The Official 2024 Minor League Stats, Scouting, Updates, and Reports Thread

[Inside Pitch]

2 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

 Right now he's a kid facing near MLB ready pitchers. He probably has never seen a lot of these pitches in his life.

AA Is the new AAA.  

[jsnpritchett]

 

[Inside Pitch]

9 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

Pretty clean inning by Angels BP standards.

[BTH]

Finally got a Cole Fontenelle update.

The injuries sound brutal, but I think it’s positive to hear that he’s trying to be back in October for instructs.

I was fearing his injury might keep him out for a significant chunk of 2025. It appears that hopefully won’t be the case.

[jsnpritchett]

7 minutes ago, BTH said:

Finally got a Cole Fontenelle update.

The injuries sound brutal, but I think it’s positive to hear that he’s trying to be back in October for instructs.

I was fearing his injury might keep him out for a significant chunk of 2025. It appears that hopefully won’t be the case.

Thanks for posting this. Yeah, I'd been under the impression that it was his ankle that was broken. Still obviously very serious, but the recovery time here appears to be much shorter than what a lot of folks had feared. Hope that comes true! 

[jsnpritchett]

Looks like Rada was given a day off, presumably due to the slump--but he came in as a defensive replacement for Tucker Flint after Flint was apparently hurt trying to stretch a double into a triple.

[jsnpritchett]

DiChiara hasn't played the last 4 games.  Haven't seen anything about him being hurt.  Maybe they've finally just had enough of him.

[Inside Pitch]

7 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

DiChiara hasn't played the last 4 games.  Haven't seen anything about him being hurt.  Maybe they've finally just had enough of him.

Is there a MLB fat camp? 

[ScottM]

Just noticed that Placencia has a .401 OBP (!) in Inland Empire. He homered and walked twice today so that will go up. Would love to see him in Tri-City before the year is done.

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, ScottM said:

Just noticed that Placencia has a .401 OBP (!) in Inland Empire. He homered and walked twice today so that will go up. Would love to see him in Tri-City before the year is done.

Ha.  I was literally about to post the same thing.  I get that he struggled at Tri-City and Rocket City last year, but seems absurd to have him back at IE where he was 2 years ago.  It's not like they have any even marginal middle infield prospects at Tri-City that deserve time ahead of him.

[ScottM]

34 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

Ha.  I was literally about to post the same thing.  I get that he struggled at Tri-City and Rocket City last year, but seems absurd to have him back at IE where he was 2 years ago.  It's not like they have any even marginal middle infield prospects at Tri-City that deserve time ahead of him.

He definitely had a bad year last year but still got on base 36%.. He should be in Tri City.

I'm starting to think that the aggressive promotion strategy the Angels have deployed under Perry is a net negative. Too many prospects flailing. 

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, ScottM said:

He definitely had a bad year last year but still got on base 36%.. He should be in Tri City.

I'm starting to think that the aggressive promotion strategy the Angels have deployed under Perry is a net negative. Too many prospects flailing. 

Placencia only turned 21 two days ago.   Have to love the plate discipline, although could cut down the Ks.

Edited June 5 by Angel Oracle

[jsnpritchett]

Kenny Rosenberg got pulled after 3 batters tonight due to an as-yet-unspecified injury.

[jsnpritchett]

Nelson Rada is 0 for his first 3 tonight.  Hasn't had a hit since mid-way through the game on May 25.

[jsnpritchett]

After two pretty good starts and one average one, Kochanowicz is back to not being very good.  Tonight, he went 6 innings, gave up 5 ER on 9 hits, 1 BB, and 1 hit batter, while K'ing 4.  His ERA is back up to 6.16.  I know, I know: his stuff is great, etc., etc.  Like I said before, at some point, he needs to consistently produce actual results, or they should just try another role for him.  This is the 6th year since they drafted him and he has basically not progressed at all in terms of his results.

[Angel Oracle]

27 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

Kenny Rosenberg got pulled after 3 batters tonight due to an as-yet-unspecified injury.

This org is cursed.

[jsnpritchett]

DiChiara is still missing from IE's lineup tonight.  Phantom injury or they're just done with him? 

And Adrian Placencia is up to a .914 OPS!  What more does the kid have to do to get back to Tri-City--or even Rocket City?  He's one of the few position players in the org who's actually having a solid all-around year, yet he's still stuck at the place he was 2 years ago.  Move him up!

[Blarg]

I think they moved him down to put some confidence back into his swing. Dropping him from AA to A ball where it suppresses hitting wouldn't have helped him get back on track. 

[Chuck]

51 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I think they moved him down to put some confidence back into his swing. Dropping him from AA to A ball where it suppresses hitting wouldn't have helped him get back on track. 

I think he should reunite with Denzel Guzman in AA. 

Also, Randy DeJesus is looking damn good of late too. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Dana has finally made it to the BA's top 100 list, coming in at number 91!

Here are my top 10 prospects for now:

1. **Dana**: From the start of the season, Dana has consistently proven himself as my top prospect. He currently boasts two plus pitches—a fastball and a slider—an average to above-average changeup, and a developing curveball. Dana has the upside and potential you want from a starter, projecting as a #2/#3 pitcher. He could form a formidable #1/#2 combo with Soriano going forward.

2. **Rada**: Rada might be one of the biggest negatives of Perry’s rapid promotion strategy. Realistically, he should have started the season in A+ instead of AA. He was just starting to heat up before hitting a slump in his last 30 or so at-bats. Although he has shown excellent speed, the quick promotion seems to have done more harm than good. He’s still very young, so there’s no rush to push him too quickly.

3. **Fontenelle**: An unfortunate injury truly derailed a promising season for Fontenelle. In the limited time he played, he flashed above-average tools across the board. It will be interesting to see how the injuries will affect him once he returns.

4. **Kent**: Kent is currently on a similar trajectory as Dana was. He has demonstrated a solid four-pitch mix, with the size and potential to become one of our great prospects. At this point, it's a waiting game, but the hope is that Kent can develop into a #2/#3 starter.

5. **Paris**: Paris will soon lose his prospect status, but I still believe he has starter potential. There's still room for improvement and development, especially considering his youth. It might take another year or two for Paris to reach his ceiling as a low-average, good OBP, power-hitting second baseman.

6. **Placenica**: A promotion to A+ could be in the cards for Placenica. He has shown amazing plate discipline throughout his career, and his power is finally starting to develop. He is currently sporting a 950 OPS, 432 OBP, 259 average, and 9 home runs.

7. **Joyce**: A hard-throwing right-handed pitcher with the stuff to be a dominant closer, Joyce just needs to show improved command to reach his potential.

8. **De Jesus**: De Jesus is finally making some noise in the minors at only 19 years old. The 6'4" outfielder may develop the best power potential in our system. The high strikeout rate is still a major concern, but the upside is high. Like other young players in the system, De Jesus will require patience.

9. **Costeiu**: Slowly returning from Tommy John surgery, Costeiu could find himself in the big leagues by next year. Prior to the surgery, he showed above-average to plus command of his pitches. If he can develop a third pitch, he could be viewed as a #3 starter, though he is currently projected as a #4/#5.

10. **Mederos**: Mederos has had an interesting developmental year, dialing down his stuff to improve his command. It’ll be interesting to see if he can put everything together, as he has pure stuff!

[jsnpritchett]

12 hours ago, Chuck said:

I think he should reunite with Denzel Guzman in AA. 

Also, Randy DeJesus is looking damn good of late too. 

Placencia is now 6th in the Cal League in OPS.  Only one person ahead of him is younger than he is, and 3 of the 5 ahead of him have only played part of the season in the Cal League (so they have far fewer plate appearances).  He's also tied for the lead in HR and 2nd in the league in walks.

DeJesus is 16th in the league in OPS, despite being one of the youngest players.

Edited June 6 by jsnpritchett

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

DeJesus is 16th in the league in OPS, despite being one of the youngest players.

Yeah, he had a below average month of May (.247/.317/.425) but after a solid April .292/.393/.500 and great start to June .421/.421/.895 with 3 HR in 4 games, he's looking damn good. Hope he keeps it up. 

I think they need to promote Placencia to AA and demote Rada to High-A. He needs to work on hitting the ball on the ground and line drives and just get right. 

[Chuck]

Rada needs to realize he's not a power hitter. Once these guys with a ton of speed realize they need to work walks and not hit the ball in the air, they can be great leadoff hitters from yesteryear. 

Chandler Simpson of the Rays gets it. https://www.milb.com/player/chandler-simpson-802415?season=2024&team=421

[Angelsjunky]

On 6/3/2024 at 8:28 PM, Inside Pitch said:

The Angels MLB team is the new AAA.  

Fixed.

[jsnpritchett]

Rada broke his hitless streak! 1 for 5 with a stolen base so far. 

Mederos gave up 12 hits, 2 walks, and 6 earned runs in 6 innings, but it still in line to get the win tonight.