Dave Saltzer

Merry Christmas everyone.
 
Now, let's get o to a hapoy and healthy New Year and some winning Angels Baseball! 

I am just going to say that this may be my favorite Top Prospect ranking that we've ever put out as an organization. 
 
Over the years, we've had better individual prospects, and better overall prospects. But, what makes this ranking so good is the format that we've gotten down and the caliber of the content that we've put out. I love how we have consensus rankings which gives readers a range of perspectives. I love the format with a picture for each player, and a link to all of the interviews that we have done. We have incorporated comments from everyone and we all have contacts with scouts and coaches, as well as having watched them, so there are a variety of viewpoints.
 
Basically, there is a ton of background work that goes into this ranking, and over the years, we've gotten this down into a very good form. Kudos to everyone who worked on it. This is really well done. 

Jackson really struggles to read pitches and make contact. If he could get his hit tool to a 40 or 45 range, he'd be great (although he'd still likely make a position change). I still believe that he can improve his hit tool, which would make his power all that much more useful. 
 
Paris has better defense and has shown that he makes more adjustments over time to the tougher competition. He has speed, but not the power, or Jackson, and will stick at SS. That makes him more useful., 

What he did in his limited Major League time was amazing, and unlikely to be repeated. The homerun he hit was a rarity, as he really hasn't shown that power before or that level of hitting. Defensively, he is very sound, and could be a strong utility player. But, based on years of looking at him, and coach/scout comments, he isn't likely to repeat what he did or anything close to it.
 
I would love to be wrong on this one.

I am just going to say that this may be my favorite Top Prospect ranking that we've ever put out as an organization. 
 
Over the years, we've had better individual prospects, and better overall prospects. But, what makes this ranking so good is the format that we've gotten down and the caliber of the content that we've put out. I love how we have consensus rankings which gives readers a range of perspectives. I love the format with a picture for each player, and a link to all of the interviews that we have done. We have incorporated comments from everyone and we all have contacts with scouts and coaches, as well as having watched them, so there are a variety of viewpoints.
 
Basically, there is a ton of background work that goes into this ranking, and over the years, we've gotten this down into a very good form. Kudos to everyone who worked on it. This is really well done. 

Wow! That's a cool story. Good for them.
 
I had a former student who did something similar. He and his friends rescued over 300 from one site, ranging in age from 6 months to over 60 years old. One of my coolest moments of teaching came after he did that. He emailed me and told me all about the story and then said that until he had me as a teacher he was convinced that he'd be dead or in jail with a lifetime sentence by the time he was 25, because that's what happened to all of his other male relatives. He never thought he'd ever do something as important as rescuing 300+ people. I am very proud of him.

Sorry Chuck. My boys have games for their fall ball/travel ball teams pretty much every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is truly amazing how many games, trips, car rides, etc that it takes to get a baseball player through high school. It is so much more to go beyond that! By the time we see a major leaguer, we are talking about thousands of games.
 
If things change, I will let you know. 

I am so glad that Logan took the time to talk with us and that Chuck got such a great interview with him. I am so looking forward to seeing him in an Angels uniform for many years. 
 
Here is his first pitch caught in the major leagues. 
193548 (1).mp4

Chuck, another good interview. I  really enjoyed his comments about focusing on being a team player and working on consistency. Both are very important and useful skills. That's another good reason for the Angels to have a great supporting group around our best prospects, so that they develop in a winning tradition and learn those skills necessary to dominate. 
 
Here's one way that I see Adams. He's in AA now and mostly holding his own. As the article points out, he's 2.2 years younger than his competition. At 22 he would have just been drafted this year or last year. Very few draft picks fom either year are mostly holding their own at AA, which would still make him a 2st round draft pick. While it seems like he's been around for a long time, that's because he was signed at such a young age. He's still a 1st round talent (and with a true 80 grade speed, more than has the tools to be such). 
 
I'm hoping he gets to the consistency, becomes a top notch defensive outfielder who can get on base enough to leadoff. That would be ideal, and what I'm hoping for with him. 
 

While pitching has gotten faster since then, two things:
 
Innings and number of pitches per outting have gone down. So, pitchers come in throwing harder and don't have to hold as much back in the tank. It's no different than comparing the average FB velo fom 2009 to the late 80s when pitchers went far deeper into games. 
 
The second thi g is, I'm not sure exactly when the most common radar guns changed, but most older players smirk at the velos posted because the radar guns from the past recorded the velo at a different location than when they were pitching, so the hubs appear "hot" and showing higher velos. So, depending on when that switch occurred, and how much it affected things, that too could play a role in the difference in velos. 
 
It's like how in the past they recorded temperatures at one height and now record it at another, which then appears to affect global climate change. 

Yes? I like cheese. And Edgar is not cheese. He's legit, like O'Hoppe. 
 
I'm still a bit more bullish on Jackson than you. That power is legit and I always thought that they would move him off of SS to either 3B,2B or the OF. He is very athletic. I believe he can get the contact rate and walk rate to something acceptable and will be a major leaguer. His versatility will be very desirable, along with his power. 
 
Agreed that we don't want to overvalue our prospects, but our farm is nowhere near as barren as people think. Go ahead and make a top 30 list and you will quickly see that you can't fit everyone in. You will be leaving names off. 
 
And, at the same time, check game logs and splits. I figured Paris would earn a promotion based on his splits. And he's not the only one improving after a horrid start. So, there is lots to like down on he farm. 
 

Congratulations on your first game as a Major Leaguer Ryan! We need more players who can draw a couple of walks in a game. 
 
It's always great to see a local kid making it with his hometown team. But seriously people, can we get more of our players to model their play after Trout or Ohtani? Enough with Yankee players, even if he is Jeter..... 

Thank you @TaylorBlakeWard for this Writeup. I always enjoy your insights.
 
There are so many variables to consider when looking at numbers from the DSL and ACL that in many cases, the small sample sizes are too variable. Plus, even when kids come from the DSL to ACL, there is so much work done to get the kids used to living in America, etc, that again a lot of it becomes noise. 
 
How's ver, in aggregate, the noise actually does become useful. You pointed out all the top 10 performances the teams saw this year. So, this is my question to you:in aggregate, how would you compare our DSL and ACL teams to those fom other organizations? 
 
Thanks again. 

That's an excellent point. More players should make their focus on limiting mistakes and making that a major goal. 

That's an excellent point. More players should make their focus on limiting mistakes and making that a major goal. 

This may be my favorite AW.com interview of all time, definitely heard my all time favorite response to any question when he said the thing he works at most is limiting his mistakes... Kid wants to be swaggy but gets that limiting mistakes trumps it all.  Love it.

The hat. And Arte calling him out on the hat. No one can ever forget that. 

The hat. And Arte calling him out on the hat. No one can ever forget that. 

The hat. And Arte calling him out on the hat. No one can ever forget that. 

The hat. And Arte calling him out on the hat. No one can ever forget that. 

Congratulations on your first game as a Major Leaguer Ryan! We need more players who can draw a couple of walks in a game. 
 
It's always great to see a local kid making it with his hometown team. But seriously people, can we get more of our players to model their play after Trout or Ohtani? Enough with Yankee players, even if he is Jeter..... 

Speaking of Joyce, congratulations on earning your first professional save tonight! 
 
With Ky Bush starting and Joyce closing, that's a solid combination bat should last for many years. 

I believe that we have the potential within 2 years of having a very good and homegrown bullpen in Anaheim. Very excited about seeing Joyce as a part of that. 

Speaking of Joyce, congratulations on earning your first professional save tonight! 
 
With Ky Bush starting and Joyce closing, that's a solid combination bat should last for many years. 

Most minor league teams are independently owned and operated. The ACL Angels and DSL Angels are the only teams that I think the Angels own. The players are controlled by the team, so they won't be leaving
 
 
The agreements tying the Minor League teams to us are usually for 2 years, and rarely for 4 years. The affiliations would transfer to a new owner.  If a Minor League team wanted to switch, they would have to find a new ML organization that wants to affiliate with them, and then there will be a reshuffling of the deck.