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

[rafibomb]

I’m probably slotting Matthew Lugo no lower than 10 for my top prospect list. 

Edited July 31 by rafibomb

[Angel Oracle]

2 minutes ago, rafibomb said:

I’m probably slotting Matthew Lugo no than 10 for my top prospect list. 

Guessing around 7 or 8?  Meaning 3 of the top 10 are via the very recent trade acquisitions?

Power has emerged in 2 of the past 3 seasons.   Looks like he missed about a 1/3 of the 2023 season.

[Vlad27Trout27]

Talking about past over-hyped prospect, made me go back and look at a few top 30 lists for, and it is kind of crazy how big of a drop we had from 2012 to 2014. I guess having trout at number 1 does not hurt  , but we had Richards, Segura, Cron, Hellweg in the top 10. We basically went from that to 2014 of Lindsey,Cron, Cowart, Alvarez. 

 

You guys remember Victor Alcantara? especially when it was those dark days in the systems. I though he was going to become a solid putcher. m

[totdprods]

6 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

Talking about past over-hyped prospect, made me go back and look at a few top 30 lists for, and it is kind of crazy how big of a drop we had from 2012 to 2014. I guess having trout at number 1 does not hurt  , but we had Richards, Segura, Cron, Hellweg in the top 10. We basically went from that to 2014 of Lindsey,Cron, Cowart, Alvarez. 

 

You guys remember Victor Alcantara? especially when it was those dark days in the systems. I though he was going to become a solid putcher. m

Dude the farm those years hardly even qualified as a farm system. Awful.

As poorly as we are ranked now, it’s way better than those years. Also easy to forget that our farm very well could still have counter guys like Neto, O’Hoppe, Schanuel, Silseth and Joyce if they weren’t fast-tracked.

Edited July 31 by totdprods

[Vlad27Trout27]

2 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Dude the farm those years hardly even qualified as a farm system. Awful.

As poorly as we are ranked now, it’s way better than those years. Also easy to forget that our farm very well could still have counter guys like Neto, O’Hoppe, Schanuel Silseth and Joyce if they weren’t fast-tracked.

100% agreed. just talking about past prospects got me going back to looking at our system. To me It crazy that it took 6 years to get a system close to 2012 or even better. 

The 2018 system was loaded, that's not counting Soriano at 14, Ward at 19, Flec at 27. Looking back at it, we probably should have trade a few.... but hey, 

[Vlad27Trout27]

11 hours ago, rafibomb said:

I’m probably slotting Matthew Lugo no lower than 10 for my top prospect list. 

I believe Lugo's power potential and improved plate discipline give him more upside than just a projected fourth outfielder role at the start of the season. Ultimately, his strikeout and walk rates will determine the type of player he becomes. There's potential for a 20-home run season, but the question remains: will he hit enough?

Niko Kavadas is intriguing to me. His primary tool is his bat, and he's projected more as a designated hitter. His batting profile is interesting, and I feel he should be getting at-bats in the DH spot right now. He might turn out to be a Daniel Vogelbach type of player, or perhaps another Trey Cabbage. We need to get his bat in the lineup and see.

Overall, I think we did well at the trade deadline, adding three players with some upside to the top 10. One could be a top 100 prospect in the near future, another is projected to be a 4/5 starter (and you can never have enough pitching), and a low-end or fourth outfielder. Pretty solid

[totdprods]

I’m not totally sold on Perry’s farmbuilding overall (I do like his ability to draft really well with the key picks and return useful guys in trade) but I have been cautiously optimistic as the summer has progressed that the farm is starting to be far less top-heavy and starting to actually produce some potential sleeper prospects or unheralded minor leaguers who become at least fringe MLBers. That was a big criticism I had of his farm all years prior.

But I like what I’m seeing from lesser-known guys, players like De Jesus, Scull, Gobbel, Castillo, Ramirez, Flint, Teodosio, Seig, Armstrong, Darrell-Hicks, Kochanowicz, Torres, Espinosa, the young arms in Dominican like Soto, Lara and De La Rosa, both Flores and Laverde behind the plate. It’s starting to get much more well-rounded with different types of depth and upside across the diamond and across all levels. Enough that part of me is starting to support Perry sticking around one more year to see if he and his team have started to turn things around on the farm. And the performance of the kids this year on the big league club is encouraging enough to think he and Ron could get them even better next year.

Edited July 31 by totdprods

[Angelsjunky]

10 hours ago, totdprods said:

I’m not totally sold on Perry’s farmbuilding overall (I do like his ability to draft really well with the key picks and return useful guys in trade) but I have been cautiously optimistic as the summer has progressed that the farm is starting to be far less top-heavy and starting to actually produce some potential sleeper prospects or unheralded minor leaguers who become at least fringe MLBers. That was a big criticism I had of his farm all years prior.

But I like what I’m seeing from lesser-known guys, players like De Jesus, Scull, Gobbel, Castillo, Ramirez, Flint, Teodosio, Seig, Armstrong, Darrell-Hicks, Kochanowicz, Torres, Espinosa, the young arms in Dominican like Soto, Lara and De La Rosa, both Flores and Laverde behind the plate. It’s starting to get much more well-rounded with different types of depth and upside across the diamond and across all levels. Enough that part of me is starting to support Perry sticking around one more year to see if he and his team have started to turn things around on the farm. And the performance of the kids this year on the big league club is encouraging enough to think he and Ron could get them even better next year.

There's some intriguing players in the very low minors. I know we should take the DOSL with a grain of salt, but there's a handful of guys that are putting up really good numbers. Less so, but still, in AZL/A/A+. I think we'll have a better sense a year from now. Maybe one of De Jesus, Castillo, Scull, Ramirez, etc can take a big step forward and be a legit hitting prospect. Or one or two of those Dominican pitchers can translate State-side.

I just don't remember those lower levels being so packed with good performances in recent years.

[totdprods]

18 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

There's some intriguing players in the very low minors. I know we should take the DOSL with a grain of salt, but there's a handful of guys that are putting up really good numbers. Less so, but still, in AZL/A/A+. I think we'll have a better sense a year from now. Maybe one of De Jesus, Castillo, Scull, Ramirez, etc can take a big step forward and be a legit hitting prospect. Or one or two of those Dominican pitchers can translate State-side.

I just don't remember those lower levels being so packed with good performances in recent years.

It’s been a couple of years since I was posting my bi-weekly minors report here… but I’ve kept my eyes on the teams just as much. I’m more excited about what’s happening and the limited bits and pieces of video available to see, but I feel like it’s starting to yield some return. We’re by no means stocked or this is some magical wave that’s going to save the day, but I do think in 2-3 years we are going to see a legit hitter (Lugo, De Jesus maybe), a legit 4th OF/UT IF (maybe a Scull or Capri Ortiz), and a legit SP and reliever or two start to hit the club. And while that pales in comparison to other orgs, it will be a huge breakthrough in that we haven’t really produced much of anything in over a decade, and you really need results to start attracting talent, otherwise other teams will be ahead. No one’s rushing to sign with the Angels because Jaime Barria and Jose Suarez had a couple mediocre swingman seasons here. 

It will also be indicative that *something* is starting to work in that pipeline.

It’s one more reason also that I’m a little open to the idea of giving Perry one more year. If this wave hits Tri-City/Rocket City next year and doesn’t fall on its face…we might have something (that’s where Placencia, Vera, Guzman, etc.) have all basically topped out. It would really suck to boot the guy that finally turned on the international spigot, even if he has other faults. 

Edited August 1 by totdprods

[Angelsjunky]

Christian Moore with a single in his first pro at bat for Inland Empire.

[tdawg87]

9 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Christian Moore with a single in his first pro at bat for Inland Empire.

That's it?

Season over.

[tdawg87]

Ok nm he's Trout 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Watching the 66ers games:

1. Moore has some quick hands. He got a base hit to right field but then got caught stealing second. In his second at-bat, he hit a base-clearing double to right. The upside is big, and he's already showing a strong ability to go with the pitch.

2. Kent has a lot of movement on his pitches. I'm not too worried about the numbers; I think the movement on his pitches is affecting his command. He's still young, and hopefully, it's something he can figure out. It was only one inning, but it felt like Lavarde had some issues with the movement and getting strikes. 

3. Alexander Ramirez looks like a different player this season. He's reading the ball really well out of the hand. Still, a 30% K rate is a concern in A ball. His swing does get a little long, so he might need to shorten it a bit.

4. Ryan Nicholson has a Francisco Arcia type of load at the plate

[Angelsjunky]

10 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Ok nm he's Trout 

If he doesn't hit for the cycle, he's a bust.

[Vlad27Trout27]

You can see the run & movement on his Fastball. His Change has similar movement, but drops more. 

 

 

[totdprods]

41 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

• Kent has a lot of movement on his pitches. I'm not too worried about the numbers; I think the movement on his pitches is affecting his command. He's still young, and hopefully, it's something he can figure out. It was only one inning, but it felt like Lavarde had some issues with the movement and getting strikes. 

• Alexander Ramirez looks like a different player this season. He's reading the ball really well out of the hand. Still, a 30% K rate is a concern in A ball. His swing does get a little long, so he might need to shorten it a bit.

Ramirez has looked incredibly different and really good. I’d written him off and now think he’s back in my Top 20. He’s striking out a lot, but I don’t blame him for swinging away - he’d hit 8 and 4 HR in his last two seasons, in 520 PA and 466 PA. He’s hit 8 in 112 this year already. And he is walking at a much higher rate too. Already has 19, and his career high is 31 from that season with 520 PA. 

Kent has pitched way better than numbers indicate. Some shitty IE defense has played a part too. Like Rada, he was maybe ‘rushed’ a little aggressively for his age to where the numbers aren’t pretty but the performance is better than what’s being indicated when you take it all into consideration. 

[tdawg87]

2-5 with a walk. No K's. 

Not bad. 

[m0nkey]

7 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

2-5 with a walk. No K's. 

Not bad. 

So 0 for his last 3?

[Ochocinco!]

7 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

2-5 with a walk. No K's. 

Not bad. 

Finish the season playing it out in AA. Starts at 2B next year 

[Inside Pitch]

13 hours ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

He got a base hit to right field but then got caught stealing second.

Somewhere a single tear is running down Mike Scioscia's smiling face.

Clearly Moore was born to be an Angel.

[Vlad27Trout27]

What are your thoughts on Placencia and Guzman?

Regarding Placencia, do you think he'll hit enough to be a productive player? His Hit tool is really hold him back. If he can lower his K rate and maitain a solid BB% rate, he could be a starter. 

As for Guzman, it seems many evaluators are high on him. However, I have concerns about his lack of power and whether he has any standout skills.

I'm still not very high on Alexander Ramirez, but it's hard to ignore the power and walk rate he's shown this year. I think a move up to A+ should be in the cards to get a full assessment. With his power potential (60-65), he could develop into a good regular starter despite a high strikeout rate and solid walk rate.

I really like Laverde and Flores. It's a patience game with them, but I think Laverde could develop into a bat-first catcher, similar to how Quero developed. Hopefully, we'll see a bit more power from him. As for Flores, his hitting will determine his level of upside, which applies to both players.

Rios is still a question mark, as he just can't stay healthy. I was really confused about why they converted him into a catcher. They should have kept him in the outfield and hoped his bat would carry him.

I might be one of the few who was high on Fontenelle, but I really thought he was poised for a breakout year at AA and a potential call-up if he hadn't gotten injured. In 22 games, he had 12 stolen bases, a 12.4% walk rate, a 25.8% strikeout rate, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, an OPS over 800, and an OBP over 400.

 

[OhtaniSan]

14 hours ago, totdprods said:

It’s been a couple of years since I was posting my bi-weekly minors report here… but I’ve kept my eyes on the teams just as much. I’m more excited about what’s happening and the limited bits and pieces of video available to see, but I feel like it’s starting to yield some return. We’re by no means stocked or this is some magical wave that’s going to save the day, but I do think in 2-3 years we are going to see a legit hitter (Lugo, De Jesus maybe), a legit 4th OF/UT IF (maybe a Scull or Capri Ortiz), and a legit SP and reliever or two start to hit the club. And while that pales in comparison to other orgs, it will be a huge breakthrough in that we haven’t really produced much of anything in over a decade, and you really need results to start attracting talent, otherwise other teams will be ahead. No one’s rushing to sign with the Angels because Jaime Barria and Jose Suarez had a couple mediocre swingman seasons here. 

It will also be indicative that *something* is starting to work in that pipeline.

It’s one more reason also that I’m a little open to the idea of giving Perry one more year. If this wave hits Tri-City/Rocket City next year and doesn’t fall on its face…we might have something (that’s where Placencia, Vera, Guzman, etc.) have all basically topped out. It would really suck to boot the guy that finally turned on the international spigot, even if he has other faults. 

Side note: genuinely miss seeing your minors reports if you ever wanted to bring them back

[Make Angels Great Again]

I'm really excited to see how Ryan Johnson does.

A SP with a low walk rate, super unique delivery, and a triple digit fastball? Yes please!

[totdprods]

42 minutes ago, OhtaniSan said:

Side note: genuinely miss seeing your minors reports if you ever wanted to bring them back

Thank you, I appreciate that!

I have been thinking about it. Had a couple tough years personally that were in-step with the farm being very unexciting and unproductive so it just wasn’t worth the time, but this year has been so much more intriguing. Maybe 2025.

[tdawg87]

Everyone making their debut at IE yesterday had a great game.

Daly: 3/4, 2 BB

Moore: 2/5, 3 RBI, BB

Nicholson: 1/2, 1 RBI, 3 BB