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Angels Winter Ball Prospects Worth Looking At


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I think Morin and Borenstein will start to rise up the prospect ladder pretty quickly. I mean, Morin has been very dominant the last two years and I see him as the future closer, if not long-term setup man ala Scott Shields. That K/BB ratio makes me happy in my pants.

 

As for Zach, I expect him to get off to a slow start having to make adjustments, but I believe he will and will emerge as one of the Angels' top prospects. Regardless of his age he was still crazy dominant and I look forward to seeing what he can do at the next level.

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Nope, don't really have a problem with it, other than when the writer said he wasn't any good in Low-A in 2012.

 

 

Zach Borenstein â€“ The outfielder was named Cal League MVP last season and for good reason, he absolutely torched the league.  He’s a prospect I’m somewhat confused by.  First of all, he’s built like a tank and bats left-handed, how were scouts not impressed by him in college?  Why wasn’t he any good in A Ball and all of a sudden amazing in the Cal League?  Given that he was old for the league, I think this was just a case of Borenstein finding his comfort zone and taking advantage of the extreme hitting conditions the league presents batters with.  Regardless, he’s playing against the best prospects in the game in the AFL, so we’ll get a chance to really see what he’s made of.  And so far, he’s not doing very well at all, which isn’t terribly damaging to his bandwagon but at the same time it lends credence to those who believe his numbers were a Cal League mirage.

 

The writer poses a good question about why scouts weren't more impressed with him in college. There was that one scouting report I posted, which was overall very flattering. But I've always wondered about this as well, and I have my theories. At any rate, if he had gotten back to the Marlins sooner, he would have been taken in the 17th round. The Pirates would have taken him in the 9th round on the condition that he put the gear on.

 

He was actually pretty good last year in Low-A, so that part I take exception with. He had the 5th best OPS and the 6th best SLG in the Angels' farm system in 2012.

 

I've already gone over the adjustments Zach made this year in his thread. The Cal League's hitting environment played a part, but that certainly wasn't the main reason for his success.

 

As far as what he's doing right now in the AFL, he doesn't really play, so yeah... He's played 12 games in like 35 days. When you sit out for 2-4 days at a time, your timing is going to be off. And hitting is all about timing. Plus, I just think he's tired from his first full pro season. See Trout and Baez in the AFL. I know he's pissed off about his performance. I told him not to beat himself up over it. He hasn't really been put in a position to succeed. That didn't go over too well. He's still pissed off. And just looking at the numbers, his BABIP is crazy low, his strikeouts are acceptable, and he's walking at a very high rate. He's lined out hard a bunch of times right at guys. Pretty fair to say that he's suffering from some serious bad luck.

 

The offseason will do him good. Rest up, hit the gym, eat better, gain some weight back, take your mind off of baseball for awhile.

Edited by Toby Ziegler
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I envision Zach's status remaining stagnant over the coming season, through variables that really have very little to do with him.  His splits in the Cal League strongly suggested his HR numbers were certainly a byproduct of the environment just the way his poor numbers in Cedar Rapids were a byproduct of that environment.  

 

Those expecting him to see good minor league pitching for the first time in AA and succeed in Dickey Stephens Park are in for a rude awakening.  Zach made adjustments in the Cal League so I suspect the batting average in the end should end up relatively solid, I'll say .280ish.  But as for the power numbers, I'll say 30 DB and 15-20 HR's.  

 

Now box score lookers will see .280/.345 30 DB and 17 HR and will think he didn't do as well.  On the other hand, he'll be a year closer to the pro's and will not have completely faded away yet.  He'll post solid numbers in AAA Salt Lake and earn his way onto a roster from there.  We'll see if he finds a team willing to give him a shot after that. 

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I envision Zach's status remaining stagnant over the coming season, through variables that really have very little to do with him.  His splits in the Cal League strongly suggested his HR numbers were certainly a byproduct of the environment just the way his poor numbers in Cedar Rapids were a byproduct of that environment.  

 

Those expecting him to see good minor league pitching for the first time in AA and succeed in Dickey Stephens Park are in for a rude awakening.  Zach made adjustments in the Cal League so I suspect the batting average in the end should end up relatively solid, I'll say .280ish.  But as for the power numbers, I'll say 30 DB and 15-20 HR's.  

 

Now box score lookers will see .280/.345 30 DB and 17 HR and will think he didn't do as well.  On the other hand, he'll be a year closer to the pro's and will not have completely faded away yet.  He'll post solid numbers in AAA Salt Lake and earn his way onto a roster from there.  We'll see if he finds a team willing to give him a shot after that. 

 

Another in a long line of obnoxious posts taking shots at Zach. Does anyone else see why I have issues with this poster? Ridiculous.

 

First of all, he didn't have poor numbers at Cedar Rapids. Second of all, you're acting like he was worthless at home in the Cal League, when in fact he was much, much better than Cron (.685 OPS), Grichuk (.802 OPS), and Lindsey (.757 OPS) when they were there. Zach posted a .939 OPS at home. Did he hit 21 HRs (22 with the postseason) on the road and 7 HRs (8 with the postseason) at home? Yes. Does that mean that all of those 21 HRs were wind-aided or park-aided? Hell no. Cron hit 5 HRs at home and 22 on the road (in 100 more PAs than Zach btw), and yet you maintain he has incredible power. Can't have it both ways. Grichuk hit 7 HRs at home in 2012 and hit 22 HRs this year in AA. But Zach is limited to 15-20. Double standard much?

 

He didn't face good minor league pitching at all in High-A? Whatever. I guess everyone who comes through High-A gets BP fastballs and hanging curveballs right down the cock. Obviously, he will face better pitching at higher levels, but it just sounds like you're trying to diminish what he accomplished this year, which fits your profile.

 

He may not start the year in AA, either. As I said in another thread, Scott Servais talked to him about possibly starting 2014 in AAA.

 

At any rate, I haven't exactly made it a secret that I think it would be best if he were traded this offseason for his sake; the Angels currently do not have any room for him on their roster. And I'm certain people close to Cron and Grichuk feel the exact same way for their sake.

 

With douchey fans like you (only talking about ScottyA here), who needs detractors?!

Edited by Toby Ziegler
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I envision Zach's status remaining stagnant over the coming season

 

his HR numbers were certainly a byproduct of the environment

 

Those expecting him to see good minor league pitching for the first time in AA and succeed in Dickey Stephens Park are in for a rude awakening.

 

On the other hand, he'll be a year closer to the pro's and will not have completely faded away yet. (implying that he will fade away)  

 

We'll see if he finds a team willing to give him a shot after that. (implying that he'll be lucky to find a team willing to give him a shot)

 

Just awful wording on so many levels. A tactful person would have said he was skeptical and left it at that.

 

I'm being 100% serious right now. Can a moderator step in and talk to ScottyA about not making any posts about Zach? I find most of them offensive. Put a muzzle on this rabid dog.

Edited by Toby Ziegler
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If a moderator talks to Scotty and suggests that he not comment on Zach anymore then that same moderator should make sure Toby never comments on Scotty's posts anymore. I say that because Toby reads between the lines about Scotty's posts about other players and assumes he is taking shots at Zach even when Zach is not the subject.

Toby, if Cron's brother or Cowarts brother was on this website, and for all we know they are, would you change your opinion or post differently about them than you do? Scotty has an opinion and he shares it, just like you do. You are reading way too much into his posts.

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If a moderator talks to Scotty and suggests that he not comment on Zach anymore then that same moderator should make sure Toby never comments on Scotty's posts anymore. I say that because Toby reads between the lines about Scotty's posts about other players and assumes he is taking shots at Zach even when Zach is not the subject.

Toby, if Cron's brother or Cowarts brother was on this website, and for all we know they are, would you change your opinion or post differently about them than you do? Scotty has an opinion and he shares it, just like you do. You are reading way too much into his posts.

 

How about you stay out of it? You are clueless. I didn't read between the lines here at all. It's about as blatant as it gets in this thread.

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I predicted Zach would hit AA as well as Cron did, who was an Allstar by the way, move on to AAA, crush that pitching and make his way onto a major league roster and from all of that you thought I was insulting him? Toby, I really hope you get the help you need. I may not like you, but I quite like your brother as a ball player. No one hates him because he's Jewish, there's no conspiracy among talent evaluators to screw your brother and the Angels as an organization aren't actively looking to stall his career.

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He has a much thicker skin than I do. I'm pretty sure he doesn't go on these horrible message boards, so thank God for that. He's always played with a chip on his shoulder for a reason, though.

If these message boards are so "horrible" then why are you here?

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Toby, righting the wrongs from message board to message board. I honestly hope your brother is an amazing player. But you are a piece of work, seriously. At this point with the whole defending your brother bullshit, you have come across like such an ass that no one is going to read anything you have to say and take it seriously. I have read your stuff and you make great points, up until you bitch and moan about the PERCEIVED treatment of your brother. Maybe the reason your brother plays with a chip on his shoulder is because his support cast does nothing but tell him he has been wronged. It's cool to be proud of your brother and his accomplishments, but when it gets to the point that he and you are victims, that's where you lose all credibility. Oh and you never answered my question about how you would share your opinions if Cowart or Cron's brothers were board members.

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I think most people here like Zach and are excited about him as a prospect. Others may not know who he is because they don't follow the minor leagues closely.

I mean, part of being a professional at anything is being able to deal with, and ultimately ignore criticism. Even if Zach Borenstein becomes the greatest player of all time, he will not be immune to criticism. In fact, he would see more of it simply because of how big he has become. Not everyone is going to see Zach as the next big thing and that is ok. Now if people were saying he sucks and is a POS then I can see getting all pissy and defensive. I have not seen anything of the sort. Even the harshest criticism is based around how he may not turn into a good major league player. You don't agree with that and being his brother you shouldn't agree with it. But my god this crusade against any and all criticism of your brother is absolutely absurd. What happens when he does make the big leagues and is playing full time? You are going to go insane. Every time he strikes out, or makes an error, or a baserunning mistake, he will be criticized for it. That is what happens to professional athletes. Are you really going to "defend what is right" after every single play he is involved in? I think the best route would be to simply ignore it and not give a shit what anyone says.

I personally am excited for Zach. He is a left handed bat with a ton of power. Lord knows the Angels have no abundance of those in their system. I think if he is being considered to start at AAA next year that speaks volumes about what the org thinks of him. Hell he could end up seeing a cup of coffee next year and that would be exciting for your entire family. But it won't be if you get so worked up over any criticism, real or perceived about Zach.

Let your brother do the talking with his bat. If he's as good as you think he is and continues to hit on the level he did in 2013 (this is very possible) then he will shut people up and get the recognition he deserves in no time.

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I'll spell it out plainly for you, then, since you still don't see what's wrong with this picture.

 

Paul Goldschmidt hit 35 HRs in the Cal League.

 

George Springer hit 22 HRs last year for Lancaster, with 13 of them hit at Lancaster. His OPS at home was 1.044. On the road, it was .847.

 

Mark Trumbo hit 26 HRs in the Cal League at Rancho.

 

Billy Butler hit 25 HRs at High Desert.

 

Randal Grichuk hit 18 HRs in the Cal League.

 

Carlos Santana hit 14 HRs when he played at Inland Empire.

 

 

My question to ScottyA is were all of their HRs "a byproduct of their environment," too?

 

And why make the assumption that Zach is going to fall flat on his face next year? Did you make the same assumptions for Grichuk, Cron, and Lindsey? If you're really a fan, why not give the player the benefit of the doubt?

Edited by Toby Ziegler
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