10 Preseason Predictions (That Are Sure to Fail)

[Brent Maguire]

Cron will be useful at the major league level but he needs to increase his walk totals and his production against right handers to become a good DH.

[Season Over]

Quinlan's Minion creates at least 5 more amazing threads before he either gets banned or his mom takes away his computer.

[Angel Oracle]

Donaldson's 2012 vs 2013 numbers from a power stats per at bat and Ks per at bat basis weren't a whole lot different.

Where he truly exploded in 2013 was in two areas: a lot more balls falling in and finding holes (.241 BA increasing to .301), and a lot more walks (14 increasing to 76 with only twice as many plate appearances).

What led him to being much more patient?

[Angel Oracle]

From a performance standpoint, you're right. But from a tools standpoint, they don't really measure up. Despite Borenstein's build, Cron's actually the stronger if the two. Cron's also better at using the entire field and despite not being a great defender, his shortcomings are more masked at 1B. Borenstein was a below average defender in the OF and the scout I spoke with actually brought up a move to 1B for him, if the bat holds up.

I do think Borenstein will be alright in AA because the field isn't too rough on LHB, whereas Cron's more of a CF and LCF type of power hitter and his numbers were suppressed in a big way there. Notice that as soon as he got to a hitter friendly environment in the AFL he went off. Whereas Borenstein was ineffective against talented pitchers in the same environment.

But could Borenstein's fall league struggles be partly attributed to fatigue, having never played beyond early September before?

Had Cron played in the fall league previously?

[Second Base]

When Trout wasn't doing much in the AFL, it was still impressive because of the physical advantage he held over the competition. He was stronger, faster, smarter and just did the amazing so routinely. He was 19 years old and exhausted.

In Zach's case, you're looking at a 22/23 year old whose physical gifts fail to distinguish themselves from any other. He succeeds by working hard and wanting it more than the other guy. Trout does too, but Trout's in another echelon.

You can use the "he was fatigued" excuse for any AFL scenario and it'll hold water. But Cron certainly didn't need the excuse, he just came in and performed. Zach didn't and then was benched.

[Llewyn Davis]

Eh, honestly I wouldn't judge anyone by how he performs in the AFL, especially in such a small sample size. You can find countless examples of good players who did nothing there and nothing players who did well there. I'm glad that Cron killed it and that his approach appeared to be better than it has been the last 2 seasons. Hopefully, that carries over into 2014 and beyond. But again what he or what anyone else does there doesn't change my opinion of them as players.

 

And it's unfair to compare any player's physical gifts to Trout's. Trout is a generational talent. No one in MLB has his physical gifts. From what I can tell, Borenstein has above average bat speed. That's a physical gift that stands out.

 

Corey Seager - .181/.253/.306

Marcus Semien - .156/.253/.273

Eddie Rosario - .237/.265/.275
Colin Moran - .213/.323/.264

Taylor Lindsey - .225/.279/.362

Devon Travis - .236/.304/.361

Max Muncy - .224/.356/.265

Jorge Bonifacio - .213/.284/.295

Tommy Medica - .121/.205/.152

Brett Nicholas - .230/.266/.393

Jonathan Schoop - .177/.271/.323

Ryan Rua - .175/.257/.365

Joc Pederson - .096/.161/.154

 

These are all good prospects, and they all fell flat on their faces for whatever reason.

 

And then you have a guy like Robbie Grossman. In 2011, he posted a crazy line of .375/.472/.625. His ISO was .250. In the minors, the highest ISO he had ever posted at any level was .157.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Llewyn Davis

[ten ocho recon scout]

Im just bummed that the josh booty guy didnt make it. Ive been looking for someone to replace my colon jersey for years, he would have been perfect.

[Second Base]

Totally agree Llewyn, however, for the purpose of comparing the two we've only seen them play together once, and Cron was by far the better ball player. Saying Borenstein's numbers don't count for the sake of comparison would be like saying we can't count Cron's numbers in San Bernardino because he was playing with a busted shoulder and his numbers in AA were skewed because he was rehabbing half the season.

The scout I spoke with before the Future's Game told me Cron might be the best 1b prospect. He sees an advanced approach and game acumen despite the lack of walks. The other I spoke with during a Cron BP session, said he deposits balls into parts of a stadium that few Major Leaguers could reach. The one I spoke with concerning Borenstein was hot and cold. He's convinced the power is real but he was also playing against subpar pitching in a league that hyperinflated his numbers. He also said his defense was passable for the league but would be a liability in the expanse of Angel Stadium, which brought about the idea of a potential switch to 1B because he thinks his bat is good enough to play there.

Then there's my own observation, which showed incredible bat speed from Borenstein and great pull power but a thick legged, heavy footed plodder on the base paths. Definitely an offensive force, but this was against bad pitching. I saw Cron against advanced pitching and saw he was too willing to hit bad pitches but still worked counts and made contact. The best part though us that he made an adjustment and laced a run scoring double the next AB. A double, which would've been 20 feet over the fence in any Cal League park.

[Llewyn Davis]

Cron is a good contact hitter, but I wouldn't say he has an advanced approach. No one really has an advanced approach if they don't draw walks. On the other hand, his K rate is impressive for a power hitter. He also faced the same "subpar pitching" in High-A and his OPS was 200 points lower than Borenstein's at around the same age. Maybe his shoulder had something to do with it, but it couldn't have been that busted; he hit 27 HRs and 32 doubles. If Borenstein ultimately switches to 1B, he should be a good defender, since he was able to play in the OF. Don't forget that he also came back from a hip flexor strain. I'm sure that had something to do with his "heavy footed plodder on the base paths."

 

At any rate, Cron will be in AAA and presumably healthy. Borenstein will likely be in AA and presumably healthy, but he may skip it like Calhoun and go to AAA as well. If that's the case, we'll see them playing together for an extended period of time in games that matter. Either way, though, they'll both be facing advanced pitching. And we'll have a much better idea of how they stack up against one another.

 

I think one of them will be a key addition for the Halos down the stretch this year, getting close to the same amount of playing time Calhoun got in 2013 while securing a starting job for 2015. My money is on Borenstein. I don't really care who it is, though. I just want one or both of them to contribute this year. I'm not sold on old man Ibanez as our DH.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Llewyn Davis

[Second Base]

Neither am I, but if it came down to a bet, I seriously doubt the Angels would turn to Borenstein in AA instead of Grant Green, Carlos Pena, Brennan Boesch, CJ Cron and Taylor Lindsey.

[Llewyn Davis]

Neither am I, but if it came down to a bet, I seriously doubt the Angels would turn to Borenstein in AA instead of Grant Green, Carlos Pena, Brennan Boesch, CJ Cron and Taylor Lindsey.

 

He might be sort of a long shot, but if what he did in 2013 carries over into 2014 it'll be hard to ignore him.

 

In terms of those other guys, I see Lindsey replacing Kendrick if/when he's traded later this season.

 

Pena looked finished two years ago. Boesch is nothing special. He looked like he was primed for a breakout after 2011, but it never happened. Green has very little upside. I don't see him as an impact bat, although he could carve out a role as a useful utility player. I honestly don't see any of those guys as legitimate roadblocks for Cron, Borenstein, or Lindsey.

 

I still think it comes down to Cron and Borenstein. However, if Kendrick isn't traded that would add another wrinkle to it. Lindsey would probably be the favorite at that point.

 

We'll just have to see how it plays out. 

Edited February 17, 2014 by Llewyn Davis

[Hubs]

Can Cron Catch again? Seriously, he may not hit or walk enough to be a regular DH option, but as a Catcher? Is his shoulder healed enough to try it?

 

He was a catcher in high school and at Utah, so shouldn't they try to see if he can be a backup DH/C option? Like Victor Martinez?

[Second Base]

He got away with catching at those levels because of a cannon for an arm and a big body that was good for blocking balls in the dirt and a decent enough glove.  But at the major league level, or more specifically a Scioscia-led squad, Cron lacks the lateral movement and athleticism to be a catcher.  

 

Maybe if this were the Tigers, Red Sox or Blue Jays that'd be an option.  They seem to be content with below average defenders that can hit for power at catcher and to a certain degree, it'd paid off.  The Angels are just really particular about who plays catcher, which explains why Jeff Mathis and bobby Wilson had jobs for so long and Mike Napoli was given the shaft.  

[Llewyn Davis]

Also an enormous difference between catching in high school and college vs. catching in pro ball. Scioscia is also very demanding of his catchers, as we all know.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Llewyn Davis

[Scott34]

Can't wait until Blanton is our 5th starter and Brian Moran is our only left-handed option out of the 'pen.

 

Fail.

[Jay]

Any playoff baseball would be freaking awesome.

It's been very weird normal to not see the Angels in the playoffs for so long.

 

fixed

[Brent Maguire]

fixed

Touché lol.

I've grown up in a time where the Angels were always in the playoffs so it's a little weird for me.