Rejoice: The Angels’ farm system is no longer the worst in MLB, per Keith Law’s recent rankings

[CDiaz]

Around this time last year, we were all feeling the collective shame about our farm system. We all knew it wasn’t great by any means, but then Keith Law had to go and release his annual farm system rankings. The Angels got lambasted. He not only ranked the Halos dead last, but he also called it the worst farm system he’s ever seen.

Yesterday, Law began his farm system countdown for 2017, and guess what?!THE ANGELS AREN’T THE WORST EVER ANYMORE! In fact, they jumped up all the way to the #27 spot! We’ve paid a lot of attention to the work Billy Eppler has put in this past year or so, and it was apparent that he has injected the organization with a slew of new, young talent, but now we have Keith Law basically affirming that notion.

Here’s what Law had to say about the Angels’ farm system:

They’ll be popping champagne bottles in Anaheim, as the Angels’ worst-ever farm system from last year is no longer No. 30 … but they still have a long way to go toward respectability, with so many prospects and even fringy guys traded to bolster the major-league club, most recently in the successful deal for Andrelton Simmons.

Their 2015 first-rounder Taylor Ward has been a disaster so far, but their second-rounder from that year, Jahmai Jones, has emerged as the team’s best prospect, and their 2016 crop looks like their most promising draft since at least 2010, which produced Kole Calhoun and Cam Bedrosian. Missing on big-dollar Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin also set them back by knocking them out of the international market for the past two cycles. While it’s easy to assume any nascent prospects will be fodder for GM Billy Eppler to deal, the Angels really need to develop some of their own starting pitching to prop up the big-league rotation.

I think many of us are in total agreement with Law here, and there’s nothing we don’t really know already, but it’s good to have that “worst I’ve ever seen” monkey off our backs. Law gives a pretty legit assessment, too. We’ve been rolling out our Top 25 Prospects pieces for the past couple weeks, and the more we’ve been studying these guys, the more we’ve grown to like what Eppler’s farm system has cooking (and I’m also in agreement about Taylor Ward, meh). 

So rest easy, Angels faithful. Our favorite team is slowly, but surely, coming out of the self-inflicted muck, and we’re going to have some exciting players to keep tabs on in the near future. Also, WE’RE NOT THE WORST ANY MORE!

[mrwicked]

yeah what happened with that baldoquin guy?

[the dude abides]

WE'RE #27!!!  WE'RE #27!!!

 

[Angelsjunky]

Nice.

I agree with him that Jones is the top prospect.

[totdprods]

10 minutes ago, the dude abides said:

WE'RE #27!!!  WE'RE #27!!!

 

That's a good number though. Maybe our luckiest number.

[NrM]

27th is probably the highest we've been ranked in like 5 years. I'll take it!

[eligrba4ever]

While it is good news that the Angels have climbed three rungs up the farm-system rankings, the article at the top of this thread by the 4-post newbie CDiaz was lifted in its entirety from another Halos website without being credited to its actual author.

[Docwaukee]

I posted in another thread somewhat tongue in cheek that at least miami is worse than us now.  Even though we've move ahead of other teams a few spots it's really like we moved up about a third of the way from where we were.  That's how bad it was.  Be that as it may, moving up to the middle of the pack will not be quite as swift unless Ward turns a corner and we have a couple of Hermosillo type break outs.  Also, that assumes none of our top guys take a step back.  

At the end of the day, it's all about the value your farm system brings to the major league club.  I don't mean to sound all rosy, but most of our position players and pitching have at least 3 years of club control left.  Guys like Valbuena are gonna be important to shore up spots with above avg play on the cheap while the system continue to grow.  

[Oz27]

Law always values ceiling more than floor, which is an approach I like. Because of that approach, I've been wondering if Jones makes his top 100. It would be hard to imagine us being 27th without having a single guy in his top 100 and I doubt Thaiss makes it for him.

[WeatherWonk]

Did we actually get better or did three teams simply get worse than us?

Hard to get excited about 27th out of 30.

[m0nkey]

Offseason champs!!

[Dave Saltzer]

Want to know what else is 27? And even he knows which way the farm is moving . . . 

 

 

[Docwaukee]

6 hours ago, WeatherWonk said:

Did we actually get better or did three teams simply get worse than us?

Hard to get excited about 27th out of 30.

considering we were 40th out of 30 last year, that's a pretty good jump.  Yes, the other teams got worse and we got better.  

[HaloNArizona]

A lot of this is the clean peanut life style.  Eppler has been focusing on young talent with upside.

[John Smith]

Here is Law's entire rankings list:

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2017/01/farm_system_rankings_yankees_near_top_mets_in_top.html

26. Kansas City Royals (23th in 2016); 27. Los Angeles Angels (30^th in 2016); 28. Seattle Mariners (28^th in 2016); 29. Miami Marlins (29^th in 2016); 30. Arizona Diamondbacks (24^th in 2016).

[totdprods]

6 minutes ago, John Smith said:

Here is Law's entire rankings list:

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2017/01/farm_system_rankings_yankees_near_top_mets_in_top.html

26. Kansas City Royals (23th in 2016); 27. Los Angeles Angels (30^th in 2016); 28. Seattle Mariners (28^th in 2016); 29. Miami Marlins (29^th in 2016); 30. Arizona Diamondbacks (24^th in 2016).

Ha...hah...hahah. The Mariners. Here we go.

[Docwaukee]

33 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Ha...hah...hahah. The Mariners. Here we go.

I was so hoping that was gonna happen.  

Jerry is just cleaning the trash and then he's gonna pimp shit out.  

[Stradling]

Dipoto is good at what he does and what he does is destroy farm systems.  

[the dude abides]

4 hours ago, Dochalo said:

considering we were 40th out of 30 last year, that's a pretty good jump.  Yes, the other teams got worse and we got better.  

Yeah, it was a bit concerning last year when our farm system ranked below the Washington Generals, LA Express (USFL), and Right Said Fred.

[HaloNArizona]

2 hours ago, John Smith said:

Here is Law's entire rankings list:

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2017/01/farm_system_rankings_yankees_near_top_mets_in_top.html

26. Kansas City Royals (23th in 2016); 27. Los Angeles Angels (30^th in 2016); 28. Seattle Mariners (28^th in 2016); 29. Miami Marlins (29^th in 2016); 30. Arizona Diamondbacks (24^th in 2016).

Diamondbacks dont need to worry about being last...the have Mathis and Iannetta....No need for a farm.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

4 hours ago, HaloNArizona said:

A lot of this is the clean peanut life style.  Eppler has been focusing on young talent with upside.

The fact that he has been able to improve both the minor league system and the big league club while living within significant budgetary restraints is impressive.

[tdawg87]

Calling Ward a "disaster" is a stretch. 

[eligrba]

36 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Calling Ward a "disaster" is a stretch. 

I think the disaster was wasting the early pick on him.

Remember the cheering Angel "brain trust" at that draft when they realized that Ward was still available just before they took him?  That was the iceberg.

[WeatherWonk]

10 hours ago, Dochalo said:

considering we were 40th out of 30 last year, that's a pretty good jump.  Yes, the other teams got worse and we got better.  

How is it mathematically possible to be the 40th worst out of 30 teams? Some kinda crazy extrapolation? The New Sabermetrics?

[beatlesrule]