Jahmai Jones

[Angel Oracle]

Has raised his BA to almost .250, already has two HRs in a league (Arizona) where HRs just don't happen, and has 7 SBs already. 

In other words, he has already accomplished more than 2010 1st round pick Chavez Clarke ever accomplished in Arizona.

 

Any thought of letting him play at Orem to end the 2015 season, and then go straight to Burlington in 2016?

[UCLAngel]

I'd be pretty surprised if they promoted him that aggressively.  He's still 17 (turns 18 in a couple weeks) and will likely be brought along slowly.  He's certainly been much better of late.  Three more steals yesterday.  But who knows?  The Rangers seemed to be among the most aggressive promoters and I'd guess that Servais had some influence on that philosophy.  Promotions are a fine line between finding where a prospect is challenged and must grow and being totally overwhelmed to the point of destroying confidence.  Cowart is a good example of that--didn't seem ready for AA.

[Second Base]

The Angels are among the most conservative teams in baseball in terms of promoting prospects, to the point where it's infuriatingly comical.

Any other team would have Jones in the Pioneer League, possibly finishing in A Ball. They'd for sure have him in A Ball to begin next year and a year split between the Cal League and AA shortly thereafter.

But the Angels will keep him in AZ. He'll spend an additional year in Rookie Ball next year. Then go one level a year henceforth. So a player that'd be MLB ready at 21/22 if things break right, but in the Angels system, it's more 23/24 for a guy like Jones.

The only two I've ever seen that were aggressively promoted were Trout and Calhoun.

[Docwaukee]

Every minor leaguer is under org control for 7 years.  The goal is to maximize the amount of benefit any given player will provide to the major league club for as long as possible.  

 

the peak seasons for most players are from age 26-30 so you definitely want to try and have those years controlled.  

 

Jones is effectively 18 in a few days but it's not like he head and shoulders better than anyone in Az.  

 

Mike Trout, the current best player in baseball, got 20 plate appearances for CR his first year, most likely because the Az season ended and they wanted to get him a little more PT.  If Jones continues to improve, maybe they do that.  

 

I get trying to challenge a guy, but why having him at the major league level at 21 while he could still be learning and also saving some of his better years for the major league club?  

 

In the end, it's as much a financial decision as anything, and one that is tough to argue with as long as that choice doesn't hurt the big club.  

[Stradling]

The Angels are among the most conservative teams in baseball in terms of promoting prospects, to the point where it's infuriatingly comical.

Any other team would have Jones in the Pioneer League, possibly finishing in A Ball. They'd for sure have him in A Ball to begin next year and a year split between the Cal League and AA shortly thereafter.

But the Angels will keep him in AZ. He'll spend an additional year in Rookie Ball next year. Then go one level a year henceforth. So a player that'd be MLB ready at 21/22 if things break right, but in the Angels system, it's more 23/24 for a guy like Jones.

The only two I've ever seen that were aggressively promoted were Trout and Calhoun.

Scotty, give us the list of guys that came up here at age 24 or older that performed so well where we feel as though their promotion should have happened earlier. I can't really think of one.

[Lou]

Upon reading this thread I decided to look this kid up - he must be killing it, right?

What am I missing? He's batting .247 with an OPS of .700

He's also made 3 errors in 19 starts in CF.

[Dave Saltzer]

The Angels are among the most conservative teams in baseball in terms of promoting prospects, to the point where it's infuriatingly comical.

Any other team would have Jones in the Pioneer League, possibly finishing in A Ball. They'd for sure have him in A Ball to begin next year and a year split between the Cal League and AA shortly thereafter.

But the Angels will keep him in AZ. He'll spend an additional year in Rookie Ball next year. Then go one level a year henceforth. So a player that'd be MLB ready at 21/22 if things break right, but in the Angels system, it's more 23/24 for a guy like Jones.

The only two I've ever seen that were aggressively promoted were Trout and Calhoun.

Scotty,

 

That's just not true anymore. Under Flores, yes, they went year by year and level by level with almost every player. But, since the new regime took over, they have been more aggressive with players than ever. They've had many skip an entire level. They've had several make mid-year jumps. They have tried to give players a lot more challenges than they did in the past. You are painting a very false picture through very broad and unrefined strokes.

[Angel Oracle]

Upon reading this thread I decided to look this kid up - he must be killing it, right?

What am I missing? He's batting .247 with an OPS of .700

He's also made 3 errors in 19 starts in CF.

Not looking at the overall stats, but at his progress

We aren't talking about sending him to Burlington right now, just how he would fare at the other level of rookie ball in Orem.

[Inside Pitch]

Upon reading this thread I decided to look this kid up - he must be killing it, right?

What am I missing? He's batting .247 with an OPS of .700

He's also made 3 errors in 19 starts in CF.

 

Keep in mind he is 17, or was when he was drafted.   Guys like that can look awful statistically -- in most cases they aren't really being touted based on performance and what they currently are as much as they are what they could be.  Vega is doing horribly too and yet my buddy in the Yankees organization tells me he may have one of the biggest upsides in that league.

 

I've always said I look at the player then look at the numbers to see if what I see is translating into performance but I have typically ignored awful starts in rookie ball for teenagers   Conversely when you see a teenager tearing a league up, you follow a bit more closely.

[Inside Pitch]

Scotty,

 

That's just not true anymore. Under Flores, yes, they went year by year and level by level with almost every player. But, since the new regime took over, they have been more aggressive with players than ever. They've had many skip an entire level. They've had several make mid-year jumps. They have tried to give players a lot more challenges than they did in the past. You are painting a very false picture through very broad and unrefined strokes.

 

Offensively.... they remain a conservative team in regards to their promotions -- particularly given their tendency to draft college players.   The reason it seems they are more aggressive than in the past has more to do with the shift from HS talents to college players -- but when compared to other organizations they are relatively slow to promote guys..   A case can be made they have been more aggressive on the pitching end of things, but it's not as pronounced as with other organizations.

 

Personally, I don't really have a problem with it, players need only be ready when the MLB team needs it.  The one place this hurts the team is when it comes to prospect rankings where young guys at higher levels are often given a pass on poor performances.  

Edited July 28, 2015 by Inside Pitch

[John Smith]

MLB mid-season Top 30 Rankings out today. Jones is at #10

 

http://m.mlb.com/pro...s/2015?list=ana

[Lou]

Keep in mind he is 17, or was when he was drafted.   Guys like that can look awful statistically -- in most cases they aren't really being touted based on performance and what they currently are as much as they are what they could be.  Vega is doing horribly too and yet my buddy in the Yankees organization tells me he may have one of the biggest upsides in that league.

 

I've always said I look at the player then look at the numbers to see if what I see is translating into performance but I have typically ignored awful starts in rookie ball for teenagers   Conversely when you see a teenager tearing a league up, you follow a bit more closely.

Which is why I asked what it is that I am missing.

I still don't know

[Lou]

How in the hell is Hunter Green #24?

[mulwin444]

How in the hell is Hunter Green #24?

Yeah, I like how all the players' pictures on that list are action shots and Hunter looks like he's on the baseball equivalent of a milk carton.

[AngelStew43]

Hunter Green was another 17 year old draft.  He still can right the ship, with a little luck.

[Lou]

Yeah, I like how all the players' pictures on that list are action shots and Hunter looks like he's on the baseball equivalent of a milk carton.

It's an actual milk carton

[Second Base]

Hunter has Skaggs-like upside. It may be entirely possible that next year as a 19/20 year old, he'll go to A Ball and the injuries will be in his rear view mirror getting smaller and smaller as he distances himself from them. Or he can be another Jon Bachanov.

To be honest, it something I think about while I'm creating my Top 30. Green has the upside, but a spot for him may mean someone like Hermosillo or Alex Abbott may be left off.