The Official 2018 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[ettin]

8 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So does this mean Walsh is gonna be gone as well?

Well if they didn't protect him then he can be selected in the Rule V Draft, potentially. If he is not selected he remains with the Angels unless he has enough Minor League time to declare free agency (not sure if Walsh does have enough service time in).

[Stradling]

Any other intriguing names we left unprotected?

[Second Base]

I really don't understand this one....or even like it, at all. Luis Madero is underrated, to be sure, but he's super inconsistent. There's projection there, but I never knew who I was going to see when he took the mound. Easy velocity but he couldn't keep the ball down to save his life most of the time. I can't picture any team taking him in the rule 5 draft. He's hardly ready for AA. 

Maybe some teams were asking about him which caused Eppler to preemptively stash him?

But cutting ties with Fernandez while we have guys like Farrell, Almonte, Bridwell and Brice on the roster is inexplicable at this current time. I would understand it if some thing larger was currently in the works, but there's nothing suggesting there is. I'd also understand it if we felt sure that Thaiss and or Walsh were going to be playing 1B, but as it stands, Thaiss is headed back for AAA and Walsh is going to be available in the rule 5 draft. 

Fans salivate over guys that hit .285 in AAA, yet we have one that hit well over .300 and wasn't overmatched in his plate appearances in the majors and we're quick to cut bait.

oh well....I probably said something stupid and wrong and will end up eating crow for it later.

[Second Base]

Also....2021 team....in my dreams

C -Jack Kruger and Kevan Smithnactually turn into a very productive tandem behind the dish.

1B - Justin Upton (Pujols will be relegated to part time duty in 2019, 2020 will be his ride off into the sunset and in 2021, Eppler will approach Upton about a move to 1B in order to keep him fresh, but really, it'll be to get new, better defenders out there).

2B - Jahmai Jones (breaks out in 2019, claims the job in 2020, by 2021, he'll grow into a borderline all-star, and 20/20 performance).

SS - Andrelton Simmons (Signs 5 year extension after 2019 season).

3B - Luis Rengifo (claims starting 2B spot in second half of 2019, shifts to 3B in 2020).

LF - Jo Adell (breaks in during 2019 September call ups. Isn't called up again until May 2020 while the Angels manipulate his service time. Is an all-star in 2021 and beyond. Shifts to CF in 2022 as Mike Trout moves to LF for his 30's). 

CF - Mike Trout (signs a 12 year extension after the 2019 season, partly because he loves it here and sees how competitive the Angels are becoming, and partly because he just doesn't want the attention that free agency would bring).

RF - Brandon Marsh (steady improvement in 2019 split between A+ and AA, breaks out in 2020, starts in May 2021 as yet another manipulation on service clock).

DH - Shohei Ohtani (Offense reaches another level in 2019. In 2020, he'll be handled with kiddy gloves, pitching just once a week wth a low pitch count. In 2021, we'll see him reach yet another level, as he's given less days off at DH, and is allowed to pitch deeper into games. There will be a serious debate in 2021, who the MVP should be, Trout or Ohtani. Signs a lucrative 10 year extension after the 2021 season.

Bench: David Fletcher (UTIL), Taylor Ward (3B, 1B, corner outfield and third catcher), Michael Hermosillo (OF).

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

It could mean Eppler is going to include Fernandez, Bridwell in a larger package for a front line starting pitcher. Corey Kluber?

Those guys would bring the value of the package down..  this time of year where roster spots are limited it likely hurts their value.   The Angels can't just throw quantity at quality because the other team would have to make spots for them on their own roster.

[Taylor]

2 hours ago, RBM said:

It could mean Eppler is going to include Fernandez, Bridwell in a larger package for a front line starting pitcher. Corey Kluber?

Why in the world would Cleveland trade one of the best SPs in baseball for our scrap heap?

[Docwaukee]

Could it be that the best time to try and pass guys through waivers that you’d be most worried about losing is right now because of the flux of rosters with the r5 draft.  You can almost gauge who our targets are by who’s left of the fairly obvious roster names to replace that we could easily drop without issue. 

[Second Base]

Fernandez was given full release waivers, so it sounds like he's not going to be in the organization at all next year. 

[Inside Pitch]

14 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Fernandez was given full release waivers, so it sounds like he's not going to be in the organization at all next year. 

In a world where Cron, Bour, Adams, are being released, the JMFs of the world don't carry a lot of value.  

[Docwaukee]

Funny how a couple of minor roster moves pokes a bunch of holes in a bunch of shit we’ve been talking about and assuming. 

[Lou]

[Second Base]

51 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

In a world where Cron, Bour, Adams, are being released, the JMFs of the world don't carry a lot of value.  

I think JMF would have value if...

1. Eppler were willing to play him somewhere other than 1B. I'm guessing other GM's would show little problem playing him at 2B or 3B.

2. He'd been given everyday at bats. The opportunity really wasn't there for him though, but to me, he looks like he can hit .280 or .290 with halfway decent pop and on base ability in the major leagues if he plays everyday. As a first baseman, that dohe Snyder carry much value but as a 2B or 3B, that production would carry some weight, particularly for a non-contending team. 

But as it stands, because he's a 1B to the Angels, and because he didn't play everyday, you're right.

[Inside Pitch]

4 minutes ago, Second Base said:

I think JMF would have value if...

1. Eppler were willing to play him somewhere other than 1B. I'm guessing other GM's would show little problem playing him at 2B or 3B.

2. He'd been given everyday at bats. The opportunity really wasn't there for him though, but to me, he looks like he can hit .280 or .290 with halfway decent pop and on base ability in the major leagues if he plays everyday. As a first baseman, that dohe Snyder carry much value but as a 2B or 3B, that production would carry some weight, particularly for a non-contending team. 

But as it stands, because he's a 1B to the Angels, and because he didn't play everyday, you're right.

While I don't like putting a lot of weight in small sample defensive metrics -- the little info out there doesn't paint a good picture.   My point isn't that he really is a bad defensive player but moreso that in the current climate with teams putting so much faith in the numbers, his value at other positions may not carry the sort of value it would have a few years ago.

[Angel Oracle]

Scotty nailed it on the head earlier.

If they are going to give large contracts to Trout, Simba, and eventually Ohtani down the road, you can only have so many large contracts.   And it’s better that they are given to your own players, who you know like the back of your hand, instead of an interloper like Hackilton or declining superstar like Pujols.

[Second Base]

4 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Scotty nailed it on the head earlier.

If they are going to give large contracts to Trout, Simba, and eventually Ohtani down the road, you can only have so many large contracts.   And it’s better that they are given to your own players, who you know like the back of your hand, instead of an interloper like Hackilton or declining superstar like Pujols.

I think Arte is done raising payroll beyond a certain point. The Angels have a few guys worth keeping around for a very long time and building around. Trout, Ohtani and Simmons specifically. But in order to afford those three, a few things need to happen. 

1. Pujols' contract needs to come off the books.

2. The Angels need quality young players that are cost effective and team controlled to keep the overall payroll at a level Arte is comfortable with. That means filling catcher, first base, second base, third base, two outfield spots, and at least three starting pitchers internally. This requires a large contingent of prospects, because some of them are going to fail or flame out, so we need a large number of them to ensure this success. 

I like to think these holes will be filled by Thaiss, Jones, Rengifo, Adell, Marsh, Canning and Suarez in the short term, and some other guys like Maitan, Jackson, Adams, Knowles, Deveaux, Soriano, Rodriguez and Hernandez long term.

Number one will happen regardless, but the only way number two succeeds is if the Angels don't trade their depth away for costly pieces. They can still trade prospects, but only for players that are controllable for a few years and are cost controlled. 

Basically an Andrelton Simmons type of acquisition. But other than that, don't bother reading them. 

[Troll Daddy]

This kid has a unbelievable passion for people in need. 

 

[Lou]

not a white guy 

[Blarg]

I am really looking forward to Adell and Trout as teammates. I think personality wise they will match up and push each other to be even better. 

[Docwaukee]

55 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I am really looking forward to Adell and Trout as teammates. I think personality wise they will match up and push each other to be even better. 

And ohtani. 

[Blarg]

I was thinking more of as an outfield combo that could be epic, Upton, Troutand Adell from left to right. 

Ohtani is kind of an island of his own being a pitcher/DH. Now as a lineup it could get interesting when you shuffle the order of Adell, Ohatani, Trout and Upton. Just need a leadoff and that's where Regifo could just be the perfect solution. 

[tdawg87]

7 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I was thinking more of as an outfield combo that could be epic, Upton, Troutand Adell from left to right. 

Ohtani is kind of an island of his own being a pitcher/DH. Now as a lineup it could get interesting when you shuffle the order of Adell, Ohatani, Trout and Upton. Just need a leadoff and that's where Regifo could just be the perfect solution. 

I love Oreos.

[Second Base]

6 hours ago, Blarg said:

I was thinking more of as an outfield combo that could be epic, Upton, Troutand Adell from left to right. 

Ohtani is kind of an island of his own being a pitcher/DH. Now as a lineup it could get interesting when you shuffle the order of Adell, Ohatani, Trout and Upton. Just need a leadoff and that's where Regifo could just be the perfect solution. 

I think that if Trout signs an extension, Upton will move to a 1B/DH role. Since was 25 years old, Upton has been remarkably consistent, settling in between 2 wins and 5 wins per year. In fact, four of his last six years, he's remained right there between 3.4 and 3.7 wins per year. So you know what you're going to get. 

But defensively, he's remained slightly below average in left field, and while it hasn't reached the point where it has hurt his value drastically, he's been in his late 20's. In his early and mid-30's, he will become a liability out there. You can already see his range decreasing, and he's clearly not the 20 SB threat he's been for the vast majority of his career.

So he's fine out there at 29-31, but once he's 32-33, it'll be time to move him so that they can keep his bat in the lineup and save his legs. 

I think our future outfield is more than likely going to include Brandon Marsh in it, one way or another. 

[Second Base]

8 hours ago, RBM said:

I see your point with Upton - time will tell what his path on defense will be. However, Brandon Marsh hasn’t done anything yet to be in any conversation about a future major league role. He needs to prove himself in 2019. We don’t know if he’s a major league talent or just the next Chevy Clarke - another Georgia HS outfielder miss. Let’s hope for the best but stay real. 

Two completely different cases with very few things in common. First, Chevy's deficiencies internal, and there was no way he would fix those without a great deal of maturity and possibly some counseling. He didn't work for it, had never learned to struggle or work to succeed as an amateur, and once he had money, his focus moved away from baseball and toward, social media, girls, jewelry and cars. He never impressed in camp and it quickly became clear he was a bust.

Marah on the other hand was a multi-sport star in high school and did everything within his power to get noticed by scouts since he was a sophomore. The kid is a gym rat and pushes himself as hard as anyone in our minor league system. At Fall Instructs after being drafted, the Angels were raving about him. Last year in Spring Training, the Angels front office called him one of their top performers in camp. When they brought him up to big league camp for games, he flashed his speed and his strength. As much as we all adore Jo Adell, Marsh may be just as fast if not faster rounding second. 

The only things Brandon Marsh and Chevy Clarke have in common is Georgia, outfield and the Angels. The rest is completely different. 

Brandon Marsh will be a major league outfielder. I feel confident in saying that. I think Chevy's career is over at this point. 

[Troll Daddy]

 

[Second Base]

I think it's great Adell is doing some elite level crossfit movements, really. If he ever needs to jump on top of a wall to rob a homerun, or comfortably leap over a catcher to avoid being tagged, he'll be ready and able. I just wonder if he'll post some videos of him swinging the bat. Because as far as I can tell, if I didn't know he played baseball, I'd swear he's training for The Games or he's a football player.