Angels All-Time prospects who never quite made it

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Angel Moreno!!!!!!!!

 

He's our F E R N A N D OOOOOOO!

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Darren O'Day~ With us anyway....

[disarcina]

California Cajun really added some names that otherwise were left off.

Rick Reichardt was was billed as the 'next Mickey Mantle' the TV/radio guys kept hyping him.  He ended up having an OK MLB career (mainly with the White Sox, if I recall correctly) but never lived up to the expectations and billing with the Halos. He was a number one draft pick for the Halos.

Brandon Wood may be the biggest bust of the bunch. He was really hyped as the SS of the future and when that didn't pan out was given multiple chances at 3B even OF. He just couldn't cut it, the Halos finally gave up on him and he drifted to other organizations (Pittsburgh for one) but I think he's out of baseball now.  A guy like Wood takes a pretty big fall, he comes to his first camp as a top pick, top prospect and maintains that status for about three camps. by the fourth camp he's now the heir apparent NOW and when he doesn't cut it then, his stock, already dropping. drops further. And then the next year the cruel nature of the system takes over. Suddenly he's no longer the hot prospect, he's the guy trying to hang on -- the player goes from young stud player of the future to has been of the past quickly.  It happened quick for Brandon Wood. He stuck around MLB a bit (is he out of baseball now? I assume so) but I don't think he got four years of MLB time in.......

Dallas McPherson - he can certainly relate to the Brandon Wood story.

Todd Greene -- lots of power, lots of potential, Halos gave him chances......I think he, at least, bounced around better than most. He played for the Yankee, I think the Rockies and a few other teams.

Another guy's name I have not seen on the list is a prospect who MADE IT and then, just as quickly, lost it. Jason Dickson. I think he won 16 games or something like that his rookie season. Seemed on his way and before you knew it, he disappeared from MLB. I assume he hurt his arm or something. But he had that promising year and that was it. He may have even made the All Star Game that one year -- which makes his story kind of like another prospect (NON-Halo) Atlee Hammaker.  Atlee Hammaker, SF Giants, was the best pitcher of the first half that one year, he was the NL All Star Game starter. Fred Lynn hit a grand slam off him and Atlee Hammaker was never the same after that - he did bounce around MLB (mainly minor leagues) with the Chicago White Sox. But more precipitous than Jason Dickson's fall, but similar, Hammaker went from ace to dunce FAST.

Seth Etherton --he was hyped big time. Never panned out. Think he spent some time in the Cincinnati Reds organization after the Halos let him go.

Casey Kotchman -- tough to put him on this list because he actually turned out to have a decent MLB career (more so than the other guys on this list). I always felt Kotchman was miscast as an AL player -- he belonged in the NL.  He was a JT Snow type player. Good glove, some power but not really a corner power guy. Could hit for a decent average. Kotchman was still in the league last year (Toronto?) and may be in camp now.  Someone else here put JT Snow on this list. I wouldn't -- he had a pretty good MLB career and was stellar for the SF Giants.......he could really flash the glove at 1B. Back to Kotchman -- that trade from Atlanta to Boston at deadline time that one year never made sense to me........there was no place in the line up for him in Boston. He was an NL type player playing on an AL team with sluggers in front of him on the depth chart. I thought that deal sort of sealed his fate as winding up as a bench depth guy/ 5-A player the rest of his MLB time.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

And the list continues~

Ron Romanick (rotator cuff), Dennis Rasmussen, Bob Kipper, Tony Mack, Richard Dotson (chi-Sox), Scott Lewis, Hilly Hathaway, 

Darrell Miller

Mike Brown

Pete Coachman

Orestes Destrade..... GAIJIN!

Jeff Manto

Lee Stevens

Ruben Amaro

Kevin Flora

[Angel Oracle]

Randy Orton >>>> John Orton.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

And the list continues~

Ron Romanick (rotator cuff), Dennis Rasmussen, Bob Kipper, Tony Mack, Richard Dotson (chi-Sox), Scott Lewis, Hilly Hathaway, 

Darrell Miller

Mike Brown

Pete Coachman

Orestes Destrade..... GAIJIN!

Jeff Manto

Lee Stevens

Ruben Amaro

Kevin Flora

Dotson did win over 100 games in his MLB career, including 22 for the ChiSox in 1983.

None came with the Halos though, courtesy of the Downing trade after 1977.

[disarcina]

I got the Rick Reichardt story wrong -- he wasn't a top draft pick of the Halos -- I just looked it up again - he was one of the last, if not THE LAST, 'bonus babies' back before there was an amateur draft.........Reichardt went to the University of Wisconsin and played baseball and football there. He played on the Badgers football team that lost to USC in the Rose Bowl in 1964 -- since his father was the team physician for the Green Bay Packers -- Reichardt knew first hand the pounding the NFL players took and elected to sign a $205.000 'bonus' to sign with the Halos - which, at the time -- was the highest bonus played to any player -- it was after this signing that MLB established and organized the amateur draft.

Reichardt was highly touted and by 1966 was on his way to a terrific MLB career having a great season when he was diagnosed with a kidney ailment that forced him to have a kidney removed.........he was never the same player after that --- he played parts of 10 seasons in the majors (Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox (for whom he had two pretty good stat seasons) and KC (might have been the Athletics back then -- Charlie O'Finley wanted to sign him out of college and offered Reichardt twice as much as the Angels did in bonus money -- but back then, Reichardt was wary of the show man, wild man, Charlie O' Finley and opted for Gene Autry and the Angels instead).

Anyway, Reichardt was on his way to meeting the expectations when he was felled by the kidney condition.

[Inside Pitch]

4 hours ago, TroutCron said:

Carney Lansford! The best third baseman the Angels ever produced. 

Lansford .vs Glaus is a pretty decent discussion about who was the best 3B to come out of the Halos system...   I'd go with Glaus personally.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Lansford .vs Glaus is a pretty decent discussion about who was the best 3B to come out of the Halos system...   I'd go with Glaus personally.

Are we talking out of the bottle Glaus or out of the bottle Lansford?????...... Hey, Thanks Dave McKay!.....

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

3 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Dotson did win over 100 games in his MLB career, including 22 for the ChiSox in 1983.

None came with the Halos though, courtesy of the Downing trade after 1977.

Yeah, But, But, But....We got Chris Knapp! And the Frosty Bear!

[ScruffytheJanitor]

On 2/25/2017 at 0:13 PM, Chuckster70 said:

1B Lee Stevens, Casey Kotchman, Jim Eppard

2B Justin Baughman, Taylor Lindsey

SS Brandon Wood, Gus Polidor

3B Dallas McPherson/George Arias

OF: McKay Christensen, Mark Doran, Billy Taylor, Chevy Clarke

C: Jeff Mathis, John Orton, Jorge Fabregas, Hank Conger, Todd Greene

DH: Eduardo Perez, Danny Goodwin

P: Kyle Abbott, Pete Janicki, Willie Fraser, Joe Torres, Chris Bootcheck, Seth Etherton, Jonathan Bachanov, Trevor Bell, Tyler Kehrer, Trevor Reckling

Chevy Clarke? Does he really qualify? Maybe I am forgetting, but wasn't he a "below Slot" draftee and not really considered a first round talent? 

Also: Man, I was CONVINCED that Dick B. Wood was an all-star, McPherson would hit 40 Bombs, and that Reckling would be a #3 starter. 

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, ScruffytheJanitor said:

Also: Man, I was CONVINCED that Dick B. Wood was an all-star, McPherson would hit 40 Bombs, and that Reckling would be a #3 starter. 

It's crazy but D-Mac hit 18 in just over 400 MLB at bats -- he didn't crap out so much as his body did.  Had he not suffered the injuries he did, I fully believe he would have been at least a peak level Kelly Gruber 3B statistically.

Having to get two vertebrae fused together at age 25 can wreck a career.

[Chuck]

D-Mac now is a staff member at a Christian school.

https://www.kingsridgecs.org/about-us-1

 

[Inside Pitch]

Thats cool to see he's doing well -- Guy put in the work -- body betrayed him EVERY time he had a chance..    Always hate seeing him lumped in as a bust, because it wasn't a lack of ability that wrecked him, and it wasn't anything he did to himself.

[Chuck]

17 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Thats cool to see he's doing well -- Guy put in the work -- body  betrayed him EVERY time he had a chance..    Always hate seeing him lumped in as a bust, because it wasn't a lack of ability that wrecked him, and it wasn't anything he did to himself.

I'd have to agree with this. 

Even after the Angels released him I always hoped he'd do well elsewhere. 

[Inside Pitch]

4 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I'd have to agree with this. 

Even after the Angels released him I always hoped he'd do well elsewhere. 

Yep -- twice he worked himself into a position where he could win a job only to have his back break down in ST or as the season started.   He was legit -- life isn't fair.

[Blarg]

22 hours ago, TroutCron said:

Devo doesn't deserve to be on that list. He was heading into his prime when he was traded to a he Jays. Had he temained with the Angels he would have been an All Star.

He was an All Star 3 times in his career, once with the Angels. He also had five gold gloves and sports 3 world series rings. 

[disarcina]

I agree with Blarg on Devo -  Devo had some good years with the Halos, was just stellar in CF making some great plays, stealing bases etc.-- everyone remembers Jimmy Edmonds out in CF making one great play after another -- and rightfully so -- he really played some D out there -- but Devon White was at Edmonds level or even better. He went over to do well with other teams and I still rate him as one of the top defensive CF'ers in Halos history --- of course, the guy we have out there right now is pretty darned good.

in fact, the guy we have out there right now if he keeps his numbers where they've been - well, you're talking about him in the same vein as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr.

[Angel Oracle]

We have had some really good defensive CFs: Ken Berry, Mickey Rivers, Lynn, Pettis, White, Edmonds, Erstad, and Trout. 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

5 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

We have had some really good defensive CFs: Ken Berry, Mickey Rivers, Lynn, Pettis, White, Edmonds, Erstad, and Trout. 

We've actually, been kind of spoiled when you look at those players plus others who have come up as OF'ers.... Salmon, GA, Bruno, Bichette, Kole.... It just seems we've missed that last 3rd HOME GROWN OF over the last few years to pair Trout and Kole! I'm very happy with the Maybin and Revere transactions! I think we've come a very long way on that side... Just another "Drug Dude" issue we've had to put up with besides the cost of contract. He pretty much has set us back. And sometimes I think we've reached on the DRAFT side due to it.

[Second Base]

Well if that freakin' jerkface Scotty Allen would stop hyping the prospects then they'd stop disappointing us.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

^^^^ Finally, the voice of reason!...... 

 

 

 

 

[Lou]

On February 26, 2017 at 9:31 AM, Inside Pitch said:

Dude is gonna get a full MLB pension -- people can mock him all they want.. he won.   He won't have to worry about healthcare or money.. ever...

or playing in any Old-Timer's games 

[tdawg87]

Dammit Lou

[tdawg87]

Oh wait I thought this was the Hackilton thread.