The Official 2019 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[totdprods]

2 hours ago, Dochalo said:

If we could find a way to improve our pitching depth with the likes of everyone mentioned here but Adell, Rengifo and Thaiss, that would be something to consider as long as we got a year or two of additional control from a back end guy.  Could a combo of Barria and Ward get us something better? 

Since Jahmai Jones needs to be protected on the 40-man at the end of this year, he’s trade bait too, in my mind. Even if his overall year winds up poor, he’d still have a teeny bit of prospect shine, but if he struggles similarly in 2020 he might be out of luck. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him bandied about in trade talks this year because of that reason, even if it’d be selling a little low.

Ward, Jones, and one of Barria/Suarez (who are very similar in my mind) should be a pretty strong offer for most arms.

[ScruffytheJanitor]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Since Jahmai Jones needs to be protected on the 40-man at the end of this year, he’s trade bait too, in my mind. Even if his overall year winds up poor, he’d still have a teeny bit of prospect shine, but if he struggles similarly in 2020 he might be out of luck. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him bandied about in trade talks this year because of that reason, even if it’d be selling a little low.

Ward, Jones, and one of Barria/Suarez (who are very similar in my mind) should be a pretty strong offer for most arms.

My question is... who is out there? I don't see the Giants being intrigued enough unless they are serious about a rebuild. The Jays probably want one top-50 guy for Stroman because their pitching depth is atrocious. Who else will be available? Jordan Lyles? Fransico Liriano? Alex Colome? Sonny Gray? Zach Wheeler (just for the chance to sign him early)?

Don't get me wrong: you could make a case for any of those guys being a massive, massive upgrade over Cahill/Harvey, but I am not sure any of those guys are even going to be available, and none of them are really worth being aggressive for.

[Lou]

5 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

The Angels could field an almost-passable major league caliber team out of minor leaguers:

C Briceno

1B Walsh

2B Rojas

SS Cowart (bleh)

3B Thaiss

LF Ward

CF Hermosillo

RF Adell

DH Parker

 

 

Our offense would suck 

[totdprods]

30 minutes ago, ScruffytheJanitor said:

My question is... who is out there? I don't see the Giants being intrigued enough unless they are serious about a rebuild. The Jays probably want one top-50 guy for Stroman because their pitching depth is atrocious. Who else will be available? Jordan Lyles? Fransico Liriano? Alex Colome? Sonny Gray? Zach Wheeler (just for the chance to sign him early)?

Don't get me wrong: you could make a case for any of those guys being a massive, massive upgrade over Cahill/Harvey, but I am not sure any of those guys are even going to be available, and none of them are really worth being aggressive for.

No, I totally agree - there are very few targets right now and far too many teams still ‘in it’ so it’s pretty difficult to determine who might be a target. The Tigers still seem the best match based on what they’d be seeking. 

I think the Angels play over the next few weeks really dictates what type of pitcher they might be, should they be buyers. If they really do find a rhythm and win 66+% of their games leading to the deadline it gets easier to see a ‘rental’ make sense, and that includes guys with 2020 under control. Roll the dice a bit. 

Their 40-man gets a little jammed up this winter and a lot of prospects might be at max value now - Ward, Thaiss, Barria, Walsh, Rojas, Jones (in a way), Pina, Molina, several other A ball arms...now might be the ideal time to cash that in, even if it doesn’t quite yet fit the MLB team’s needs.

I think this board tends to undervalue guys like Ward and Thaiss a little bit when it comes to trade talks also. Ward hasn't done much in the bigs, Thaiss has been 'underwhelming' as a prospect (though I disagree) and while they might not be Top 100 guys and are in an offense-friendly league, some of the data behind their offensive production is special and hints there's at least average big-league production there - with a lot of control. One of them, especially Ward, might be exactly the kind of guy that makes sense in a deal for a short-term rental like a Bumgarner or Stroman, where there's a bit of risk on both sides.

Edited June 25, 2019 by totdprods

[Lou]

Why Madison Bumgarner's trade value might not be seen as an ace pitcher

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/giants/why-madison-bumgarners-trade-value-might-not-be-seen-ace-pitcher

[totdprods]

13 minutes ago, Lou said:

Why Madison Bumgarner's trade value might not be seen as an ace pitcher

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/giants/why-madison-bumgarners-trade-value-might-not-be-seen-ace-pitcher

If we were in better position to make the playoffs, I'd think Bumgarner would be a great target, simply to try and catch that playoff magic he has - not sure if he's worth the cost otherwise.

Edited June 25, 2019 by totdprods

[totdprods]

Some Taylor Ward rankings, including all AA and AAA players. 

• 7th in OPS (1.045)
• 8th in OBP (.432) 
• 11th in SLG (.612)
• 10th in wRC (59)
• 13th in wRC+ (154)
• 6th in wOBA (,433)
• 15th in ISO (.311)
• 15th in BB% (16.5%)
• 25th in BB/K ratio (0.86)

His name is right up there, or above, many Top 50 prospects in those categories and while, at 25, I get that he’s a little older than most of those players (who are mostly 21-23), he did only convert away from catcher a year-plus ago as well. Also, 24-year old Thaiss ranks not far behind in a few of those categories as well, especially the discipline-related ones.

I know Josh Donaldson has been thrown around as a convenient comp because of his conversion from behind the plate but there are some similarities. Donaldson, age 24 and 26 in the bigs: .232/.280/.386/.666, 17 doubles, 10 HR, 16 BB, 73 K in 328 PA. 

Donaldson, age 26 in AAA: .335/.402/.598/1.000 with 12 doubles, 13 homers, 23 BB, 34 K in 234 PA
Taylor Ward, at 25, in AAA: .301/.432/.612/1.045 with 17 doubles, 16 homers, 43 BB, 50 K in 260 PA

Donaldson: 9.8 BB%, 14.5 K%, .263 ISO, .350 BAbip, 155 wRC+
Taylor Ward: 16.5 B%, 19.2 K%, .311 ISO, .326 BAbip, 154 wRC+

Edited June 25, 2019 by totdprods

[Angel Oracle]

The main problem is Ward's lack of defense skill. 

[totdprods]

13 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

The main problem is Ward's lack of defense skill. 

I think they're already planning for that. He's played one full game at 3B in the minors in the last two months - almost exclusively LF. 

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Some Taylor Ward rankings, including all AA and AAA players. 

• 7th in OPS (1.045)
• 8th in OBP (.432) 
• 11th in SLG (.612)
• 10th in wRC (59)
• 13th in wRC+ (154)
• 6th in wOBA (,433)
• 15th in ISO (.311)
• 15th in BB% (16.5%)
• 25th in BB/K ratio (0.86)

His name is right up there, or above, many Top 50 prospects in those categories and while, at 25, I get that he’s a little older than most of those players (who are mostly 21-23), he did only convert away from catcher a year-plus ago as well. Also, 24-year old Thaiss ranks not far behind in a few of those categories as well, especially the discipline-related ones.

I know Josh Donaldson has been thrown around as a convenient comp because of his conversion from behind the plate but there are some similarities. Donaldson, age 24 and 26 in the bigs: .232/.280/.386/.666, 17 doubles, 10 HR, 16 BB, 73 K in 328 PA. 

Donaldson, age 26 in AAA: .335/.402/.598/1.000 with 12 doubles, 13 homers, 23 BB, 34 K in 234 PA
Taylor Ward, at 25, in AAA: .301/.432/.612/1.045 with 17 doubles, 16 homers, 43 BB, 50 K in 260 PA

Donaldson: 9.8 BB%, 14.5 K%, .263 ISO, .350 BAbip, 155 wRC+
Taylor Ward: 16.5 B%, 19.2 K%, .311 ISO, .326 BAbip, 154 wRC+

And before someone else notes that Ward has excelled in the PCL, well, so did Donaldson and those numbers translated in the bigs.

Also, Ward like Adell currently murdered the ball in the Southern League in AA last season, a pitcher friendly league.

[ScottT]

Where does Ward play though? Not 3B. Not OF.

1B? Has he played there?

[totdprods]

39 minutes ago, ScottT said:

Where does Ward play though? Not 3B. Not OF.

1B? Has he played there?

He has a little bit. My guess is eventually starts picking up some time at all three spots - LF, 3B, and 1B - in a reserve or as-needed role in 2019. Based on that, it'll determine where he slots for 2020. Personally I still think he's great trade bait.

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

And before someone else notes that Ward has excelled in the PCL, well, so did Donaldson and those numbers translated in the bigs.

Also, Ward like Adell currently murdered the ball in the Southern League in AA last season, a pitcher friendly league.

Those rankings include all of AAA and AA as well.

If Ward was just driving up huge HR numbers and striking out a ton a la Blash, I'd be way less high on him, but he's mixing good power with great plate discipline - some of the best in the league - and walking almost as often as he's striking out, something that's been consistent from AA to both seasons in AAA. I noticed in the bigs he tended to be a little too patient, would watch himself wind up behind in the count, and then had to really battle back against big-league pitchers who challenged him and went right after him, and being he was already behind, didn't have much margin of error to work with. He could have afforded to be a little more aggressive, in my opinion, and is something that might not change without getting another good, long look in the majors and working through some growing pains. It's part of why I think the Angels might be better off dealing him - currently, it could be a struggle for him to get that consistent playing time. Get him over to the Giants or Tigers in part of a deal for Bumgarner or Boyd and let him get the 400-600 straight PA he needs to really adjust, and use him to get an arm back now, as that opportunity might not come here. 

He might bust, but I think if he does hit, he could be a very, very good MLB hitter, and that gamble might be worth it for both the Angels for a pitcher with shorter control (Stroman, Bumgarner) and for the team giving a guy up without much control remaining.

Edited June 25, 2019 by totdprods

[Angel Oracle]

Ward = more power hitting and lesser SBs version of Figgins ultimately?    Figgins played many positions, but none all that well. 

Maybe LF/1B/DH is Ward's ultimate MLB future?   He is still only 25 (turning 26 soon).

[eaterfan]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

And before someone else notes that Ward has excelled in the PCL, well, so did Donaldson and those numbers translated in the bigs.

Also, Ward like Adell currently murdered the ball in the Southern League in AA last season, a pitcher friendly league.

But I think it's fair to point out that at least this year Ward has been using the new aerodynamic ball while Donaldson never did. And as AO pointed out - defense matters. Without his defense Donaldson is a pretty decent player. The defense is what made him an MVP candidate. Could the Angels use a decent player? Yes. But I think we need to stop mentioning him in the same breath as Donaldson. For every Donaldson there are 15 Robb Quinlans. I'm not arguing the team should give up on Ward, but his MLB ABs make him look like a AAAA player to me.

[Angel Oracle]

I still think Ward could carve out a decent enough MLB career.   But he will be limited to 1B/DH/maybe LF, and thus as mentioned before a likely trade piece.

The Halos are already covered in LF and at DH, and covered enough at 1B (including Thaiss here as a 1B/3B option).

[Second Base]

Taylor is an interesting case. Too good in AAA for the not to be some translation to the big leagues, but big enough holes in his game,  like defense and pitch recognition that it makes sense why he wouldn't be ready diffe succeeds yet.  And at the same time, he will be 26 next year, with the exception of same rare cases, it'll be basically do or die.

He either breaks into the league next year and carves out a role, or he likely never will. 

I'm rooting for him and Thaiss though. I really am. If Ward takes that part time 1B job, he can be the 4th OF, back up 3B, emergency catcher and log enough at bats to make it a more permanent fit, if he out hits Pujols. If Thaiss takes it, he's borrowing time until he's the everyday 3B. His footwork at 3B had improved that much. 

I'd like to see them both have a future with the Angels though I know it isn't likely. 

[rafibomb]

Will WIlson back in the lineup today

 

 

[Lou]

"Anthony Mulrine who leads the Owlz in HBPs with 6 in just 4 games played."

wtf?

[GrittyVeterans]

43 minutes ago, Lou said:

"Anthony Mulrine who leads the Owlz in HBPs with 6 in just 4 games played."

wtf?

[m0nkey]

Kid sucks, that’s a strike 

[rafibomb]

The walks finally came back to hurt Jerryell Rivera. 7 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks allowed pitching only 3 innings.

[Docwaukee]

7 minutes ago, rafibomb said:

The walks finally came back to hurt Jerryell Rivera. 7 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks allowed pitching only 3 innings.

watched a good portion of his outing.  it was pretty painful.  couldn't find the release point of his fastball.  

[rafibomb]

 

 

[rafibomb]