Top 10 Prospects from Baseball Prospectus

[John Smith]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22189

 

1. 2B Taylor Lindsey
2. 3B Kaleb Cowart
3. 1B C.J. Cron
4. RHP R.J. Alvarez
5. RHP Mark Sappington
6. RF Randal Grichuk
7. 2B Alex Yarbrough
8. SS Jose Rondon
9. LHP Ricardo Sanchez
10. LHP Hunter Green

 

[Scott34]

Anyone have a subscription?

[Angel Oracle]

No Morin?   No Borenstein?

Ricardo Sanchez?    I've heard the name, but is he really that highly touted?

Cowart still at #2????

Edited November 9, 2013 by Angel Oracle

[Toby Ziegler]

More prospect prejudice, and now you're seeing it with Morin, too. Notice that no one on that list was drafted beyond the 5th round. Morin was drafted in the 13th round, by the way.

 

Ricardo Sanchez is a 16-year old Venezuelan pitcher who is under 6 feet tall, and the Angels paid him $580,000. To put that in perspective, that's more than Trout will make this year. Sanchez has never even played a professional game. Phenom or not, it's not like he's Bryce Harper. He has no business being on this list. But Baseball Prospectus felt they had to justify all the money the Angels threw at him. Guarantee you no one at Baseball Prospectus has ever seen him throw one pitch.

 

In my opinion, Morin is definitely the best pitching prospect in the Angels' farm.

 

Cowart retains his prospect status, of course. Scouts and scouting organizations never like to admit they're wrong about anyone. Their high regard for Cowart in the face of abject failure is a testament to their incompetence and intransigence.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Toby Ziegler

[John Smith]

No Morin?   No Borenstein?

Ricardo Sanchez?    I've heard the name, but is he really that highly touted?

Cowart still at #2????

 

"Venezuelan lefthander Ricardo Sanchez, the No. 27 international prospect for July 2, has signed with the Angels.

Sanchez, 16, was the winning-pitcher of the gold-medal game in Venezuela’s 15U World Championship victory over Cuba last August in Mexico. He can run his fastball up to 91 mph with feel for his curveball, although his control has been erratic. Sanchez trains with Henderson Martinez.

Baseball America subscribers can access a complete scouting report on Sanchez, along with reports on more of the top international prospects on the market."

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/no-27-international-prospect-ricardo-sanchez/

Edited November 9, 2013 by John Smith

[Scott34]

Very accurate list.  I'd rank Green higher, though.

[bloodbrother]

Anyone have a subscription?

 

Me. BP really likes Ricardo Sanchez a lot.

 

The Year Ahead: Sanchez is an exciting prospect, not only because of the promise found in the arsenal but the complete lack of professional experience. Sanchez gets to throw his first professional pitch in 2014, most likely at the complex level, but his showing at instructs was enough to force a Pavlovian prospect response. With a smooth and easy delivery, a present fastball that sits 91, a promising CB that has touched 80, and the beginnings of a changeup that could develop into his money pitch, Sanchez is well on his way to becoming a very high-end prospect.

 

Here is the parting thought on the Halos farm

 

A Parting Thought: On the surface, this isn’t a very good system, as the top tier lacks big impact potential and the depth comes in the form of future relievers and second-division types. But the lower minors hold some interesting talent, as players like Rondon, Sanchez, Green, and Middleton could emerge as legit prospects in 2014, taking the farm to a higher level.

[Tyler]

If Cron is really the 3rd best prospect then we have a horrible system or we need to trade him because his value has peaked.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Shane

[Angel Oracle]

Admittedly, Sanchez being just under 6 foot isn't a death knell for MLB future. Just ask Pedro Martinez. But to rate the guy 9th without ever throwing a pro pitch and being only 16 is extreme. That said, I am intrigued by his future.

Are lower round picks like Morin and Borenstein dissed like this in other teams' rankings?

[Stradling]

Who knows if they are being "dissed" or not. My guess is these guys simply think the 10 guys they chose will be better major leaguers or have more upside. Despite what a couple of you think, there is no prospect conspiracy.

[Toby Ziegler]

Who knows if they are being "dissed" or not. My guess is these guys simply think the 10 guys they chose will be better major leaguers or have more upside. Despite what a couple of you think, there is no prospect conspiracy.

 

Oh no?

 

So you believe there are four pitchers in your system who are better prospects than Morin? Really? I would argue that he's the best of the bunch. Alvarez is talented, to be sure, but Morin is talented and refined. The jury is still out on Sappington. I'm not convinced he'll make it as a starter. In any case, I don't see his upside being much better than a back-end of the rotation innings eater if he remains a starter. Green is a project, not a prospect. Same with Sanchez. They may have promise (and/or large signing bonuses which makes you think they have promise -- see Ryan Bolden and Chevy Clarke), but they are at least 4-5 years away from sniffing MLB, assuming they get there at all. Raw talent is only part of the equation. It takes a lot more than natural ability to make it. Meanwhile, Morin was MLB-ready last season, IMO. He will come up and be a difference-maker right away in the bullpen. An absolute joke he didn't make the top-10.

 

Cron had a good season at Inland Empire in 2012, but it wasn't even close to what Zach did. Same with Grichuk. And they were both mediocre this season. Hard to say that they showed any kind of real development. Mediocrity should not be rewarded or praised.

 

And forget about mediocrity for a moment. What about an unmitigated disaster like Cowart? You could find 50 pitchers who would have hit better than him. Do you really, truly believe Cowart is the 2nd best prospect in your farm system? Because if you do I've got a bridge to sell you. Is his draft position and prospect status that important to you? I can say this with the utmost confidence: most organizations wouldn't want to touch him with a 10-foot pole right now. Meanwhile, there are teams who are interested in a "worse" prospect like my brother, and they are actively seeking him out.

 

The Angels need pitching. You'll get a lot more for Zach and Morin than you will for Cowart. That is reality, not the prospect fantasyland some of you are living in. Trade Cowart, and you'll get pennies on the dollar.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Toby Ziegler

[mtangelsfan]

Ok, I'm unlocking this now.  We move on.  No comments about what I cleaned up.  None.

[Docwaukee]

Ok, I'm unlocking this now.  We move on.  No comments about what I cleaned up.  None.

 

it look's nice.  I like where you put the coffee table, and the bean bag is a nice touch. 

[Docwaukee]

I actually think it's fun when a prospect you have touted when few other have actually makes it and does well. 

 

Toby - I am not looking to add fuel to the fire, and I never saw what was written and cleaned up by mt so I hope I am not rekindling things, but why does it matter? 

 

the Angels likely know what they have.  I am sure other teams scouts know as well and base none of their impressions on where some website ranks a player. 

 

this is just my opinion, but regardless of any ranking, I would be far more bummed to lose Zach or Morin to a trade than I would CJ Cron or RJ Alvarez. 

 

I think it would be a shame if your brother took this kind of stuff to heart and it had and adverse affect on his performance.  If anything, I hope it motivates him that much more because at the end of the day it's performance that matters.  There are stars and superstars all over baseball who the pundits didn't give two shits about.  I promise you, a little bit of thicker skin will work wonders for ya. 

[John Smith]

Relievers are typically not ranked very high by most sites, that being said, I'm surprised to see Alvarez at number four.

[Scott34]

I actually think it's fun when a prospect you have touted when few other have actually makes it and does well. 

 

Toby - I am not looking to add fuel to the fire, and I never saw what was written and cleaned up by mt so I hope I am not rekindling things, but why does it matter? 

 

the Angels likely know what they have.  I am sure other teams scouts know as well and base none of their impressions on where some website ranks a player. 

 

this is just my opinion, but regardless of any ranking, I would be far more bummed to lose Zach or Morin to a trade than I would CJ Cron or RJ Alvarez. 

 

I think it would be a shame if your brother took this kind of stuff to heart and it had and adverse affect on his performance.  If anything, I hope it motivates him that much more because at the end of the day it's performance that matters.  There are stars and superstars all over baseball who the pundits didn't give two shits about.  I promise you, a little bit of thicker skin will work wonders for ya. 

 

You should be more excited about what Alvarez could possibly do.  In my eyes, his ceiling is a legitimate closer.  Because he relies more on command and a good change up, Morin will never be anything more than a set-up guy, which is still valuable.  But Alvarez has wipe-out stuff.  He could be the K-Rod ala '02 for the Angels in '14.

[Docwaukee]

You should be more excited about what Alvarez could possibly do.  In my eyes, his ceiling is a legitimate closer.  Because he relies more on command and a good change up, Morin will never be anything more than a set-up guy, which is still valuable.  But Alvarez has wipe-out stuff.  He could be the K-Rod ala '02 for the Angels in '14.

I am not a scout nor do I have an opportunity to see any of the prospects but on very rare occasions so my pov is certainly skewed, but I have followed the halos farm system for quite awhile and have seen a number of guys with supposed killer stuff that never develop the control to get them and keep them in the bigs.  I feel like the same kind of things were said of kohn and jepsen.  Great two pitch repertoires yet needed work on command. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see him succeed, but I will bet on the guys who actually put up the numbers more often than the guys who project to be better than their results.  Of course, as you have actually seen him, I trust that there are things that don't come across by just looking at the box score so I will take your word for it.  

[Toby Ziegler]

You should be more excited about what Alvarez could possibly do.  In my eyes, his ceiling is a legitimate closer.  Because he relies more on command and a good change up, Morin will never be anything more than a set-up guy, which is still valuable.  But Alvarez has wipe-out stuff.  He could be the K-Rod ala '02 for the Angels in '14.

 

Alvarez does have electric stuff, but Morin compares favorably with a guy like Trevor Hoffman, and he had a pretty good career. I wouldn't write him off as just a set-up man. And in general if you can be a bridge you can also be a closer.

 

Since Morin should easily have the biggest impact of all the arms next year with the big club, I actually find it comical that he was left off the top-10. I'll be sure to bring it up during the season when he's dealing. Scouts need to be held accountable for their more egregious mistakes. No one ever takes them to task.

Edited November 10, 2013 by Toby Ziegler

[Scott34]

I am not a scout nor do I have an opportunity to see any of the prospects but on very rare occasions so my pov is certainly skewed, but I have followed the halos farm system for quite awhile and have seen a number of guys with supposed killer stuff that never develop the control to get them and keep them in the bigs.  I feel like the same kind of things were said of kohn and jepsen.  Great two pitch repertoires yet needed work on command. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see him succeed, but I will bet on the guys who actually put up the numbers more often than the guys who project to be better than their results.  Of course, as you have actually seen him, I trust that there are things that don't come across by just looking at the box score so I will take your word for it.  

 

It's the ol' ceiling vs. floor debate.  There is little doubt that Morin will be at least a solid middle reliever, based on his command and overall pitchability.  Alvarez might flame out as a AAAA player but there's the chance that he K's 90 guys as a closer one day.  That's why he's the sexier prospect.

 

But I agree, we shouldn't rely on the Alvarez's of the world as they can easily die a fringe guy flying back and forth between Salt Lake and Anaheim.  It's nice to have a couple of those guys in the system, though.  And they are needed in any successful org.