Toby Ziegler

A guy lobbying to be Zach's agent gave my dad an old scouting report of Zach from when he was in college by a scout named C. Heidt. Here are the contents of the scouting report, word-for-word: Hitting Ability: Present: 4/Future: 5 - Compact stroke w/ plus bat spd. Drives ball to all fields. Power: Present: 4/Future: 6 - Tremendous strength & quickness generates impressive LD pwr. Running Speed: Present: 4/Future: 4 - 6.65 60 indicates plus run, but big hacks limit time to 1B. Base Running: Present: 4/Future: 5 - Must improve run tech, but agg play leads to stolen bases. Arm Strength: Present: 5/Future: 5 - Solid zip & on-line carry. Arm Accuracy: Present: 4/Future: 5 - On target w/ most throws Fielding: Present: 4/Future: 5 - Ath enuf to make adjs, needs pro instruction to see results. Range: Present: 4/Future: 5 - Must harness plus foot spd. Baseball Instinct: Present: 4/Future: 5 - Games don't come ez, but intense worker will make adjs. Aggressiveness: Present: 6/Future: 6 - Competes on every play w/ bull in China shop approach Physical Description: Lg frame. Strong, durable build. Broad shoulders w/ defined chest. Trim waist w/ powerful lower half. Impressive physical strength. Sim to a stronger version of former ML, Hank Blalock. Abilities: Compact stroke w/ blur-like bat spd. Centers ball w/ LD thunder, can yank balls & flick them out of yard. Tools to play 3B w/ avg arm & soft hands. Plus str line spd. Good ath. Intense competitor. Weaknesses: Doesn't trust hands enuf, must allow pitch to run deeper & let bat spd take over. New to CF pos, fish out of water approach. Summation: LH col bat w/ juice. Coach has moved him to CF, but I believe best suited for his previous pos, 3B. Best bat spd in my area and also has easiest pwr. Gut feel plyr who will thrive in pro BB. Plus make-up.

Come on, dude. You're the one who is trying to goad (not goat) me into an argument! You brought up Nava again, and I've already explained my position on that comp. You also keep giving Zach the backhanded compliment that he plays above his skill set. I've brought up legitimate points about Cron and Grichuk in other threads, which you subsequently ignored. Evidently, I'm not the only one who is unwilling to listen. I recognize that I'm biased. How can I possibly deny it? That doesn't mean everything I say should be so easily dismissed. It's a nice card to play, though. Is it really so farfetched to say that Zach has the most power in the farm system and that his hit tool has also become a plus tool?

He does not play above his tools; he has nice tools. I believe he has the best power tool in the farm system. His hit tool has come a long way this year. He has above average speed. Look man, I appreciate what you're trying to do here. But it's not a flattering comparison when you also said that Nava is his ceiling. That's where I'm coming from. Why don't you reserve judgment and let him keep playing before you determine how good he can be?

I really couldn't say. But I know his ceiling is much higher than Nava's.

Mike Trout is the best all-around player in the game and a generational talent. I'm not delusional.

Maybe so, but sarcasm... kind of hard to pick up on the internet.

That's not a misquote.

Duly noted.

I'll post it again here. I just apologized to you for that in the other thread. I admit I shouldn't have said I wanted a malignant tumor to metastasize in your system. That was also in poor taste. But in my defense, you were the one who made it personal. I do apologize for taking it too far, though. I believe you also owe me an apology.

I admit I shouldn't have said I wanted a malignant tumor to metastasize in your system. That was also in poor taste. But in my defense, you were the one who made it personal. I do apologize for taking it too far, though. Still, for someone to wish my brother gets AIDS (even if he claims he's being flippant) is just so hateful it's sickening. I can't believe people actually liked that post. Ugh.

Wow. Because I never get tired of hearing that. Really, how can you guys call yourselves fans when some of you (not most of you, I hope) actively root against one of your best prospects just because I'm persona non grata around here? I get that you all think I'm this terrible person, but how petty. Definitely raises questions about your fandom. Mark Grace was supposed to be kind of a jerk, but that didn't bother me at all. Growing up, I loved him as a player. And if he happened to have a relative I didn't like, that wouldn't have changed my opinion of him at all. Cue more people saying how they hope Zach fails. I would honest to God be embarrassed if fans of my favorite team trashed one of our prospects out of spite. It'd be nice if someone backed me up on this. I may have gone too far with some of my remarks before, but I'm pretty sure I'm not in the wrong here.

I'm aware of that thread. I was referring to a thread in general about him. Besides, although I think it's cool that the site interviewed him, that interview thread generated zero discussion.

I was, but then I saw he had no thread. Didn't sit well with me.

WTF Extremely poor taste. Not funny at all. Very offensive. How did you ever become a moderator? And I'm accused of being a troll...

Anyways, back on topic... 89 games .346/.399/.660 (1.060) 23 HRs, 19 doubles, 7 triples, 82 RBIs, 64 runs scored California League Rankings: 1st in average 1st in slugging 1st in OPS 1st in ISO (.315) 1st in wOBA (.444) 1st in wRC+ (169) 2nd in HRs (only down by 1) 3rd in RBIs 5th in total bases (214) 50th in PAs Missed time from 6/16 to 7/9 Since he's come off the DL in 24 games: .430/.505/.791 (1.295) 7 HRs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 32 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 13 BBs/15 Ks

Way to deliberately pick players who have all struggled mightily in AA. I'm sure that isn't a reflection at all of how you feel about Zach and how you're now rooting against him because you dislike me. Vitriol, derision, insincerity. That's the essence of this forum. The Angels are having a terrible season, and most of you are bitter fans who are showing your true colors. I've been shit on here because I've taken exception to worse prospects being ranked much higher, the idea that he plays above his skill set (something none of you would say had he been drafted higher like he should have been), if he's lucky he could one day be as good as Daniel Nava-best case scenario, he's too old for his league and therefore a product of the Cal League environment, he has been legitimately treated poorly by the organization (denying it and poking fun at me doesn't make it any less true), and his splits are alarming and raise serious concerns about his ability. That about covers it, though I'm sure I'm leaving out a few things. Why would I possibly take exception to any of this? Stay classy, Angels fans.

I don't even know why I bothered.

My bullshit detector works pretty well, Omar Little.

What's so funny?

Since no one else on here ever talks him up and he still doesn't have his own thread... 3-4 with 1 HR, 1 triple, 1 BB, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored tonight Game-winning hit in extra innings Missed nearly a month of the season and is still competing for the Triple Crown and the lead in total bases. The best hitter in the Cal League. Not bad for the "16th best prospect" in your system.

The resource allocation needs to be modified. Also going in the book. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a huge disparity of talent between the West Coast, the Midwest, and the East Coast.

I think it had more to do with the fact that he was from New Jersey and not California.

Another glaring example of regional bias from scouts and organizations. Thanks for digging this up. Going in the book.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ha I'm done with this board. I'm not saying I'm misunderstood, but to be this maligned is outrageous. Enjoy your top prospects. It will be cause for celebration when Zach is traded just like Segura and Corbin and Skaggs and Chatwood...

So it's not permitted or socially acceptable to question the Angels' decision making? Check. Nor is it permitted to question scouts' judgment? Check. I haven't only given my brother props. If you took the time to read some of my posts instead of selectively reading, you would see that I've had nothing but praise for Stamets, Yarbrough, and Snyder. I believe Snyder is also getting screwed over by the organization for not being included in their top 20 prospects and have said as much. I defend my brother, maybe to a fault, but there you have it. I'm not going to pretend that everything is hunky-dory or be gracious when all I hear from everyone is how great Cron and Grichuk are and how my brother is a few pegs below them when I firmly believe with every fiber of my being that that could not be further from the truth. Yeah, I guess I rub people the wrong way. You especially, evidently. I only say what I believe to be true. Frazier Hall was one of Zach's teammates last year. I was sad to hear he's out of baseball. However, what does it tell you about an organization when a guy who is out of baseball now started last season ahead of Zach in Cedar Rapids? Yes, don't ever question the Angels' decision-making. Check...mate.