2015 Draft - Garrett Whitley

[UCLAngel]

I like looking through the prospects in the upcoming draft.  Looking at MLB's list of Top 50, one jumped out.

 

Garrett Whitley is currently ranked #35 in the draft.  His analysis sure sounds similar to Trout's HS analysis.

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

 

Niskayuna (N.Y.) High has produced an NFL wide receiver (Andre Davis) but never a baseball Draft pick, but that will change in 2015. Whitley emerged as a potential first-rounder with a succession of strong performances late in the summer on the showcase circuit.

 

Whitley has an advanced approach at the plate for a high schooler from a cold-weather state, and his strength and bat speed could produce above-average right-handed power. His pure speed is his best tool, grading as a legitimate plus.

 

Whitley's wheels also give him plenty of range in center field, and he has a better arm than most players at that position. He has committed to Wake Forest.

 

For comparison's sake, here's Trout's analysis from MLB:

 

Trout has emerged late in the spring as one of the top prep position-player prospects in this draft, with heavy crowds of scouts at his games when rain doesn't interfere. He's a good athlete with a solid approach (watch scouting video) at the plate, especially considering the level of competition the typical Northeastern kid faces. He's strong and squares balls up well, with good hip rotation and impressive hand strength. He can wrap his bat slightly just before swinging, although it was much more pronounced in his BP swings than it was in his game swings, and his front side gets a little soft when he makes contact. He's an above-average runner but not a burner, covering the ground he needs to in center field, but has a fringe-average arm and probably couldn't move to right. Trout was originally a second baseman and has played there a little this year; he also has taken BP with wood and even done it left-handed for scouts, which absolutely earns a player bonus points when it comes time for teams to set up their draft boards. He's a first-round talent and isn't likely to get out of the top 20 picks, so he's not likely to follow through on his commitment to East Carolina.

Player Grades   PRESENT FUTURE Hitting 35 50 Power 35 55 Plate Discipline 45 55 Running Speed 55 55 Fielding Range 60 65 Arm Strength 45 45 Feel for Game 40 50

 

 

I'd love to get Betts, but with the Angels' emphasis on the Northeast, this kid could be high on their board.  It'd be interesting to see if lightning could strike twice.

[nikkachez]

I think you'll see a shift in organizational philosophy this upcoming draft and we'll see some bats taken. A lot of intriguing backend starter types in the org. along with the high-end arms in Heaney and Newcomb. This guy is a perfect example of someone they should take, projectability, toolsy, who is a bit underrated because of where he plays. 

 

Keep our draft picks, keep signing foreign players, and this system is close to complete turnaround. 

[ukyah]

I think you'll see a shift in organizational philosophy this upcoming draft and we'll see some bats taken. A lot of intriguing backend starter types in the org. along with the high-end arms in Heaney and Newcomb. This guy is a perfect example of someone they should take, projectability, toolsy, who is a bit underrated because of where he plays. 

 

Keep our draft picks, keep signing foreign players, and this system is close to complete turnaround. 

 

 

if we signed moncada and ibanez, then we'd be turned around in about a month or so.

[nikkachez]

if we signed moncada and ibanez, then we'd be turned around in about a month or so.

Don't know about that one. That's a loooooot of cash you're talking about for one let alone both of them. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Moncada or Ibanez added, just think it's about time we give up on that dream. Angels haven't been linked to either of them at all nor have they had a private workout with Moncada. Think it's time to jump off the Moncada hype train. He'll be a Dodger soon. 

[Second Base]

The Angels will definitely be chasing bats, but as for narrowing them down, don't even try.  How many position players in the last 20-30 years have projected the same as Trout has coming out of high school?  How many projected better?  Now I ask, of all those, how many actually ended up being as good as Mike Trout?

[OregonLAA]

Why chase bats? Arms are more expensive on the free agent market and a lot of pitchers have their best years when they're young. It makes sense to stockpile the farm with arms both financially and competitively. It gives us leverage in trades and keeps our rotation cheap. This way we can spend on bats or trade young arms for bats.

[UCLAngel]

The Angels will definitely be chasing bats, but as for narrowing them down, don't even try.  How many position players in the last 20-30 years have projected the same as Trout has coming out of high school?  How many projected better?  Now I ask, of all those, how many actually ended up being as good as Mike Trout?

 

Not trying to narrow, just hoping to have a discussion.  My only point was to draw parallels between the two, which I believe there are.  By no means do I think he'll end up being as good as Trout.  I enjoy talking about the draft and the prospects that may or may not be available when the Angels pick.

 

You seem to get a little testy about these sorts of things.  No need to try to shut down conversations about it.  I think we all get that any predictions/projections are almost certain to be wrong.

[Second Base]

Yup, very testy indeed. Honestly it's probably my fault I didn't mean for you to be defensive over it.

[Second Base]

Why chase bats? Arms are more expensive on the free agent market and a lot of pitchers have their best years when they're young. It makes sense to stockpile the farm with arms both financially and competitively. It gives us leverage in trades and keeps our rotation cheap. This way we can spend on bats or trade young arms for bats.

That's actually a really good point, Dipoto was open about the fact that he can use pitching prospects as currency to get what they want. If the Angels are having more success drafting and developing pitchers then just stick with that. The only thing I'm worried about us that in this pitching dominated age that position players will become do much lore valuable and that perhaps the Angels will have trouble reading for some if every pitcher is finding success and all they have are pitchers. Probably never going to be that extreme though.

[UCLAngel]

Yup, very testy indeed. Honestly it's probably my fault I didn't mean for you to be defensive over it.

 

Not getting defensive--I don't really put too much stock into anything said on a message board.  But it seems like there's a common theme of you saying we shouldn't even try to project what the team might do (which is ironic considering you contribute to a prospect blog).  Isn't that kind of the point of these types of boards?

[Inside Pitch]

Why chase bats? Arms are more expensive on the free agent market and a lot of pitchers have their best years when they're young. It makes sense to stockpile the farm with arms both financially and competitively. It gives us leverage in trades and keeps our rotation cheap. This way we can spend on bats or trade young arms for bats.

 

The value in arms vs. bats may change as baseball continues to move towards lower scoring games.   It's not like pitchers are suddenly better, the environment is just better for pitchers than it has been and it's likely to impact the FA dollars in the near future.  Attrition rates are always going to be higher for pitchers than hitters.... so, it's not like they can just load up on bats but the need to flood the system with arms has been lessened with the additions of Trop and Heaney.

[tdawg87]

If the best available player during the Angels' pick is a pitcher, I say go for it.

They can put an emphasis on bats in the later rounds. But for their first round pick, go for the best guy available regardless of position.

[nikkachez]

Why chase bats? Arms are more expensive on the free agent market and a lot of pitchers have their best years when they're young. It makes sense to stockpile the farm with arms both financially and competitively. It gives us leverage in trades and keeps our rotation cheap. This way we can spend on bats or trade young arms for bats.

Yeah, I would love seeing a stud RHP prospect added with all the young lefties. I'd rather just keep all the pitching the team's built up and inject some bats into the system. Especially with how low offensive numbers are in the game.