 SBs in 30 games for Orem. 

[2020worldseries]

1 hour ago, rafibomb said:

can anyone with a BA subscription check if there are any changes to the Angels?

 

 

Jo Adell - still 11

Canning  50 -> 48

Marsh   87 -> 89

Suarez   92 -> 90

Jahmai Jones  now not ranked... He was 89 in the previous ranking

[Angel Oracle]

How long before Buttrey (7 day DL) pitches again?

What is Rhoades' pitch repitoire?

[rafibomb]

 

 

[stormngt]

5 hours ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

If the Angels get rid of Blash, they will regret it.

A small market team with little power in their lineup will give him a shot, and he will produce.

It may require fixing his swing, but I think it will happen. Blash is putting up huge numbers in SLC despite his swing.

He has to change his swing, similar to the way Ohtani did. Keep the front toe on the ground.  It would be a shame if Blash is unable to be a major leaguer because he doesn't want to make that adjustment.

It's worth pointing out he has excellent plate discipline.

Doesnt SLake altitude effect the hitting and pitching stats?

[BackUpTheTruck]

1 minute ago, stormngt said:

Doesnt SLake altitude effect the hitting and pitching stats?

Supposedly like Coors Field.

If that's the case, I'm going to hold off on my optimism on Ward, Rengifo, and Thaiss, and maintain my optimism on Canning and Suarez.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

How long before Buttrey (7 day DL) pitches again?

What is Rhoades' pitch repitoire?

Used to be a FB that sat around 90-92 and touched 94 -- he had a cutter, not sure he's still throwing it.   IMO his slider was his best pitch and he used to tinker with a change.     He had really wonky mechanics when they first drafted him -- they shifted him to the pen last year and he was awful before making a total 180 this year.  Maybe Scotty or Doc can say if his stuff has played up since being moved to the pen full time.

[rafibomb]

3 minutes ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

Supposedly like Coors Field.

If that's the case, I'm going to hold off on my optimism on Ward, Rengifo, and Thaiss, and maintain my optimism on Canning and Suarez.

Ward, Rengifo's and Thaiss' numbers such as their slash line, LD%, BB-rate and K-rate have all remained pretty consistent with their numbers at High-A and Double-A this year so it's safe to have a little bit of optimism with these guys.

[T.G.]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/checking-in-on-the-12-braves-international-prospects-made-free-agents/

Kevin Maitan, SS, Angels
Rookie-level Orem

The No. 1 prospect in the 2016-17 international class, Maitan made his U.S. debut last season weighing 211 pounds—36 pounds heavier than when he signed for $4.25 million. The Braves insisted he was getting in better shape during the offseason, and after he was declared a free agent and signed with the Angels for $2.2 million, the Angels insisted the same. Instead, Maitan arrived at spring training noticeably heavier, and he was listed at 222 pounds on Orem’s Opening Day roster, a gain of 47 pounds in two years. With all the added weight, Maitan’s athleticism, bat speed and explosiveness have slowed considerably. He is batting just .262/.307/.374 playing at elevation in the hitter-friendly Pioneer League, and defensively he has 16 errors in 17 games at shortstop (as well as four errors in seven games at third base). Opposing evaluators say they now overwhelmingly consider Orem teammate and fellow former Braves infielder Livan Soto a better prospect, with some going so far as to say they have zero interest in Maitan.

Livan Soto, SS, Angels
Rookie-level Orem

The slick-fielding Venezuelan has bloomed metaphorically compared to physically with Maitan. Signed for $1 million by the Braves and given an additional $850,000 by the Angels, Soto is batting .289 with a .379 on-base percentage at Orem with more walks (12) than strikeouts (nine). He also is 6-for-6 on stolen bases. Defensively, Soto has supplanted Maitan as the Owlz starting shortstop and, while still mistake-prone with nine errors in 22 games, has shown the tools and athleticism to remain at short.

Livan Soto, SS, Angels
Rookie-level Orem

The slick-fielding Venezuelan has bloomed metaphorically compared to physically with Maitan. Signed for $1 million by the Braves and given an additional $850,000 by the Angels, Soto is batting .289 with a .379 on-base percentage at Orem with more walks (12) than strikeouts (nine). He also is 6-for-6 on stolen bases. Defensively, Soto has supplanted Maitan as the Owlz starting shortstop and, while still mistake-prone with nine errors in 22 games, has shown the tools and athleticism to remain at short.

[Angel Oracle]

Is Maitan a huge disappointment going forward?   Or is the weight gain just one of those things to expect from a teenager? 

[Angelsjunky]

I have a feeling Maitan will gradually morph into a Pablo Sandoval type, except with crappy defense at 3B and an eventual move to 1B before (if) he reaches the majors. 

He’s still holding his own at Orem as an 18 year old, which is testament to his talent. If he ever gets serious and in shape, he could skyrocket as a prospect. 

[rafibomb]

The Los Angeles Angels' draft success is making the Salt Lake Bees a Pacific Coast League title contender

 https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2018/07/23/angels-draft-success-is/