The Official 2021 Los Angeles Angels Minor League Stats, Reports & Scouting Thread

[rafibomb]

Marsh ended up 3-4 with a walk, a triple, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. I wouldn't expect him to be in Arizona much longer.

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

He legit went from looking like a muscular Ervin Santana to a softer David Ortiz.   It's unreal.

 

[Docwaukee]

2 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

After getting bombed again in his second start, Gabriel Tapia has a 135.00 ERA. To quote Darth Vader, impressive.

Arol Vera was hitting .500 in 5 games coming into tonight's game. He still hasn't struck out. 

 

he whiffed three times tonight.  

amazing.  

how do you do it?  Why do you do it?  

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

He legit went from looking like a muscular Ervin Santana to a softer David Ortiz.   It's unreal.

[Stradling]

Just now, Dochalo said:

That is not Sano

[rafibomb]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

That is not Sano

Sayes it is. Okay, that was bad.

[Stradling]

Holy shit I just looked it up.  Crazy. 

[Angelsjunky]

Scanning the minors:

AAA: Packy with a solid start: 7 IP, 1 ER, 2 walks, 4 Ks. Adell with 2 singles and no Ks! 

AA: MacKinnon with 3 more hits, BA up to .339. As already mentioned, C-Rod has a solid start - 4 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, 60 pitches  @Second Base was right about them adding ~15 pitches per start). Oh yeah, Aviles Jr with 3 hits, 2 of them HR. Probably not much to see there; he's a 27 year old minor league vet, drafted in the 30th round of 2013 draft by Brewers.

A+: Soto with two hits, including a 2B and HR, and a W and SB. Ryan Smith continues to pitch well, going 7 IP, 2 ER, 1 W, 9 Ks. ERA at 2.03.

A: Knowles with two 2B, a walk and SB. Hopefully he's starting to get going. Greene with 2 hits and 3 walks; now has 39 BB in 45 games. Reyes with his first pro HR, a grand slam. Swanda gets torched: 4.1 IP, 7 ER. Emilker Guzman quietly putting together a nice season, another 1.1 IP and 2 Ks, ERA at 2.43. He's a bit of a sleeper reliever.

Rookie: Marsh with 3 hits, including a 2B and 3B; he'll be in AAA soon - can't wait to see what he does when he's healthy. Vera with a bad game but still gets a hit, but 3 Ks (his first of the year). Blakely still struggling with the bat, now at .158, but got 2 walks and a SB. Bonilla and Calabrese with 2 hits each; Bonilla hitting .353 in Rookie ball. Tapia bombed again, ERA now at 135.00.

 

[Angelsjunky]

Sano on the Brendan Fraser diet.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Oh I get you.... I see a better version of Prince Fielder physically.  I think he could go Maitan on them pretty quickly, remember what Miguel Sano Looked like at 18/19?   

But, by most accounts he had a Vlad Jr level ability to tell strikes from balls while playing for the buscones in the DR.  Guys like that tend to have decent floors offensively.  But all the hype is way way overdone.

can't really even remember a guy who's been as muscular as him at that age.  Vlad jr and Fielder were both pretty rotund already by that age.  

some of his more recent pics show that it seems he's slimmed down a bit from that one video where he just looked ridiculously enormous.  

 

[mmc]

How would you guys rank our OF prospects in terms of ceiling, after the big 3 (Adell, Marsh, Adams)

[Inside Pitch]

15 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Holy shit I just looked it up.  Crazy. 

Dude, it absolutely is....  Its unreal.

[mmc]

3 hours ago, Second Base said:

You really couldn't have painted a better picture for the future state of the Angels than what's happened in 2021. 

- Ohtani is healthy, Sandoval made the developmental leap into being a solid rotation piece. Suarez made the leap as well. We don't know what roll yet but we do know he's a major leaguer. Same with Barria. 

- We already know Rodriguez will get major league hitters out, and now we're finding out that he can still be a starting pitcher. 

- Detmers has done everything you could've expected from him this year. 

I think just about the only thing that hasn't gone their way on the mound has been Griffin Canning. And even then, having him get some developmental innings in AAA will only put him in a better place to succeed. 

But can you imagine the financial freedom this will give Minasian? Just plug in Ohtani, Detmers, Rodriguez, Sandoval, Canning and Barria, and suddenly you've got an actual functioning MLB rotation. 

Billy Eppler's plan worked. Just a year too late to save his job. 

Sorry, but Eppler's plan didn't "work" until these guys actually produce something at the major league level.  So far none of his drafted prospects have.

[Docwaukee]

9 hours ago, mmc said:

Sorry, but Eppler's plan didn't "work" until these guys actually produce something at the major league level.  So far none of his drafted prospects have.

this doesn't negate your statement but Griffin Canning has the second highest WAR from the entire 2017 draft.  

outside of the top 7 picks in the 2018 draft, there are only about another 10 players who have seen time in mlb.  

from the 2019 draft, there's two.  Manoah and Vaughn.  

even the 2016 draft isn't quite the crap show that some think in terms of how the Angels did.  There's a few players contributing at the major league level from after when Thaiss was drafted.  I still have a bit of a hard time pinning that draft on Eppler.  He essentially put his own process in place immediately after and even still, Thaiss is an asset while Marsh is a top 50 prospect and likely gonna be a really good player in mlb soon.  And Rodriguez is from that draft as well.  As is Jose Rojas.  And a couple other guys who will likely see time in the majors or are tradeable assets still.  Did they crush that draft?  No.  Was it about the expected for a draft?  Yes.   Probably ends up a bit better than most teams did.  As will most of the drafts to follow.  Have other teams done better on a year to year basis?  Yes.  

 

[Inside Pitch]

5 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I still have a bit of a hard time pinning that draft on Eppler.  He essentially put his own process in place immediately after and even still,

Yeah, he basically had 100% of Dipoto's people in place for that draft.  Had he come in like JD fired everyone and installed his people because "smartest man in the room", fine.  But that's not what happened, although there was a decided shift towards HS and impact talent right away.   Ditto Minasian this year.  It's basically Swanson the same cross-checkers and the "Surviving Six" or "Everyday Eight" however many of those guys that lived to see 2021..   We may see if there is a shift towards college or a certain type of player but the scouting will still be Eppler's guys.

We will have a better idea what a Minasian draft looks like next year.  I actually do believe that if Tamin's systems are at all applied to the minor league department, it will be of impact starting now.... Mostly, I think we are only now getting to where Minasian knows what he has, knows what's working and isn't and who is worth keeping around, but with as small a staff as they have..  it's gonna be interesting..   

In a perfect world we aren't still talking about the Angels and their handful of areas scouts this time next year.

[nothing, Nothing]

13 hours ago, Stradling said:

That is not Sano

they did a whole documentary about Sano's signing process and showing how shady that side of the business is ,, it's a good watch ... the film actual title is Ballplayer: Pelotero https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1885335/

 

[rafibomb]

 

 

 

[mmc]

4 hours ago, Dochalo said:

this doesn't negate your statement but Griffin Canning has the second highest WAR from the entire 2017 draft.  

outside of the top 7 picks in the 2018 draft, there are only about another 10 players who have seen time in mlb.  

from the 2019 draft, there's two.  Manoah and Vaughn.  

even the 2016 draft isn't quite the crap show that some think in terms of how the Angels did.  There's a few players contributing at the major league level from after when Thaiss was drafted.  I still have a bit of a hard time pinning that draft on Eppler.  He essentially put his own process in place immediately after and even still, Thaiss is an asset while Marsh is a top 50 prospect and likely gonna be a really good player in mlb soon.  And Rodriguez is from that draft as well.  As is Jose Rojas.  And a couple other guys who will likely see time in the majors or are tradeable assets still.  Did they crush that draft?  No.  Was it about the expected for a draft?  Yes.   Probably ends up a bit better than most teams did.  As will most of the drafts to follow.  Have other teams done better on a year to year basis?  Yes.  

 

I’m not saying he did worse than other teams or his drafts were bad, just that you can’t call them good yet when none are producing on the major league team

[Angelsjunky]

Let's compare Dipoto's and Eppler's drafts, including major international signings. Dipoto is 2012-15 (4 years), Epplier 2016-20 (5 years).

I'll include the top three picks and others that people may have heard of. Grading is based upon actualized potential for older drafts, but perceived upside for more recent ones (that is, how they are developing on the farm). An A grade includes at least one borderline star or better, plus several impact major leaguers; a B grade a bit less; a C grade has a few solid major leaguers, possibly an impact player; a D grade might have a solid major leaguer but mostly fringe guys; and an F grade is only earned by those drafts that yield no solid players, only up-and-down guys. 

Also, I'm adjusting slightly for picks lost due to free agent signings, but not totally discounting it as it is part of the overall picture of drafting.

JERRY DIPOTO DRAFTS (2012-15)

2012: RJ Alvarez (3), Alex Yarbrough (4), Mark Sappington (5); also Eric Stamets, Austin Adams, Mike Morin, Sherman Johnson, Anthony Bemboom. -3.3 WAR in majors. International: Eduardo Paredes

The Angels lost their first two picks because of Pujols and Wilson; if you're curious, the Cardinals got Michael Wacha (18.3 WAR) and the Rangers got Jamie Jarmon (NA). But we got Pujols!

This was a pretty bad draft. Alvarez was supposed to be a very good reliever, and was part of the Huston Street trade; he never established himself in the majors, pitching 28 innings in 2014-15 with a 7.39 ERA and is currently on the Brewers' AAA team. Yarbrough and Stamets were hoped to be solid utility infielders, but neither caught on. The end result is that it yielded no quality major leaguers, just a few up-and-down guys. Grade: F

2013: Hunter Green (2), Keynan Middleton (3), Elliot Morris (4); also Kyle McGowan, Alan Busenitz, Michael Hermosillo. 1.3 WAR in majors. International: Jose Rodriguez, Jaime Barria.

As with the year before, the Angels lost their top pick by virtue of signing Josh Hamilton. The Rangers picked Travis Demeritte in that slot, who hasn't amounted to much, although is currently killing it for the Braves AAA team as a 27-year old (1.091 OPS in 27 games), so might have a bench career ahead of him yet.

This draft was as bad as the previous one, with their first pick never making it past Rookie ball due to injuries. Middleton was almost a decent reliever and Hermosillio had/has some potential. The lone solid major leaguer is international free agent Jaime Barria, so that's something. I guess. Grade: D-

2014: Sean Newcomb (1), Joe Gatto (2), Chris Ellis (3); also Jake Jewell, Bo Way, Justin Anderson, Greg Mahle. 2.5 WAR. International: Jose Suarez, Roberto Baldoquin.

Dipoto's first 1st round pick; who Eppler used in the Andrelton Simmons trade a year and a half later. This is also the year of the crippling Baldoquin signing, his $8M bonus ending up costing them $14M overall and preventing them from international signings in 2015 and '16. There's no way around it: another bad draft, although at least it contributed to some good years of Simmons, and Jose Suarez could be very good. Grade: F (D+/C- without Baldoquin).

2015: Taylor Ward (1), Jahmai Jones (2), Grayson Long (3); also David Fletcher and Jared Walsh. 10.7 WAR. International: None.

Despite the overdraft on Ward, the Angels have gotten useful players out of this draft, especially Fletcher and Walsh. Jones was traded for Alex Cobb and may still turn out as a good utility player, and Ward--despite being disappointing early on--has turned into a solid platoon guy. The draft doesn't score higher because, while it yielded three solid to good players, it is pretty sparse after. Grade: B-

BILLY EPPLER DRAFTS (2016-20)

2016: Matt Thaiss (1), Brandon Marsh (2), Nonie Williams (3); Also: Chris Rodriguez, Cole Duensing, Brennon Lund, Torii Hunter Jr, Jose Rojas. -0.3 WAR. International: Adelin Santana.

While we're getting into the "too soon to tell" range, we've got three guys who have spent time in the majors, and a fourth in Marsh whose arrival should come later this year. Marsh is a 60 FV prospect according to Fangraphs, which makes him at least a borderline star. Thaiss is either a platoon guy like Ward or maybe even a solid regular, and Rodriguez could be anything from a borderline ace to a good reliever. I'll grade conservatively, though, especially considering that Thaiss wasn't a great 1st rounder (and we all knew it at the time). Grade: B-

2017: Joe Adell (1), Griffin Canning (2), Jacob Pearson (3); Also: John Swanda, Denny Brady, David MacKinnon. 0.9 WAR. International: Shohei Ohtani, Kevin Maitan, Livan Soto, Trent Deveaux, Raider Uceta, Jose Reyes.

The jury is still out because of the top two picks, both of whom could either be stars or duds; probably somewhere in-between. This year is most noteworthy, though, for the free agent signing of Ohtani; it may be cheating to include him here, as he wasn't an amateur. The former Braves prospects are all a bit disappointing, altough Soto could turn into a UT guy. Deveaux has tools galore, but is looking more and more like yet another toolsy dud. Grade: B-, or A with Ohtani.

2018: Jordyn Adams (1), Jeremiah Jackson (2), Aaron Hernandez (3): also, Kyle Bradish, William Holmes, Andrew Wantz, Cooper Criswell, Connor Higgins. 0.1 WAR. International: Alexander Ramirez, Darwin Moreno, etc.

Adams and Jackson have a lot of potential, and there's some solid, if overall fringy arms here. Unfortunately it looks like the Angels might have traded the better of the Hernandez-Bradish duo. Of the international guys, Ramirez has a high upside bat but is very raw. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell; could be higher, depending upon how Adams, Jackson, and Ramirez turn out).

2019: Will Wilson (1), Kyren Paris (2), Jack Kochanowicz (3); also, Erik Rivera, Garret Stallings, Davis Daniel, Zach Linginfelter, Brent Killam, Jack Dashwood, Coleman Crow. 0.0 WAR. International: Arol Vera, Adrian Placencia, Jose Bonilla.

Now we're at way too soon to tell. Wilson was a head-scratcher in the first round, especially after Eppler's last two years, but Paris could be a jewel. There are some intriguing arms later on - not necessarily big upside (except for Koch), but possibly useful relief types. Vera, Placencia, and Bonilla show a lot of potential, and point to greater resources and smarts being put into international scouting. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell, but looks promising).

2020: Reid Detmers (1), David Calabrese (2), Werner Blakely (3), Adam Seminaris (4). International: Not sure (see below).

Detmers is looking like the real deal. Calabrese and Blakely have talent, but are very young and raw. This draft was only four rounds, and I couldn't find info on international signings (I think Denzer Guzman was this year). Grade: C+ (again, too soon to tell and with upside).

SUMMARY

Dipoto: F, D-, F, B-

Eppler: B-, B-, C+, C+, C+

With the caveat that all of Eppler's drafts are too soon to tell and could go up or down (although I tended to grade conservatively, so most have a better chance of going up), the bottom line is the bottom line: Eppler's drafts--and treatment of the minor leagues--was far superior. Dipoto's were, except for the last one, just awful. Part of that is losing draft picks to free agents, but he didn't find any useful prospects in those first three years.

Edge: Eppler (by a long-shot).

Edited July 7, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[Lou]

1 hour ago, mmc said:

I’m not saying he did worse than other teams or his drafts were bad, just that you can’t call them good yet when none are producing on the major league team

Bingo 

[mmc]

12 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Let's compare Dipoto's and Eppler's drafts, including major international signings. Dipoto is 2012-15 (4 years), Epplier 2016-20 (5 years).

I'll include the top three picks and others that people may have heard of. Grading is based upon actualized potential for older drafts, but perceived upside for more recent ones (that is, how they are developing on the farm). An A grade includes at least one borderline star or better, plus several impact major leaguers; a B grade a bit less; a C grade has a few solid major leaguers, possibly an impact player; a D grade might have a solid major leaguer but mostly fringe guys; and an F grade is only earned by those drafts that yield no solid players, only up-and-down guys. 

Also, I'm adjusting slightly for picks lost due to free agent signings, but not totally discounting it as it is part of the overall picture of drafting.

JERRY DIPOTO DRAFTS (2012-15)

2012: RJ Alvarez (3), Alex Yarbrough (4), Mark Sappington (5); also Eric Stamets, Austin Adams, Mike Morin, Sherman Johnson, Anthony Bemboom. -3.3 WAR in majors. International: Eduardo Paredes

The Angels lost their first two picks because of Pujols and Wilson; if you're curious, the Cardinals got Michael Wacha (18.3 WAR) and the Rangers got Jamie Jarmon (NA). But we got Pujols!

This was a pretty bad draft. Alvarez was supposed to be a very good reliever, and was part of the Huston Street trade; he never established himself in the majors, pitching 28 innings in 2014-15 with a 7.39 ERA and is currently on the Brewers' AAA team. Yarbrough and Stamets were hoped to be solid utility infielders, but neither caught on. The end result is that it yielded no quality major leaguers, just a few up-and-down guys. Grade: F

2013: Hunter Green (2), Keynan Middleton (3), Elliot Morris (4); also Kyle McGowan, Alan Busenitz, Michael Hermosillo. 1.3 WAR in majors. International: Jose Rodriguez, Jaime Barria.

As with the year before, the Angels lost their top pick by virtue of signing Josh Hamilton. The Rangers picked Travis Demeritte in that slot, who hasn't amounted to much, although is currently killing it for the Braves AAA team as a 27-year old (1.091 OPS in 27 games), so might have a bench career ahead of him yet.

This draft was as bad as the previous one, with their first pick never making it past Rookie ball due to injuries. Middleton was almost a decent reliever and Hermosillio had/has some potential. The lone solid major leaguer is international free agent Jaime Barria, so that's something. I guess. Grade: D-

2014: Sean Newcomb (1), Joe Gatto (2), Chris Ellis (3); also Jake Jewell, Bo Way, Justin Anderson, Greg Mahle. 2.5 WAR. International: Jose Suarez, Roberto Baldoquin.

Dipoto's first 1st round pick; who Eppler used in the Andrelton Simmons trade a year and a half later. This is also the year of the crippling Baldoquin signing, his $8M bonus ending up costing them $14M overall and preventing them from international signings in 2015 and '16. There's no way around it: another bad draft, although at least it contributed to some good years of Simmons, and Jose Suarez could be very good. Grade: F (D+/C- without Baldoquin).

2015: Taylor Ward (1), Jahmai Jones (2), Grayson Long (3); also David Fletcher and Jared Walsh. 10.7 WAR. International: None.

Despite the overdraft on Ward, the Angels have gotten useful players out of this draft, especially Fletcher and Walsh. Jones was traded for Alex Cobb and may still turn out as a good utility player, and Ward--despite being disappointing early on--has turned into a solid platoon guy. The draft doesn't score higher because, while it yielded three solid to good players, it is pretty sparse after. Grade: B-

BILLY EPPLER DRAFTS (2016-20)

2016: Matt Thaiss (1), Brandon Marsh (2), Nonie Williams (3); Also: Chris Rodriguez, Cole Duensing, Brennon Lund, Torii Hunter Jr, Jose Rojas. -0.3 WAR. International: Adelin Santana.

While we're getting into the "too soon to tell" range, we've got three guys who have spent time in the majors, and a fourth in Marsh whose arrival should come later this year. Marsh is a 60 FV prospect according to Fangraphs, which makes him at least a borderline star. Thaiss is either a platoon guy like Ward or maybe even a solid regular, and Rodriguez could be anything from a borderline ace to a good reliever. I'll grade conservatively, though, especially considering that Thaiss wasn't a great 1st rounder (and we all knew it at the time). Grade: B-

2017: Joe Adell (1), Griffin Canning (2), Jacob Pearson (3); Also: John Swanda, Denny Brady, David MacKinnon. 0.9 WAR. International: Shohei Ohtani, Kevin Maitan, Livan Soto, Trent Deveaux, Raider Uceta, Jose Reyes.

The jury is still out because of the top two picks, both of whom could either be stars or duds; probably somewhere in-between. This year is most noteworthy, though, for the free agent signing of Ohtani; it may be cheating to include him here, as he wasn't an amateur. The former Braves prospects are all a bit disappointing, altough Soto could turn into a UT guy. Deveaux has tools galore, but is looking more and more like yet another toolsy dud. Grade: B-, or A with Ohtani.

2018: Jordyn Adams (1), Jeremiah Jackson (2), Aaron Hernandez (3): also, Kyle Bradish, William Holmes, Andrew Wantz, Cooper Criswell, Connor Higgins. 0.1 WAR. International: Alexander Ramirez, Darwin Moreno, etc.

Adams and Jackson have a lot of potential, and there's some solid, if overall fringy arms here. Unfortunately it looks like the Angels might have traded the better of the Hernandez-Bradish duo. Of the international guys, Ramirez has a high upside bat but is very raw. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell; could be higher, depending upon how Adams, Jackson, and Ramirez turn out).

2019: Will Wilson (1), Kyren Paris (2), Jack Kochanowicz (3); also, Erik Rivera, Garret Stallings, Davis Daniel, Zach Linginfelter, Brent Killam, Jack Dashwood, Coleman Crow. 0.0 WAR. International: Arol Vera, Adrian Placencia, Jose Bonilla.

Now we're at way too soon to tell. Wilson was a head-scratcher in the first round, especially after Eppler's last two years, but Paris could be a jewel. There are some intriguing arms later on - not necessarily big upside (except for Koch), but possibly useful relief types. Vera, Placencia, and Bonilla show a lot of potential, and point to greater resources and smarts being put into international scouting. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell, but looks promising).

2020: Reid Detmers (1), David Calabrese (2), Werner Blakely (3), Adam Seminaris (4). International: Not sure (see below).

Detmers is looking like the real deal. Calabrese and Blakely have talent, but are very young and raw. This draft was only four rounds, and I couldn't find info on international signings (I think Denzer Guzman was this year). Grade: C+ (again, too soon to tell and with upside).

SUMMARY

Dipoto: F, D-, F, B-

Eppler: B-, B-, C+, C+, C+

With the caveat that all of Eppler's drafts are too soon to tell and could go up or down (although I tended to grade conservatively, so most have a better chance of going up), the bottom line is the bottom line: Eppler's drafts--and treatment of the minor leagues--was far superior. Dipoto's were, except for the last one, just awful. Part of that is losing draft picks to free agents, but he didn't find any useful prospects in those first three years.

Edge: Eppler (by a long-shot).

I'm sorry man, I greatly enjoy reading your posts but this is just ridiculous.  You gave the 2015 and 2016 drafts the same grade despite 2015 giving Fletcher and Walsh, an All Star and one of our better players, and Ward, who is also currently producing for the major league team.  Marsh and Rodriguez are great prospects but have proven absolutely nothing, there's no way you can rank these 2 drafts the same as it currently stands.

[Angelsjunky]

4 minutes ago, mmc said:

I'm sorry man, I greatly enjoy reading your posts but this is just ridiculous.  You gave the 2015 and 2016 drafts the same grade despite 2015 giving Fletcher and Walsh, an All Star and one of our better players, and Ward, who is also currently producing for the major league team.  Marsh and Rodriguez are great prospects but have proven absolutely nothing, there's no way you can rank these 2 drafts the same as it currently stands.

I'm balancing actual performance and upside. Fletcher is essentially a solid regular, and Walsh is a borderline star. Marsh projects as a borderline star, and C-Rod has a ton of upside (and held his own in the majors). Ward and Thaiss cancel each other out, and neither draft really has anyone else worth noting. So it is Fletcher/Walsh vs. Marsh/C-Rod. That's closer than you imply, and the latter duo probably has higher upside.

Or to put it another way, if we put it to a poll and asked who would you rather the Angels hold onto long term, Fletcher/Walsh or Marsh/CRod, I'm guessing that more folks would choose the former, but it would be closer than your hyperbole implies.

Either way, at most we can adjust them to B and C+, respectively, and the end result remains the same: Eppler's drafts are much better.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[stormngt]

2 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

Let's compare Dipoto's and Eppler's drafts, including major international signings. Dipoto is 2012-15 (4 years), Epplier 2016-20 (5 years).

I'll include the top three picks and others that people may have heard of. Grading is based upon actualized potential for older drafts, but perceived upside for more recent ones (that is, how they are developing on the farm). An A grade includes at least one borderline star or better, plus several impact major leaguers; a B grade a bit less; a C grade has a few solid major leaguers, possibly an impact player; a D grade might have a solid major leaguer but mostly fringe guys; and an F grade is only earned by those drafts that yield no solid players, only up-and-down guys. 

Also, I'm adjusting slightly for picks lost due to free agent signings, but not totally discounting it as it is part of the overall picture of drafting.

JERRY DIPOTO DRAFTS (2012-15)

2012: RJ Alvarez (3), Alex Yarbrough (4), Mark Sappington (5); also Eric Stamets, Austin Adams, Mike Morin, Sherman Johnson, Anthony Bemboom. -3.3 WAR in majors. International: Eduardo Paredes

The Angels lost their first two picks because of Pujols and Wilson; if you're curious, the Cardinals got Michael Wacha (18.3 WAR) and the Rangers got Jamie Jarmon (NA). But we got Pujols!

This was a pretty bad draft. Alvarez was supposed to be a very good reliever, and was part of the Huston Street trade; he never established himself in the majors, pitching 28 innings in 2014-15 with a 7.39 ERA and is currently on the Brewers' AAA team. Yarbrough and Stamets were hoped to be solid utility infielders, but neither caught on. The end result is that it yielded no quality major leaguers, just a few up-and-down guys. Grade: F

2013: Hunter Green (2), Keynan Middleton (3), Elliot Morris (4); also Kyle McGowan, Alan Busenitz, Michael Hermosillo. 1.3 WAR in majors. International: Jose Rodriguez, Jaime Barria.

As with the year before, the Angels lost their top pick by virtue of signing Josh Hamilton. The Rangers picked Travis Demeritte in that slot, who hasn't amounted to much, although is currently killing it for the Braves AAA team as a 27-year old (1.091 OPS in 27 games), so might have a bench career ahead of him yet.

This draft was as bad as the previous one, with their first pick never making it past Rookie ball due to injuries. Middleton was almost a decent reliever and Hermosillio had/has some potential. The lone solid major leaguer is international free agent Jaime Barria, so that's something. I guess. Grade: D-

2014: Sean Newcomb (1), Joe Gatto (2), Chris Ellis (3); also Jake Jewell, Bo Way, Justin Anderson, Greg Mahle. 2.5 WAR. International: Jose Suarez, Roberto Baldoquin.

Dipoto's first 1st round pick; who Eppler used in the Andrelton Simmons trade a year and a half later. This is also the year of the crippling Baldoquin signing, his $8M bonus ending up costing them $14M overall and preventing them from international signings in 2015 and '16. There's no way around it: another bad draft, although at least it contributed to some good years of Simmons, and Jose Suarez could be very good. Grade: F (D+/C- without Baldoquin).

2015: Taylor Ward (1), Jahmai Jones (2), Grayson Long (3); also David Fletcher and Jared Walsh. 10.7 WAR. International: None.

Despite the overdraft on Ward, the Angels have gotten useful players out of this draft, especially Fletcher and Walsh. Jones was traded for Alex Cobb and may still turn out as a good utility player, and Ward--despite being disappointing early on--has turned into a solid platoon guy. The draft doesn't score higher because, while it yielded three solid to good players, it is pretty sparse after. Grade: B-

BILLY EPPLER DRAFTS (2016-20)

2016: Matt Thaiss (1), Brandon Marsh (2), Nonie Williams (3); Also: Chris Rodriguez, Cole Duensing, Brennon Lund, Torii Hunter Jr, Jose Rojas. -0.3 WAR. International: Adelin Santana.

While we're getting into the "too soon to tell" range, we've got three guys who have spent time in the majors, and a fourth in Marsh whose arrival should come later this year. Marsh is a 60 FV prospect according to Fangraphs, which makes him at least a borderline star. Thaiss is either a platoon guy like Ward or maybe even a solid regular, and Rodriguez could be anything from a borderline ace to a good reliever. I'll grade conservatively, though, especially considering that Thaiss wasn't a great 1st rounder (and we all knew it at the time). Grade: B-

2017: Joe Adell (1), Griffin Canning (2), Jacob Pearson (3); Also: John Swanda, Denny Brady, David MacKinnon. 0.9 WAR. International: Shohei Ohtani, Kevin Maitan, Livan Soto, Trent Deveaux, Raider Uceta, Jose Reyes.

The jury is still out because of the top two picks, both of whom could either be stars or duds; probably somewhere in-between. This year is most noteworthy, though, for the free agent signing of Ohtani; it may be cheating to include him here, as he wasn't an amateur. The former Braves prospects are all a bit disappointing, altough Soto could turn into a UT guy. Deveaux has tools galore, but is looking more and more like yet another toolsy dud. Grade: B-, or A with Ohtani.

2018: Jordyn Adams (1), Jeremiah Jackson (2), Aaron Hernandez (3): also, Kyle Bradish, William Holmes, Andrew Wantz, Cooper Criswell, Connor Higgins. 0.1 WAR. International: Alexander Ramirez, Darwin Moreno, etc.

Adams and Jackson have a lot of potential, and there's some solid, if overall fringy arms here. Unfortunately it looks like the Angels might have traded the better of the Hernandez-Bradish duo. Of the international guys, Ramirez has a high upside bat but is very raw. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell; could be higher, depending upon how Adams, Jackson, and Ramirez turn out).

2019: Will Wilson (1), Kyren Paris (2), Jack Kochanowicz (3); also, Erik Rivera, Garret Stallings, Davis Daniel, Zach Linginfelter, Brent Killam, Jack Dashwood, Coleman Crow. 0.0 WAR. International: Arol Vera, Adrian Placencia, Jose Bonilla.

Now we're at way too soon to tell. Wilson was a head-scratcher in the first round, especially after Eppler's last two years, but Paris could be a jewel. There are some intriguing arms later on - not necessarily big upside (except for Koch), but possibly useful relief types. Vera, Placencia, and Bonilla show a lot of potential, and point to greater resources and smarts being put into international scouting. Grade: C+ (too soon to tell, but looks promising).

2020: Reid Detmers (1), David Calabrese (2), Werner Blakely (3), Adam Seminaris (4). International: Not sure (see below).

Detmers is looking like the real deal. Calabrese and Blakely have talent, but are very young and raw. This draft was only four rounds, and I couldn't find info on international signings (I think Denzer Guzman was this year). Grade: C+ (again, too soon to tell and with upside).

SUMMARY

Dipoto: F, D-, F, B-

Eppler: B-, B-, C+, C+, C+

With the caveat that all of Eppler's drafts are too soon to tell and could go up or down (although I tended to grade conservatively, so most have a better chance of going up), the bottom line is the bottom line: Eppler's drafts--and treatment of the minor leagues--was far superior. Dipoto's were, except for the last one, just awful. Part of that is losing draft picks to free agents, but he didn't find any useful prospects in those first three years.

Edge: Eppler (by a long-shot).

Did you say Barria was a major leaguer?

Outside of two appearances this year, he is a minor leaguer. 

[stormngt]

2 hours ago, mmc said:

I'm sorry man, I greatly enjoy reading your posts but this is just ridiculous.  You gave the 2015 and 2016 drafts the same grade despite 2015 giving Fletcher and Walsh, an All Star and one of our better players, and Ward, who is also currently producing for the major league team.  Marsh and Rodriguez are great prospects but have proven absolutely nothing, there's no way you can rank these 2 drafts the same as it currently stands.

I guess you didnt see the disclaimer "too early to tell"

[Second Base]

18 hours ago, mmc said:

How would you guys rank our OF prospects in terms of ceiling, after the big 3 (Adell, Marsh, Adams)

Alexander Ramirez is at the top of my list (outside the big three as you call them). Serious power-speed combo, elite exit velocities, performed well at a young age and had already built the physique you hope every athlete would strive for. 

I think he's the real deal. 

Second would be David Calabrese.  80 grade speed and now than one scout has referenced Andrew Benintendi, who is a solid and versatile regular in the majors. 

Third in my book is Orlando Martinez. He is a decent hitter and the newly discovered power stroke has some sticking power to it. He plays decent defense as well. There's some Jeff DaVanon in him, if you are well versed in obscure mid-2000's references. A better than expected starter.