The Official 2019 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Dochalo said:

injury.  oblique I think.   basically, he pulled his fat.  

With that kind of analysis, I should have been doctor instead of a science teacher. 

[Make Angels Great Again]

1 hour ago, Scott34 said:

Also I think Jahmai Jones might be a bust. 

Agreed. He's pulling a Cowart. Just stalling in AA.

[Angelsjunky]

2 hours ago, Scott34 said:

Also I think Jahmai Jones might be a bust. 

I hope not but fear the same and have since last year. Something didn't sit right about the narrative that his numbers were mediocre because he was re-learning 2B. What is strange is that he's supposed to have great makeup, and we know he's talented, so I'm not sure what's wrong. 

But I'm not giving up hope...yet. Maybe things start clicking soon. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

I also fear Jones maybe heading toward the Cowart path, i just feel like he changes his batting stance all-most every spring.

[Docwaukee]

Luis Madero looked very good tonight.  Slider was nasty.  solid FB.  no real hard contact.  

Isaac Mattson was also very good.  3 hitless and scoreless innings.  No walks.  5k.  Made a bunch of guys look silly.  not sure of the velo but guys could catch up to the FB and the breaker was really good.  

[totdprods]

April 9, 2019

Salt Lake (1-4) vs. Fresno (4-1) (Nationals) postponed, rain; makeup 4/10

Inland Empire (3-3) won 2-0 vs. Modesto (Mariners) (4-2)

• Martinez (CF): 3-4, R, RBI, K
• Hunter (LF): 0-4, 2 K
• Madero: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 78 pitches, 47 strikes; to start the year, 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 11 K
• Mattson: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K
• Hanewich: 0.2 IP, 3 BB, K
• Tavarez: 1.1 IP, 2 K

Burlington (4-2) lost 0-4 vs. Beloit (Athletics) (4-2)

• Maitan (3B): 0-3, BB, K, hitting leadoff
• N. Williams (RF): 0-3, BB, K
• Yan: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

[Stradling]

I’ve never heard of Mattson. 

[Lou]

who are the position players to watch in IE? 

other than myself, of course 

 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Maitan just blows....

[Second Base]

2 hours ago, Lou said:

who are the position players to watch in IE? 

other than myself, of course 

 

You'll want to keep an eye on Martinez and Hunter, at least to start the year.  Martinez was actually the top hitter in Cuba's 18 and under league and experienced a ton of success in international tournaments.  He defected after his 18 year old season, and the Angels signed him for 250k, as a 19 year old which is pretty rare.  Normally, no one would spend much on 19 year old international prospects, but the Angels scouts LOVED the bat and felt that he'd climb the minor league ladder quickly.  After not playing in a game for over a year, and never having gone through the DSL and Arizona, Martinez hit .375 in Orem and .289 in Burlington, which only speaks to how advanced he is at the plate.  He doesn't have a ton of power, but he has enough to force the OF to play him honest, and has decent speed and is a good defender.  If he stays the full season, I expect he'll hit over .300.  Martinez will make a good 4th OF and pinch hitter int he major leagues if he continues what is his most likely progression. 

And Torii Hunter Jr., he's streaky.  But when things are going good, he resembles a major leaguer.  Supposedly he has more power now, so we'll see.  If you pretend he isn't 24 and treat him more like a 21 year old (he really didn't play for three years, despite technically being listed on Notre Dame's roster), then you'd have a kid with 80 grade speed, good OF defense, elite athleticism and power potential with MLB bloodlines.  That would make him a pretty darn good prospect.  But when you're 24 and still in the low minors, pretty much every year is a make or break year.  So as long as he performs, he'll remain with the organization and remain a Top 30 prospect, at least in my book.  If he makes it through the high minors, Hunter Jr. could end up being a good 4th OF, or possibly more depending on if he adds power and improves his feel for hitting, as he has. 

[BadDog]

Here's a couple spring training pics of Maitan at 3rd, Soto at short, and Deveaux in center.  At second is Jackson, I believe.  And Jam with Cozart (maybe he shoulda stayed away as they are experiencing the same start).  I have a few more (like 1000) pictures.  Let me know if you want to see them.  I don't want to bog down this site with pictures that nobody wants to see.  Or, @Lou, is it too late.    

[Chuck]

@BadDog, you definitely won't bring us down. I have a bunch of storage space.   Really love the pictures! 

You can create a photo album here and upload as many prospect photos as you want. We do appreciate them! 

http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/gallery/

 

[Lou]

has Maitan lost weight or is just the angle? 

[Angelsjunky]

Phillie Phanatic: tippy top best outcome scenario for Jordyn Adams is what we all thought Byron Buxton was going to be, right?

Kiley McDaniel: Yeah it’s that kind of raw physical ability

[Angelsjunky]

^That's from today's Fangraph chat. I didn't realize that Adams had those kinds of tools. This makes me think that in a best-case scenario, he could be a top five prospect in another year or two. At least the potential is there.

[BadDog]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

has Maitan lost weight or is just the angle? 

He is big but didn't look soft to me.  This one might show better?

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

has Maitan lost weight or is just the angle? 

@BadDog

Maitan actually hasn't been soft since that first season with the Braves when he added like 30 pounds of fat.  Once he arrived with the Angels, he was more solid.  Not in impeccable shape this time last year, but decent enough.  He'd lost most of the fat he put on, but was still considerably heavier than when he was 16. 

This year in camp, it's been documented by a few different sources that Maitan is looking big, but in much of a muscular way.  He's a big, strong 19 year old playing in full season ball.  But personally, I'm not convinced his struggles at the plate were caused by the weight gain in the first place.  Part of it was, because obviously he needed to learn how to handle his different body type.  But I think most of it was actually just Maitan facing tougher competition.  Before these kids get signed, they work themselves to the bone year round for four years.  Their BP sessions are inevitably what most of the scouts attend, as well as the private workouts.  As long as these kids have the body type and are hitting the ball 400 feet at age 16, they're going to get signed.  Maitan had reached this level by 14 so obviously there was a lot of hype. 

But there's a big difference between doing it in BP and doing it in the game.  The Braves gave Maitan enough rope to hang himself with, so to speak.  His work ethic tanked because he'd never actually been challenged before and now he had all the money he could need.  And when it came time to play baseball, the guys that he was playing against were so much better than anything he'd ever experienced.  And that's why he failed.  Long swing, unprepared for advanced competition, different body type.

The Angels got him and as we've seen, they've gone about basically dismantling everything that screwed him up from his childhood and his time with the Braves.  Remaking his swing, putting him on a nutrition and workout regimen, changing his position.  I don't know if it will all work out, but he's in great shape, at least we can say that.  And his swing looks better than it did before.  Results?  We'll see. 

[Inside Pitch]

Dude is just Papi- built.   The obsessing about his weight is more a case of people's ridiculous expectations/projections of him staying at SS.  That was IMO always a pipe dream.

[Docwaukee]

39 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Dude is just Papi- built.   The obsessing about his weight is more a case of people's ridiculous expectations/projections of him staying at SS.  That was IMO always a pipe dream.

anyone who has seen him play SS would know it's a pipe dream.  

all his additional size and weight did was make him more raw.  Yet they are treating him like Adams who's the only angels HS player from the 2018 draft to be in full season ball.  He's the second youngest guy on the team to Livan Soto who won't be 19 until june.  Maitan turned 19 in feb.  Adams turns 20 in october.  

there's only a couple of guys in the whole league who are younger.  I think I counted 6 of 400 players in the league.  

I personally think they still have him a bit over matched but are waiting for the light to go on.  

Unless he absolutely starts killing the ball, I would put his performance in the back of your mind until he's 21/22

[Tank]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Dude is just Papi- built.   The obsessing about his weight is more a case of people's ridiculous expectations/projections of him staying at SS.  That was IMO always a pipe dream.

baby got back.

[Inside Pitch]

10 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

anyone who has seen him play SS would know it's a pipe dream.  

all his additional size and weight did was make him more raw.  Yet they are treating him like Adams who's the only angels HS player from the 2018 draft to be in full season ball.  He's the second youngest guy on the team to Livan Soto who won't be 19 until june.  Maitan turned 19 in feb.  Adams turns 20 in october.  

there's only a couple of guys in the whole league who are younger.  I think I counted 6 of 400 players in the league.  

I personally think they still have him a bit over matched but are waiting for the light to go on.  

Unless he absolutely starts killing the ball, I would put his performance in the back of your mind until he's 21/22

They are definitely not afraid to push guys -- maybe the one thing about this current regime I've most enjoyed.  It's not always going to work, it may be a detriment to some players but for the guys who legit have those tools it will end up making them better, sooner.

And yeah, I never understood the continued talk about him as a SS once I actually say him play.  Tools for days but genetics were going to win out... Dude was always going to be thick and not in the way Jean Segura looked like he was going to have a soft bottom half..   He's got that Papi, Josh Bell sort of natural thickness going on.

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

They are definitely not afraid to push guys -- maybe the one thing about this current regime I've most enjoyed.  It's not always going to work, it may be a detriment to some players but for the guys who legit have those tools it will end up making them better, sooner.

And yeah, I never understood the continued talk about him as a SS once I actually say him play.  Tools for days but genetics were going to win out... Dude was always going to be thick and not in the way Jean Segura looked like he was going to have a soft bottom half..   He's got that Papi, Josh Bell sort of natural thickness going on.

I think the only thing that surprised me (and many others I'm guessing) is just how quickly Maitan thickened up.  I remember paying attention to that draft class and watching the scouting videos and heard the experts compare him to A-Rod.  He's in Johnsonville or wherever the Rookie affiliate is for the Braves, and I saw his picture and saw the video and couldn't believe it was the same kid.  I thought for a second it must have been a mistake or perhaps the jersey was just baggy.

No one knew he'd add the unhealthy weight as he did, and now that he's shed it and replaced it with muscle, he has the body type I envisioned him growing into at 25/26.  Not at 19.

Which brings about the question, what's he going to look like at 25/26?  I mean if he sticks to the same regimen, he's only going to get a little thicker and that probably won't happen until 23 or 24.  

Guys like Maitan and Vlad Jr., that's going to be a question worth wondering.  Some guys can play with the weight on, and others can't.  

[Inside Pitch]

8 hours ago, Second Base said:

I think the only thing that surprised me (and many others I'm guessing) is just how quickly Maitan thickened up.  I remember paying attention to that draft class and watching the scouting videos and heard the experts compare him to A-Rod.  He's in Johnsonville or wherever the Rookie affiliate is for the Braves, and I saw his picture and saw the video and couldn't believe it was the same kid.  I thought for a second it must have been a mistake or perhaps the jersey was just baggy.

No one knew he'd add the unhealthy weight as he did, and now that he's shed it and replaced it with muscle, he has the body type I envisioned him growing into at 25/26.  Not at 19.

Which brings about the question, what's he going to look like at 25/26?  I mean if he sticks to the same regimen, he's only going to get a little thicker and that probably won't happen until 23 or 24.  

Guys like Maitan and Vlad Jr., that's going to be a question worth wondering.  Some guys can play with the weight on, and others can't.  

A lot of it is the basic Latin/Caribbean diet - lots of rice, beans -- so, a high carb/protein diet to start with then they come stateside and add the fast food -- so they balloon.  But his body type screamed thick to me (and Im sure you too).   McDonalds just sped that up

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Inside Pitch

[Lou]

ok, this conversation is starting to get a bit creepy 

[Docwaukee]

Jones now 0-21 to start the year with 9 k and even more scary, 0 walks.