The Official 2018 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[totdprods]

8 minutes ago, stormngt said:

I think Bridwell should be given a good work.  Just don't let him pitch against Oakland.

For sure. He rarely looked shaky. 

I managed to watch almost every single start he made in '17, and it felt like it was almost always 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K with 2 solo homers in the mid innings. 

His K/9 was low because he pitched to contact and generated a lot of weak contact, locating well, keeping guys off-balance, and attacking each hitter. That pitch-to-contact plan will lead to a few solo HRs, or occasionally have a bad inning where he'd get tagged for a 3-run jack after a single and a walk, but overall, he seemed to execute the same plan over and over and over again, with nearly identical results. Only Oakland really figured him out.

I'm convinced, if healthy, he can continue out-performing those peripherals. Not to a 2.90 ERA mark, but a 3.50ish-4ish ERA coupled with a 4.50-5.00 FIP wouldn't surprise me at all.

[Angel Oracle]

What happened this season at SLC?   Bridwell was wretched.   Reminds me too much of 70s pitcher Paul Hartzell, who flamed out not that long after his solid 1976 rookie season.

[totdprods]

16 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

What happened this season at SLC?   Bridwell was wretched.   Reminds me too much of 70s pitcher Paul Hartzell, who flamed out not that long after his solid 1976 rookie season.

He's been dealing with injury virtually all year.

And Paul Hartzell had a K/9 of 2.8. Half of Bridwell's.  Talk about outperforming peripherals. 

[mulwin444]

15 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

What happened this season at SLC?   Bridwell was wretched.   Reminds me too much of 70s pitcher Paul Hartzell, who flamed out not that long after his solid 1976 rookie season.

He was injured...had some "loose bodies" removed from his elbow but, overall, doesn't appear to be a long term issue

[Second Base]

I think the one move that I want to see that I don't think I will is a Jared Walsh promotion as a two way player. He'll be rule 5 eligible this winter and if the Angels don't protect him, someone is going to take him. 

[totdprods]

7 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

I think the one move that I want to see that I don't think I will is a Jared Walsh promotion as a two way player. He'll be rule 5 eligible this winter and if the Angels don't protect him, someone is going to take him. 

I agree 100%. There's no September audition I want to see more, and he's the one I fear losing the most in Rule V. I truly hope they add him.

[Angelsjunky]

7 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

I think the one move that I want to see that I don't think I will is a Jared Walsh promotion as a two way player. He'll be rule 5 eligible this winter and if the Angels don't protect him, someone is going to take him. 

I'd be really surprised if they don't protect Walsh over, say, Despaigne or Tanawa or Eric Young.

[Second Base]

6 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

I'd be really surprised if they don't protect Walsh over, say, Despaigne or Tanawa or Eric Young.

Aren't there quite a few guys that need to be protected?

[totdprods]

4 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Aren't there quite a few guys that need to be protected?

Rengifo and Suarez are locks. Walsh is on the bubble.

Joe Gatto, Zach Houchins, Luis Pena, and Leonardo Rivas would be the next tier. 

[Angelsjunky]

3 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Aren't there quite a few guys that need to be protected?

Don't know. I've tried looking for a list of who is eligible but can't find one and don't want to go through the process of checking possible candidates. Anyhow, it is more relevant come November.

[Angelsjunky]

Just now, totdprods said:

Rengifo and Suarez are locks. Walsh is on the bubble.

Joe Gatto, Zach Houchins, Luis Pena, and Leonardo Rivas would be the next tier. 

That is quite a few. I wouldn't worry about Houchins so much. Gatto would be next to not protect, then either Pena or Rivas. I'd protect Walsh after the big two, Rengifo and Suarez.

[totdprods]

12 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

I'd be really surprised if they don't protect Walsh over, say, Despaigne or Tanawa or Eric Young.

Keep in mind, we have to add Albert, Cozart, Keynan back to the 40-man for sure, likely Jewell and J.C. Ramirez, and less likely, but possibly still, Wood, Meyer, and Lamb back too.

[totdprods]

2 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Don't know. I've tried looking for a list of who is eligible but can't find one and don't want to go through the process of checking possible candidates. Anyhow, it is more relevant come November.

Go to the Angels' page at Roster Resource and you'll see a column for Rule V eligibility.

Strangely, Jeremy Rhoades is missing completely from that website, but he may be R5 eligible too. 

[Second Base]

Teams love using the rule 5 draft to snag a projectable reliever. So Gatto and Pena may need to be protected as well.

[totdprods]

And before everyone gets trigger happy with DFAs, consider that Eppler also will likely look to claim a guy or two in the early stages of the offseason (think Parker, Yates, Pena) and possibly keep a spot free for their own ability to pick a Rule V guy as well.

The 40-man is actually pretty well-stocked for the first time in a long time. And while guys like McGuire, Almonte, Despaigne, Bridwell, and Castillo seem like obvious DFA candidates, keep in mind they all have options - something a lot of our recent DFA candidates the last few seasons did NOT have.

Eppler has quietly done a very nice job of turning over the fringes of the 40-man with a lot of new players with options, and that makes it a little harder to DFA at will and add guys for the sake of it.

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Scotty@AW said:

Teams love using the rule 5 draft to snag a projectable reliever. So Gatto and Pena may need to be protected as well.

Yeah, they're prime Rule V candidates. Walsh is too, honestly, at least a few years ago. His type of AAA masher being selected has waned a bit in recent years, no longer the predictable Rule V target, but he's still likely someone a team would take.

I don't think we can afford exposing both Pena and Gatto unless we feel really good about a AAA rotation that includes Despaigne, Bridwell, and Farrell as depth. 

[Troll Daddy]

 

[NachoPop]

Are the Angels likely to have Walsh and Way continue to pitch a bit more next year?

[Docwaukee]

Just for the purpose of recognizing the timeline, last years important dates were as follows:

nov2 - free agency begins
nov6 - qual offer deadline
nov13-16 - gm meetings
nov16 - deadline to accept qual offer
nov20 - reserve deadline - finalize 40 man ahead of rule 5 draft.  includes setting all milb rosters as well.  
dec1 - non tender deadline.  
dec10-14 - winter meetings
dec14 - rule 5 draft

players currently on the 60 day DL need to be added to the 40man by the reserve deadline

Surely protected:

OF - Trout, Calhoun, Upton, Hermosillo (4)
IF - Ward, Fletcher, Cozart, Pujols, Simmons, JMF (6)
C - 
SP - Heaney, Skaggs, Barria, Ohtani, Felix Pena, Tropeano (6)
RP - Middleton, Buttrey, Anderson, Jerez (4)

Total: 20

Off the 40-man for the rule 5 deadline:

Johnson, Tazawa, Blake Wood, Richards, Chris Young

Currently on the 60 day DL and on the bubble:

Lamb, Meyer, JC Ramirez, Jewell (4)

Currently on the 40 man and on the bubble: 

IF - Cowart, Marte (2)
OF - Blash, EYjr (2)
C - Briceno, Arcia, Hudson (3)
SP - Farrell, Bridwell, McGuire, Castillo, Shoe (5)
RP - Parker, Cam, Alvarez, Robles, Noe, Despaigne, Almonte, Cole, Paredes (9)

total: 21

Currently not on the 40 man but potentially needing to be:

IF - Walsh, Rengifo, Houchins, Sherman Johnson, Hutton Moyer, Baldoquin, Yacinich (8)
OF - Way, Brendon Sanger (2)
C - Wade Wass (1)
SP - Gatto, Jose Suarez, Luis Pena, Nate Smith, Tyler Carpenter, Jose Rodriguez (6)
RP - Connor Lillis-White, Nathan Bates, Adrian Almeida, Samil De Los Santos, Morris, Diaz, Hofacket (6)

total: 24

That's a total of 68 players.  

20 are set.  so 48 players to fill the final 20.   Important to keep in mind that it's not just about who the Angels want to keep but who they think will get snagged on to a major league roster for an entire year.   

Houchins, Sherm, Moyer, Yacinich, Carpenter, Jose Rodriguez, Smith, Bates, De Los Santos, Morris, Diaz, Hofacket, Wass, Sanger, Way all won't be protected.  That's (15).   

Others I think make it for sure:  

C - briceno, arcia (2)
IF - Walsh, Rengifo (2)
OF - 
SP - Jose Suarez, Luis Pena, Shoemaker (3)
RP - Parker, Robles, Cole, Meyer, JC Ramirez, Jewell (6)

total of 13.  That leaves another seven spots for the following 20:

IF - Cowart, Marte, Baldoquin
OF - Blash, EYjr
C- Hudson
SP - Gatto, Lamb, Farrell, Mcguire, Castillo, Bridwell 
RP - Connor Lillis-White, Almeida, Cam, Alvarez, Noe, Paredes, Almonte, Despainge

I don't think they'll protect Baldoquin, Lillis- White, Almeida, Despainge, and Almonte.  

I think they'll release or DFA Paredes, Lamb, Hudson, Blash, EYjr

That leaves seven spots for Gatto, Cowart, Marte, Farrell, Mcguire, Castillo, Bridwell, Cam, Alvarez, Noe.  

Mcguire, Cam and Alvarez are likely to make it.  

So four spots for Marte, Gatto, Cowart, Farrell, Mcguire, Castillo, Bridwell, and Noe.  

I'm gonna go with Gatto, Farrell, Mcguire and Bridwell.  No one is going to add Castillo to their 40 man.  Noe is bad.  Marte is replaceable.  I could see us doing a benign trade where Cowart goes for some other failed prospect.  Hopefully a pitcher.  

At the end of the day, there aren't any significant players to get in a twist over.  

 

 

[totdprods]

September 4, 2018

Orem (21-53) lost 2-3 at Grand Junction/COL (42-32)

• Jackson: 0-4, 3 K, E (10) - last 10 G / 44 PA: .140/.159/.256 with 16 strikeouts
• Maitan: 1-4, E (31)
• Knowles: 1-4, R, K
• Natera: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K - making his second start in Orem.
  On the year, this 18-yr old Venezuelan RHP has pitched 43.2 IP, 4.95 ERA, .326 BAA, with 16 BB to 43 K. Not too bad for his age.
• Duensing: 4 IP, H, BB, 5 K - second straight 'relief' appearance gives him a 2.45 ERA in his last two games, with 8 H, 2 BB, and 7 K in 7.1 IP. 
  Prior to that, he had an ERA of 11.60 in 13 true GS, allowing 78 hits, 31 walks, 32 strikeouts in 45 IP. So, this counts as progress.

[Angel Oracle]

17 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

Teams love using the rule 5 draft to snag a projectable reliever. So Gatto and Pena may need to be protected as well.

Exhibit A was Darren O'Day, who was exposed to Rule 5 draft by the Halos, and ended up being one of the AL's top set up men for some 5-6 seasons elsewhere.   

[Angel Oracle]

Maybe relief pitching is Duensing's eventual landing spot.

[Vlad27Trout27]

Are you guys surprised that Rengifo isn't getting an look this September?

[totdprods]

14 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

Are you guys surprised that Rengifo isn't getting an look this September?

Not really. We have plenty of IF depth needing at-bats right now in Fletcher, Fernandez, Ward, and to a lesser degree, Cowart. 
Rengifo jumped three levels and played a career high in games already, and is only 21.

He'll need to be added to the 40 this offseason and I expect he will be, but I can see enough of a 40-man logjam presently that it would not have made sense to make it more clogged up now just to get him 30 some-odd plate appearances. 

[Angelsjunky]

^Ditto. If you look at Rengifo's three levels of play this year, there is marked decline from A+/AA to AAA. At 21 I'm not worried at all, and he held his own in AAA, but clearly he can develop some more and there's no rush. He'll be up sometime in the first half next year.

A+: .323/.426/.466 in 41 games

AA: .305/.420/.477 in 40 games

AAA: .274/.358/.421 in 46 games

Ultimately I think he's got a higher upside than Fletcher, who profiles more as a stop-gap and/or excellent utility player. But Jahmai Jones might have higher upside than Rengifo, so at some point one of these guys will likely be traded.