The Official 2019 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[stormngt]

55 minutes ago, totdprods said:

• May 10, 2019

Salt Lake (11-23) won 8-7 in 11 innings vs. Las Vegas (Athletics) (21-15)

• Rengifo (LF): 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (3), OF assist
• Ward (DH-1B): 2-6, R, 2B, HR (5), 3 RBI
• Thaiss (3B): 0-4, BB
• Walsh (1B-P): 1-4, BB, K, and one clean IP, save
• Puello (RF): 1-5, R, HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 K
• Sandoval (AAA debut): 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR - 86 pitches, 50 strikes
• Rhoades: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K
• Jewell: 2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K
• Rojas: did not play - last 9 games, 4-36 (.111 BA, one BB, 14 K in 38 PA)

Mobile (15-18) won 1-0 vs. Jacksonville (Marlins) (11-23) in 7 innings, Game One of Doubleheader

• Jones (2B): 2-3, 2B, R,
• Cowart (1B): 1-3
• Madero: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K - 86 pitches, 61 strikes
• Gatto: IP, H, - in 9 G/18.2 IP, 0.96 ERA, .177 BAA, 1.02 WHIP - 8 BB, 18 K

Mobile (15-19) lost 4-7 vs. Jacksonville (Marlins) (12-23) in 7 innings, Game Two of Doubleheader

• Jones (2B): 1-3, R, K
• Cowart (DH): 1-3, HR (1), R, RBI
• Beasley: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
• Hofacket: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 K
• Clark: 2 IP, H, 3 K - 3.38 ERA on the year in 13.1 IP, with 7 BB, 18 K

Inland Empire (16-19) won 7-2 vs. Stockton (Athletics) (14-21)

• Rivas (SS): 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, K
• Hunter (DH): 0-3, BB, K
• Vega (LF): 2-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Criswell: 5 IP, H, ER, BB, 3 K
• Wantz: 4 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Burlington (21-14) won 9-4 at Dayton (Reds) (12-22)

• Adams (CF): 2-5, 3 R, 2B, HR (2), RBI, K, SB (4)
• Maitan (3B): 2-5, R, K, SB (2) - hitting .293 in last 10 games
• N. Williams (RF): 0-5, 3 K
• Pineda (2B): 2-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
• Arendas (DH): 3-5, R, 3B, HR (4), 2 RBI, K
• Duensing: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR - still keeping his walks in check, a great sign
• Yan: 4 IP, H, 5 K - 36 strikeouts in 26 innings

Maitan with 2 sb.  Isnt he the prospect you guys are saying is fat?

[Inside Pitch]

42 minutes ago, stormngt said:

Maitan with 2 sb.  Isnt he the prospect you guys are saying is fat?

He's fast for a fat guy?

[Angel Oracle]

What pitch arsenal does Gatto have?    Good heat with movement and solid breaking stuff?

[totdprods]

5 minutes ago, RBM said:

Is Rengifo in LF a new thing? I know they're giving Ward some starts in the OF.

A couple appearances recently, the Angels have said they're seeing him as a utility player, akin to what they're doing with Fletcher.

[Chuck]

23 minutes ago, totdprods said:

A couple appearances recently, the Angels have said they're seeing him as a utility player, akin to what they're doing with Fletcher.

Yep. But utility player gets a bad rap.

Figgins was a utility guy too, but also a starter. Most think utility players are bench guys.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

Is Rengifo in LF a new thing? I know they're giving Ward some starts in the OF.

Recent article in The Athletic basically says the Angels are going to be having guys play as many positions as possible for as long as they prove capable.   They see what Marwin Gonzalez gave the Astros and think -- imagine having 3 or 4 guys capable of doing that.

Lots of things are happening in the minors right now that may end up paying off big in the near future.   

[Angelsjunky]

We could have:

Fletcher: 2B, SS, 3B, OF

Rengifo: Ditto

Ward: 1B, 3B, C, OF

Walsh: 1B, OF, RP

Thaiss: 1B, 3B

Jones: 2B, OF

Ohtani: DH, SP, even 1B at some point

[Inside Pitch]

2 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

We could have:

Fletcher: 2B, SS, 3B, OF

Rengifo: Ditto

Ward: 1B, 3B, C, OF

Walsh: 1B, OF, RP

Thaiss: 1B, 3B

Jones: 2B, OF

Ohtani: DH, SP, even 1B at some point

Fletch is also the emergency catcher...

[totdprods]

48 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Recent article in The Athletic basically says the Angels are going to be having guys play as many positions as possible for as long as they prove capable.   They see what Marwin Gonzalez gave the Astros and think -- imagine having 3 or 4 guys capable of doing that.

Lots of things are happening in the minors right now that may end up paying off big in the near future.   

Aside from it obviously helping day to day roster construction and the individual player’s value, this also screams they’re building a contingency should they need to make a trade in the next 12 months, especially involving an infielder. It’s adds great long-term roster flexibility too. Trout’s deal frees up OF prospects in trade, Goodwin and Calhoun have helped there too, and the strong emergence of pitching help at Burlington and Inland Empire boost that too. The Angels could package a top IF prospect, an OF prospect, and a lower-level arm now and get a good player or two and the farm would be just fine.

Losing Ward or Thaiss as the future 3B or 1B isn’t bad if one can slide over and help. They can keep their eye open for potential trade/FA targets at multiple positions this way.

[Second Base]

I see the utility thing as a short term phenomenon for these players. When I look at guys like Figgins or even Javy Baez, they first came up with the ability to play Peru much anywhere in the infield or outfield. Eventually, the team needs their bat in the lineup enough that they'll settle in at one spot. Figgy was a 3B here, Javy became a 2B and now a shortstop. Fletcher will probably end up staying in a utility role but I think he's the only one. Rengifo will eventually be the 2B.

The one move that I do see sticking may be Thaiss. I'm thinking Albert restores on his own terms after either 2019 or 2020, but doesn't leave the cash on the table. The Angeos will still pay him, he will just a different role. When that happens, the Angels still see an opportunity to keep Upton's bat in the lineup by shifting him to DH the 40% of the time Ohtani isn't hitting, and 1B the other 60% of the time. 

For the other 40%, Thaiss is going to need to beat out Walsh and Ward, which he can, but if he wants to be a full time player, he's going to need to get 60% of his bats elsewhere and 3B seems like the go to spot. He really hasn't looked bad there, at least so far. 

[Chuck]

6:35 pm PST tonight Jose Suarez toes the rubbber in what is a tough stadium to pitch in. 

Here's hoping he survives Las Vegas. I'll be watching closely on Milb.tv

https://www.milb.com/gameday/bees-vs-aces/2019/05/11/580064#game_state=preview,lock_state=preview,game_tab=,game=580064

[Angelsjunky]

The Angels may have 90% of their 2020s perennial contender team already in-house -- it is just a matter of how it all plays out, who develops, and if they can use the excess to patch organizational holes (e.g. C). I suspect that part of this "multi-positional" approach is an aspect of laying everything out on the table to see what they have. There are going to be quite a few positional and roster battles over the next few years; for instance:

Chances are, only two of Ward, Thaiss, Walsh and Rojas are Angels long-term -- and maybe only one of them. 

Hard to imagine the Angels parting with either Fletcher or Rengifo, but do they need both and Jones (assuming Jahmai finds his way back into the light), especially if one of Ward/Thaiss can hold down 3B? I really like both, but both simply might not be necessary to keep long-term. 

In the outfield, Trout and Adell are virtual locks, but will Marsh develop as hoped? Will one of Adams, Knowles, or Deveaux advance quickly? Could one of the second tier guys--Hermosillo, Lund, Sandoval, Hunter Jr, Martinez, Vega--emerge?

Similar questions with the rotation and bullpen.

Again, the point being that I think the Angels have a lot of pieces to work with, but need another year or two to see what cream rises to the top. They might sign a premium free agent or two over the next few years (C and SP being the most likely targets), as well as various complementary pieces, but they've got most of what they need already.

Of course I'm optimistic. On a scale of 1-5, from floplag to Chuck, I'm probably a 3.5 to 4, depending on the day.

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

The Angels may have 90% of their 2020s perennial contender team already in-house -- it is just a matter of how it all plays out, who develops, and if they can use the excess to patch organizational holes (e.g. C). I suspect that part of this "multi-positional" approach is an aspect of laying everything out on the table to see what they have. There are going to be quite a few positional and roster battles over the next few years; for instance:

Chances are, only two of Ward, Thaiss, Walsh and Rojas are Angels long-term -- and maybe only one of them. 

Hard to imagine the Angels parting with either Fletcher or Rengifo, but do they need both and Jones (assuming Jahmai finds his way back into the light), especially if one of Ward/Thaiss can hold down 3B? I really like both, but both simply might not be necessary to keep long-term. 

In the outfield, Trout and Adell are virtual locks, but will Marsh develop as hoped? Will one of Adams, Knowles, or Deveaux advance quickly? Could one of the second tier guys--Hermosillo, Lund, Sandoval, Hunter Jr, Martinez, Vega--emerge?

Similar questions with the rotation and bullpen.

Again, the point being that I think the Angels have a lot of pieces to work with, but need another year or two to see what cream rises to the top. They might sign a premium free agent or two over the next few years (C and SP being the most likely targets), as well as various complementary pieces, but they've got most of what they need already.

Of course I'm optimistic. On a scale of 1-5, from floplag to Chuck, I'm probably a 3.5 to 4, depending on the day.

I'm wondering if they may be interested in extending the Lucroy/Smith tandem for another year or two. We don't have any prospects knocking on the door and the free agent class of catchers doesn't look terribly exciting. 

So 2020 looks initially to me like...

C Lucroy, 1B Thaiss/Pujols (2020 will be his final season), 2B Rengifo SS Simmons, 3B Fletcher, LF Upton, CF Trout, RF Adell DH Ohtani/Pujols, UT Cozart.

Rotation: Ohtani, Canning, Skaggs, Heaney, Suarez and Pena.

I highly doubt that's the final product.  There's a lot of cash coming available and I think they'll make a run at Cole and Rendon.

[Angel Oracle]

4 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Fletch is also the emergency catcher...

Thaiss too?

[Chuck]

The Reno Aces PBP guys were giving Suarez RAVE reviews on tonight's telecast. They specifically loved how he would pitch backwards, locate his 91-94 MPH fastball well and keep batters off balance with his change up and slider. They loved his fastball command. The two hardest balls he gave up were with nobody on base, trying to get ahead in the count with a fastball. One for a HR, another for a double off the wall that did not come around to score despite just one out. 

Suarez looks a lot like a young Bartolo Colon coming from the left side, without of course that high 90's heater. Thick legs, stocky build. 

I'm impressed. 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 H, 4 K's in what is a really tough place for pitchers to pitch well in Reno (I initially thought they were in Las Vegas, but Reno is even worse). 

Suarez sporting a 0.90 ERA through two starts. He keeps this up and I can see him replacing one of Cahill or Harvey in another month or so. 

[Stradling]

Hey guys, really strong posts in here today.   I love reading it all. Thank you. 

[tdawg87]

Suarez is thicc

[Warfarin]

There's a lot of talent in our minor league system, and a lot of very intriguing arms in the lower levels.  Pina posted a dominant performance the other day, and a dude named Molina posted a dominant line today for Burlington, too (5.1IP, 3H, 1R, 1BB, 9Ks).  Brady posted a strong line for IE today, too (5.2IP, 6H, 2ER, 0BB, 8Ks).

Billy's building a strong pipeline.

[Chuck]

Walsh continues to mash, hit his 9th HR tonight and leads the Bees and the org in HRs.

The guy can play 1B, RF/LF and pitch out of the bullpen.

Does it makes sense having Bour up with the big league club as he can only play 1B. Walsh bats lefthanded just like Bour, hit 29 dingers in the minors last season.

It just seems he is more valuable to the Angels right now based on his versatility and how he rivals Bour's power from the leftside. 

[vladdy#27]

2 hours ago, Second Base said:

I'm wondering if they may be interested in extending the Lucroy/Smith tandem for another year or two. We don't have any prospects knocking on the door and the free agent class of catchers doesn't look terribly exciting. 

So 2020 looks initially to me like...

C Lucroy, 1B Thaiss/Pujols (2020 will be his final season), 2B Rengifo SS Simmons, 3B Fletcher, LF Upton, CF Trout, RF Adell DH Ohtani/Pujols, UT Cozart.

Rotation: Ohtani, Canning, Skaggs, Heaney, Suarez and Pena.

I highly doubt that's the final product.  There's a lot of cash coming available and I think they'll make a run at Cole and Rendon.

Smith seems like a lock if he keeps up his production. The Angels would have his rights as a first year arbitration player. It likely just depends if they like Briceno at the minimum or Smith for around double that for the backup spot. 

[Second Base]

14 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Walsh continues to mash, hit his 9th HR tonight and leads the Bees and the org in HRs.

The guy can play 1B, RF/LF and pitch out of the bullpen.

Does it makes sense having Bour up with the big league club as he can only play 1B. Walsh bats lefthanded just like Bour, hit 29 dingers in the minors last season.

It just seems he is more valuable to the Angels right now based on his versatility and how he rivals Bour's power from the leftside. 

They'll get him enough innings in the field and enough appearances on the mound this season so that the Angels can use him as a two-way player next year. 

I hope.

[Angelsjunky]

Jose "Baby Bartolo" Suarez.

[UndertheHalo]

Don’t do that !

Remember when they called Ramon Ortiz “Baby Pedro”

so much for that. 

[rafibomb]

Keep on dealin' Suarez.

[Stradling]

I think what it comes down to with Walsh is how does he stay fresh playing 2-3 times a week.  Kole is playing well as is Goodwin. Albert will play 5 times a week, so Walsh would get 2-3 starts and an inning on the mound a week.