AngelsWin.com Today: AngelsWin.com Top 30 Prospects: #5 OF Brandon Marsh

[AngelsWin.com]

Prospect: Brandon Marsh                   Rank: 5

2015/16: UR                                                 Position(s): Outfield

Level: Rookie Ball                                        Age: Entering Age 19 season in 2017.

Height: 6’2”                                                  Weight: 190 lb.

               Present – Future

Hitting Ability         40  50

Power                       50  65

Base Running         60  60

Patience                    TBD

Fielding                    50  60

Range                       50  60

Arm                           60  65

Overall                      45  55

Floor: Toolsy minor league outfielder

Ceiling: All-star caliber outfielder

Likely Outcome: Too early for any sort of prediction.

(NOTE: I have not had a chance to watch Marsh yet, other than short video snips of him taking BP, playing the OF, etc.  The scouting grades are a consensus taken from other sites.  I should have a more accurate reading on Marsh and can update his profile after Spring Training, or once short season starts in June.

Summary: Marsh is a very strong, ultra-toolsy outfielder the Angels were able to grab in the second round of the draft.  The most notable thing we can say so far about Marsh’s career is that there was quite a lot of drama surrounding him signing with the Angels.  Marsh had a commitment to Kennesaw State (not exactly a powerhouse), and most expected him to sign.  He even said upon being drafted, “I will sign with the Angels.”  When they met with Marsh a couple weeks later to go over his physical and sign the contract, the Angels discovered a pre-existing back injury.  The blog “Halos Heaven” which has come under turmoil multiple times for hateful rants and false rumors quoted Marsh as saying “I won’t sign”.  Marsh quickly quoted with a more reputable source that he was working things out with the Angels.  While Marsh was obviously looking to sign for above slot, he ended up singing for right at slot value with the Angels, but did not play in Rookie Ball, in an effort to fully heal the back injury.  He worked out in the instructional league and reports indicate that Marsh is very strong, much more so than previous reports indicated and extremely fast.  He’s eager and has a strong work ethic and has impressed coaches so far.  He also reported to Spring Training visibly stronger than he looked back in high school where his form was more built for speed, like the all sate wide receiver he is.

What to expect next season: Marsh is likely ticketed for Rookie Ball Orem next season, though a trip to the AZL wouldn’t be a huge surprise either.  It’s important to remember that despite the immense tools, Marsh is as raw as they come.  If he makes tremendous strides, a trip to Burlington could be in the cards, though I’d call that a long shot, just from where I’m standing right now.  A trip to Arizona would slot the Angels second round pick a year behind the developmental curve, which is certainly not what you’d expect to see from a high draft pick.

Estimated Time of Arrival: 2022, as a 24 year old.

Grade as a prospect: B-

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[Rico]

Seems really premature for him to be ranked this high, but ok.

[Second Base]

I'll put it like this, if you want to drive a Ferrari, you've got to either buy one or try to build one.

Buying one would be the equivalent of getting the first overall pick in the draft and drafting in a year in which there's a sure fire all-star. But we can't buy one, so we're trying to build one.

Marsh has the Ferrari engine. These are his physical tools. When you're as strong and athletic as he is, there's a lot to build on.

Basically we're going about developing Marsh into a very good ball player.

Not the best analogy. I know.

[DMVol]

There is only one Mike Trout but there are some similarities....Trout was a toolsy HS OF'er who was seriously undervalued in the draft (for different reasons than Marsh).....I really liked the pick last year and I like it as much or more now....if you're going to take some chances in the draft, this is the type of guy you go for....we'll see....

[Second Base]

3 minutes ago, DMVol said:

There is only one Mike Trout but there are some similarities....Trout was a toolsy HS OF'er who was seriously undervalued in the draft (for different reasons than Marsh).....I really liked the pick last year and I like it as much or more now....if you're going to take some chances in the draft, this is the type of guy you go for....we'll see....

I'll be curious to see if the Angels continue to use this approach in this next draft. We've been very fortunate to land guys like Jones, Hermosillo, Williams, Marsh and Thaiss, guys that have all star upside. It's a huge leap from our draft strategy under Dipoto, which meant drafting a ton of safe pick college pitchers.

It'll also be interesting to see if we go pitching heavy. We used to have nothing but pitching prospects, but after two straight years of drafting position players more frequently, we've reached a balance. 

[greginpsca]

He reminds me of Colby Rasmus

[Second Base]

28 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

He reminds me of Colby Rasmus

Skill set or looks? I guess both a bit.

[Make Angels Great Again]

Hopefully not the looks, Colby is an ugly mofo, he wins the award for worst neck beard of the decade.

 

[Jig Stew]

21 hours ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

Hopefully not the looks, Colby is an ugly mofo, he wins the award for worst neck beard of the decade.

 

FacesOfMeth.com

[Dugout]

I really like these athletic preps with huge upside.

[Angel Oracle]

I wouldn't say that Kennesaw State is a bad program either.   They have made a few NCAA regionals, including a super regional in 2014.

Marsh is intriguing with his athleticism and power/fielding potential.