(Future Angels on fire) |
Once a
week, every Wednesday, AngelsWin.com will cover the
top 10 hottest prospects in the organization. We
will
list
their current stats and feats with a little blurb
on each player. This is a great way for you Halo
fans
to find out who's hot in the Angels organization.
It is important as a fan to know who is up and coming
in the organization because prospects not only strengthen
our team in the future, but they also become trade
fodder for teams looking to rebuild who might give
up an established player in the big leagues.
Covering
the minor leagues has been something we at Angelswin.com
enjoy doing for for the fans and parents of the Halos
minor leaguers, giving recognition to top performers
for the previous week . The top 10 hottest future
Halos will be covered here, but if you have any questions
on other prospects in other organizations or if want
to send your comments on our weekly lists, send me
an email at chuck@angelswin.com
and I will respond in a timely manner.
Now, on to this weeks'
2009 Angelswin.com Prospect Hotlist
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2009
Organizational Best Baseball Tools Feature
Chris Pettit's batting
average on May 9th, 2009 during a game against the Portland
Beavers
By Chuck Richter - Executive Editor
After evaluating and ranking who we thought were the top-30
Los Angeles Angels prospects at the mid-season break in our
last feature, we decided to take a look at who possesses
the Best Tools in the organization. With help from Eddie
Bane and our own Angelswin.com area scouts, we came up with
this list to give our readers an idea of what prospects excel
at certain facets of the game.
Obviously, those who have graduated to the big leagues and
have surpassed our requirements to be considered a prospect,
such as Kendry Morales, Kevin Jepsen, Sean Rodriguez and
Brandon Wood, you won't see them on this list. Though in
Wood's and Rodriguez's cases, they're not currently in the
big leagues, but they're putting up incredible power totals
in Triple-A and should get a starting job in the big leagues
in 2010, much like Morales did at the start of this season.
So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at who brings
what to the table ... er, diamond, down on the farm.
Best Batting Prospect
Chris Pettit: Pettit brings an ability to square up the ball
and make solid contact better than anyone in the organization
right now. Hank Conger was a close second, with Alexi Amarista
not far behind. Pettit is hitting .336 on the season.
Best Power Prospect
Mark Trumbo: After an incredibly slow start with the bat
and in the power department this season with the Travelers,
Trumbo has gotten it going in the second half. Trumbo is
hitting .320 in the second half thus far, posting a .500
slugging percentage in July and .596 in August. He's up
to 13 home runs on the season. James Mallard, Conger, Randal
Grichuk and Matt Sweeney all bring some serious power to
the plate, as well.
Best Power & Hitting Prospect
Hank Conger: "The Mighty Cong" brings an ability
to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate,
better than anyone in the system, though Matt Sweeney is
a close second to Conger in this department. Conger, like
Trumbo, got off to a slow start with the Travs this season,
but has come on strong in the 2nd half -- posting a .959
OPS in the month of July. Conger has upped his batting average
to exactly .300 on Aug. 13.
Best Strike Zone Judgment
Alexi Amarista & Chris Pettit: Sometimes you just can't
pick one and since we make up the rules, we're fine with
a two-way tie for the best strike zone judgment in the organization.
Both Amarista and Pettit have a good idea at the plate and
would make for an excellent lead off or No. 2 hitter at the
top of the lineup, especially with their ability to steal
a base.
Best Baserunner
Peter Bourjos: Nobody goes from first to third faster than
Bourjos. With Bourjos' speed, he's turned would-be bloop
singles into doubles and has notched 11 triples in just
85 games this season. Pettit and first round pick Mike
Trout are also excellent base runners with good speed.
Fastest Baserunner
Peter Bourjos: Even though the Angels had stolen base artist
Chone Figgins in camp last spring, Mike Scioscia noted
that Bourjos was the fastest player in camp. Bourjos missed
some time this year with a wrist injury, but has still
managed to steal 22 bases. He needs to work on the art
of stealing a base (caught 11 times), but there is no questioning
his game-changing speed on the bases and in the outfield.
Best Defensive Catcher
Bobby Wilson: Does a great job at blocking balls in the dirt,
throwing out runners and has only committed four errors
on the season for the Bees. Wilson also frames the ball
well for the pitcher, along with calling a good game. Wilson
is a solid defensive backstop with a bat decent enough
to be a solid backup catcher in the big leagues.
Best Defensive 1B
Gabe Jacobo: In 98 games, Jacobo has committed just three
errors. He's solid at digging balls out of the dirt and
going to his left to stop would-be doubles down the line.
A former third baseman, Jacobo has a strong arm, as well.
Best Defensive 2B
Alexi Amarista: The 5'8", 150-pound second baseman has
incredible range to his left and right and makes the double
play look easy. Amarista has a solid average arm and should
be a above average second baseman in the future with more
experience, despite his 13 errors this season.
Best Defensive 3B
Jay Brossman: Through 53 games, Brossman has just three errors
at the hot corner. Brossman looks real fluid and comfortable
around the third base bag, rarely missing a routine grounder
or hot smash to him. His throws are strong and accurate.
Sweeney showed a lot of improvement before he went down
with a hip injury last month, as well.
Best Defensive SS
Andrew Romine: There is no question about Romine's defensive
ability at the shortstop position. He has above average
range, hands and arm strength and his throws are accurate.
Best Infield Arm
Andrew Romine: See above. Strong arm. Has made several nice
plays for the Quakes going to his right in the hole between
SS and 3B to take away base hits all season long. He's
got a lot of Erick Aybar in him with the glove.
Best Defensive Outfielder
Peter Bourjos: There is no question here, Bourjos is the
best in the system. Reminds me a lot of Devon White with
how fast and yet fluid he is out there running balls down
in the gaps. There are many balls that left the bat and
you just knew it was a gapper or over Bourjos head, but
ended up being caught. If Bourjos continues to improve
with the bat and his plate discipline, he'll be moving
Torii Hunter over to a corner spot before his contract
is up with the Angels.
Best Outfield Arm
Terrell Alliman, Julio Perez: These two can flat out throw
laser beams from the outfield and should notch a bunch
of outfield assists as they move up levels. Both of these
guys can go get it in the outfield as well, especially
Alliman.
Most Athletic
Jeremy Moore, P.J. Phillips, Terrell Alliman, Peter
Bourjos: Possessing a blend of athleticism and baseball skills,
it's worth giving praise to Alliman, Phillips (Brandon
Phillips' younger brother, who was just moved to CF) and
Moore. Bourjos is the best of the four here in terms of
athleticism, but these other three are faster than a speeding
bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. They're able to
leap tall buildings in a single bound. But will they hit
enough to make it to the big leagues? We'll see.
Most Exciting Player
Peter Bourjos: Everyone in the stands who knows about Bourjos
speed braces themselves for a gapper hit by Bourjos, because
it's truly exciting to see him go from the batters box
to third base for a triple, or run down a would-be gapper
by the opposing team. Without question, Bourjos is the
most exciting player in the organization's crop of top
prospects.
Best Pitching Prospect
Trevor Reckling: Our mid-season pick for the Angels top prospect
hasn't changed our minds two weeks after giving him the
top spot, nor do we think he'll give up the spot in our
2010 preseason Top-50 Prospects list. The 20 year old has
more than held his own in Double-A this season, flashing
three above average pitches, with room for more velocity
on his 88-93 MPH fastball as his body fills out.
Best Fastball
Fabio Martinez Mesa, Michael Kohn, Robert Mosebach: Usually
this was a given with the award going to Jordan Walden,
who once threw 100 mph in Low-A ball. But this year it
has been a struggle for Walden, with arm injuries and a
decrease in fastball velocity (90-93 mph). Kohn has dialed
it up to 97 mph this season, along with Martinez Mesa,
with Mosebach hitting triple digits for both the minor
league affiliates and the Angels in a brief stint earlier
this season.
Best Breaking Pitch
Trevor Reckling, Alex Torres: Reckling throws more of a tight,
hard breaking ball, where Torres throws more of a traditional
style curveball that generates some awful swings from opposing
batters. Both are well above average.
Best Change Up
Sean O'Sullivan: If you've watched any of O'Sullivan's starts
as a member of the Angels, you've witnessed a Major League
change up in his arsenal. The best part of Sully's offspeed
pitch is that he's not afraid to throw it behind in the
count. If O'Sullivan can keep his 90-93 mph fastball down
in the zone, he'll be an above average Major League starter
for many years.
Best Control
Trevor Bell: Just recently promoted to make his Major League
debut for the Angels against the Tampa Bay Rays, Bell has
turned a lot of heads at the ballpark this season. Bell
works quickly and pounds the strike zone with a 92-94 mph
fastball, touching 95, and flashing a solid slider and
change up. Case in point, Bell's first batter faced in
the Major Leagues was Jason Bartlett, who was retired on
three pitches: Strike one (94 mph fastball), strike two
(94 mph fastball) and the third pitch another 94 mph fastball
for a ground out to Figgins. The infielders love Bell's
pace, as it keeps them on their toes ready for a would-be
put out. Bell induces a ton of ground balls, but as he
gains experience and studies the hitters he should strike
a few more out, as well.
Best Reliever
Michael Kohn, Bobby Cassevah, Vladimir Veras, Robert
Mosebach, Andrew Taylor: It should be "Best Relievers" because
of the number of quality relievers in the organization.
It has been as much of a successful season for a good sized
crop of relief prospects down on the farm as it has has
been a struggle for the Major League bullpen in 2009. Kohn,
Cassevah, Veras, Mosebach and Taylor all bring upper 90s
velocity to the back end of games and should be an asset
to the Major League pen in the near future. When you factor
in that Mason Tobin and Ryan Aldridge will each be someone
to look at in 2010 in the minors, along with the graduations
of Kevin Jepsen and Jason Bulger, the bullpen looks to
be in good shape sooner than later.
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