Second Base

No, it's just a touchy subject for a number of reasons. 
1. I'm doing back squats and am getting more muscular there, but I'm still so self conscious about my hindquarters. 
2. I talk to a lot of these prospects via text or in person sometimes, and if I'm writing about their butts.....I dunno, might make things weird. 

Dark hued natural aquatic species.

You have to keep challenging these kids otherwise they won't grow.  What's the advantage in allowing Canning to continue dominating AA?  I mean his ERA was below 2.00 and he's striking out crazy amounts of hitters. 
Let's say that scout from another team is right and Canning needs to be humbled so that he can grow.  The best place for a pitcher to be humbled is Salt Lake City in the Pacific Coast League.  If that park and those hitters don't humble a pitcher, then sorry, it's just not going to happen in the minor leagues, you'll need to promote him to the big leagues for that. 

Many teams still look for high school talent in rounds 8-10. The Angels spent to bring in extra talent earlier in the draft and thus could only spend so much in rounds 8-10. Then in round 11 they spend again because that bonus isn't slot based. 
Many 11th round picks receive bonuses on par with a third or fourth round pick, whereas 10th round picks will sometimes get a bonus on par with the guys at the very end of the draft.
Sometimes undrafted FA actually sign for more than those that are actually drafted.
 

Dark hued natural aquatic species.

I think if I'm trying to look at this from an unbiased standpoint, I'd have to consider his assessment of Adell punishing bad pitches. His homeruns have come in bunches. This to me seems more evident of an adjustment in approach rather than minor league pitchers making mistakes in bunches and then not making mistakes for a while. That just doesn't add up.
So in my opinion, he's missing on Adell. Looking "beautiful" in the uniform is one thing. Destroying two levels of ball against competition 3-4 years older than him is another thing entirely.
And while I do agree he ends up in a corner OF spot, I think this has less to do with Adell and more to do with Mike Trout.

One scout I spoke with believed he was the best pure hitter in the teenage circuit in a few years. Not a ton of upside, but he can flat out rake from what I understand. 

I like that he expects so much of himself. All the best players do. I think what seperates guys like Simmons and Trout are their ability to shake it off quickly when they fail.
It is very much a mental thing and would make sense why a teenager might struggle with it.

Well....I've heard of GM's making a phone call for a minor leaguer, or even coming by and shaking hands if it's a high profile one. The real selling, going out of their way and pulling out all the stops, that's reserved for major free agents. 
I've NEVER heard of a GM chasing a prospect this hard. As soon as he's legal to speak with, Eppler and the AGMs and Swanson are on the phone with his agents and on an international flight to sell him on the organization and offer him a contract in person, then flying him back to the U.S. to go over the game plan with him and where they see him.
Eppler had a lot going on. Free agency, winter meetings, the Ohtani pitch, but he made signing Kevin Maitan a top priority. That's how much Eppler and Swanson believe in his ability.
So yeah, in my opinion, I think he's the real deal, and I think he's been portrayed in a less than favorable light. Those swings and the pictures from AZ were ugly. He looked terrible, and out of shape. 
He shows up in Orem, has a beautiful swing, looks normal in the uniform and is moving around perfectly fine at SS. 
Either he made vast improvements in his body shape and hitting ability in a very, very short amount of time, or a certain someone chose to only show the ugly moments from extended ST.
Long run, I think we got ourselves an all-star third baseman.

I think if I'm trying to look at this from an unbiased standpoint, I'd have to consider his assessment of Adell punishing bad pitches. His homeruns have come in bunches. This to me seems more evident of an adjustment in approach rather than minor league pitchers making mistakes in bunches and then not making mistakes for a while. That just doesn't add up.
So in my opinion, he's missing on Adell. Looking "beautiful" in the uniform is one thing. Destroying two levels of ball against competition 3-4 years older than him is another thing entirely.
And while I do agree he ends up in a corner OF spot, I think this has less to do with Adell and more to do with Mike Trout.

Some interesting comments from this guy.  
I think it's important to emphasize the small sample this guy has for all of these players
I also think it's important to understand the context.  Sorry Jeff, there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.  I don't know his, but you can see some of them shining through in certain areas of his commentary.  Maybe he was a former halo scout that got fired.  Maybe he doesn't like Eppler's high ceiling approach.  
I have zero claim in terms of experience relative to this guy.  I watch a ton of these minor league games and as a die hard fan, I am completely biased.  But I've seen a lot of minor leaguers over the years and I have a pretty good memory of who was special and who wasn't.  Who was good then and who looks mediocre now.  
I'm more analytical.  I don't know this guy but he doesn't seem to be in the 'progressive' pool.  I get an old school vibe by his terminology like 'mistake power', hated his disposition, he looks good in a uniform, chip on his shoulder, him being humbled, he can swing it, his swing is robotic, up and down guy, small guys that play big etc.  
I have a mental picture of this guy and it's that of either overweight or super thin.  visor.  balding.  golf shirt.  weathered skin.  maybe mid to late 60's.  note pad or some sort of paper to write on.  maybe a pencil behind the ear.  If he does have an ipad or lap top, he touches the screen like he's worried about it crashing or exploding every time he does so.  He might even wear glasses with with chain around his wrinkled leathery neck.  
Anyway, two more things.  First, thanks to Jeff for writing this article.  I love shit like this.  Second, here is my biased, analytical, half-bake, pseudo-experienced, message board analysis of his take:
Jordon Adell:  this has to be early in the season or early in his call up to A+.  He had 1hr in his first 81 pa at burlington.  Then 5 in his next 27 PA.  Then 3 in his next 67 pa at IE hitting .188.  then 5 in his next 45 pa with a 1.462 ops.  The lows were at the start and the high were to follow.  Jordon Adell is not getting 'dominated' by the fastball.  I have personally seen him hit no less than 3 or 4 oppo bombs on fastballs.  He's clearly got some holes but he adjusts as well as any of the more elite prospects I've seen.  I agree that he ends up a corner OFer.  The fact that he punishes mistake breaking balls over the wall is a good thing btw.  Most minor leaguers struggle most with breaking balls.  I like Justin Upton as a high end comp for him.  I also like Reggie Sanders
Brandon Marsh - so Marsh was a beast a A ball through until 5/8.  got called up on 5/7.  Adell was meh at A ball till 5/15.  There's your timeline.   From 5/10 to current, Marsh has 6 xbh and 48k in 157pa.  I really like Marsh.  I've mentioned before he's feast or famine from one at bat to the next.  Looks completely over matched for two AB and then hits a screaming triple down the RF line on a tough pitch.  From what I've seen, he's actually the opposite of Adell.  Struggles big time with the breaking ball.  
Canning - agree with his assessment
Suarez - has better stuff than he's giving him credit for.  Better than Barria.  Probably better than Heaney.  
Gatto - what I've seen of him (in probably 5 starts this year) is exactly what Scotty has said.  down in the zone he's amazing.  Up in the zone he gets hammered.  He'll be the #4/5 guy that gives you 6-7 with 7k and 1er and then 4 innings and 5er in his next start.  
Thaiss - fair assessment.
Jam Jones - he's not totally wrong here but I think he's undervaluing Jones athleticism.  His swing is a bit robotic but to me, that means it's consistent.  Old school guys like swings that are loose.  Not that Howie is a comp for Jones because he had way better contact ability, but his swing is robotic as well.  Jean Segura is a good high end comp at the plate.  He can also play the OF so he's not a one position guy.  The two most difficult things for 2bmen, especially early in their career, is the ability to go left and throwing from angles.  those are repetition skills and can be acquired.  See Adam Kennedy, Howie Kendrick Robinson Cano and Dee Gordon.  Jones has 55 pro games at 2b and he's already gotten much better.  
Castillo - can't disagree.  he's looked very pedestrian to me this year.  I saw 90-94 last year.  Does't look anywhere close this year.  The curve is solid and the change ok but for him it was all about change of speed and he's high 80's with his fastball right now.  Not sure what happened.  
Rengifo - Not sure about his ability to 'mash'.  I haven't seen a ton of power.  To me, a lot of his xbh power has come from his speed which is plus but not crazy.  Has great at bats and makes great contact.   Part of my bias here is that he was so mediocre to this point and how could we possible have gotten such a good player for CJ Cron.  Seems to be the real deal though.  
Ward - his 'I hated his disposition' is an interesting way to put that he didn't have the patience or collaborative effort to be a catcher.  He's basically concerned about his own game.  Which is fine for a position player not behind the plate.  I'll give the scouting report he would have given had he seen him.  'Limited range at 3rd with a good arm.  knows how to take an at bat but he's a bit stiff and lacks true danger to maintain his current discipline'.  The big question is whether he's as good of a hitter as he's been.  He sprays line drive singles to all fields because he sees a lot of hitters counts.  That's a good thing btw,  but that .404 BABIP isn't going to stick.  He'll see a lot more meaningful strikes early in the count in the major if he doesn't show the ability to hit for power.  
Fletcher- he is a total gamer.  A guy that managers will love.  Above avg defense.  He's gonna see a lot more plus breaking balls at the major league level vs. what he saw at AAA and he's gonna swing a ton.  The key will be if he can lay off those out of zone.  Or will those turn into more k's and weak contact?  I have a good old school phrase to describe his old vs. new approach/swing.  He used to be hole to hole and now he's line to line.  And for the record, he's actually pretty avg high and weight for a position player and likely bigger than most middle infielders at 5'11, 180lbs.  
So there's me rosying up this guys opinion.  As mentioned, he didn't even talk about Rodriguez, Maitan, Herm, Rivas, Soriano, Deveaux, Luis Pena (who I may be in the minority of being bullish on), Acquino and several DSL/AZL/Orem guys of who there's been little exposure.
Thanks for the opportunity to spend a couple hours on my favorite subject.  
 

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/los-angeles-angels-kevin-maitan-gets-three-hits-for-orem-owlz/c-282213926?tcid=tw_article_282213926
"I just told him to relax, take a good approach and don't change anything you've been working on," Orem manager Dave Stapleton said. "He started things off for us and went up there not thinking too much. Just hit the ball hard and don't overdo it."
"Kevin impresses me more and more every day," Stapleton said. "He does things on the field that make you turn and go, 'Wow, he's only 18?' He's truly accepted a leadership role and is doing a great job with it. He's got a lot of upside and it's just a matter of us bringing him along and not letting him beat himself up too much over failures. He expects so much of himself."

Well....I've heard of GM's making a phone call for a minor leaguer, or even coming by and shaking hands if it's a high profile one. The real selling, going out of their way and pulling out all the stops, that's reserved for major free agents. 
I've NEVER heard of a GM chasing a prospect this hard. As soon as he's legal to speak with, Eppler and the AGMs and Swanson are on the phone with his agents and on an international flight to sell him on the organization and offer him a contract in person, then flying him back to the U.S. to go over the game plan with him and where they see him.
Eppler had a lot going on. Free agency, winter meetings, the Ohtani pitch, but he made signing Kevin Maitan a top priority. That's how much Eppler and Swanson believe in his ability.
So yeah, in my opinion, I think he's the real deal, and I think he's been portrayed in a less than favorable light. Those swings and the pictures from AZ were ugly. He looked terrible, and out of shape. 
He shows up in Orem, has a beautiful swing, looks normal in the uniform and is moving around perfectly fine at SS. 
Either he made vast improvements in his body shape and hitting ability in a very, very short amount of time, or a certain someone chose to only show the ugly moments from extended ST.
Long run, I think we got ourselves an all-star third baseman.

Rather than being long winded and opinionated as I usually am, I'll just say this. There's a reason why Eppler went so hard after Kevin Maitan.

Well....I've heard of GM's making a phone call for a minor leaguer, or even coming by and shaking hands if it's a high profile one. The real selling, going out of their way and pulling out all the stops, that's reserved for major free agents. 
I've NEVER heard of a GM chasing a prospect this hard. As soon as he's legal to speak with, Eppler and the AGMs and Swanson are on the phone with his agents and on an international flight to sell him on the organization and offer him a contract in person, then flying him back to the U.S. to go over the game plan with him and where they see him.
Eppler had a lot going on. Free agency, winter meetings, the Ohtani pitch, but he made signing Kevin Maitan a top priority. That's how much Eppler and Swanson believe in his ability.
So yeah, in my opinion, I think he's the real deal, and I think he's been portrayed in a less than favorable light. Those swings and the pictures from AZ were ugly. He looked terrible, and out of shape. 
He shows up in Orem, has a beautiful swing, looks normal in the uniform and is moving around perfectly fine at SS. 
Either he made vast improvements in his body shape and hitting ability in a very, very short amount of time, or a certain someone chose to only show the ugly moments from extended ST.
Long run, I think we got ourselves an all-star third baseman.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

Normally I'd say the "plug a hole" players won't be a problem, but so far, that's mostly what Eppler has brought in. 
I'd rather play a prospect over a plug player.

And Scotty, you’ve gotta stop being so butthurt when professional scouts and paid analysts have different opinions than yours. ?

Harper will likely be worth whatever he gets paid.  I mean just scratch his 19 and 20 year old seasons off because he was just getting his feet wet and learning the ropes.  From age 21 on, we see who he is as a player. 
21 - He was hurt, so the numbers were muted.  We still hadn't seen who he truly is. 
22 - He's healthy and absolutely erupts.  Easily an MVP season. 
23 - Just a down year by his standards, and still an all-star. 
24 - Another injured season, but before getting hurt, he was well on his way to yet another MVP season. 
25 - Bryce is in a weird spot.  For the first time in his career, he has no protection.  Murphy and Rendon are either hurt or ineffective, so pitchers are throwing him a lot of balls.  Bryce is feeling the pressure to perform to carry his team, but also is cognizant that this is a free agent year.  So he's expanding, chasing a lot of pitches he otherwise would never swing at.  IF he would just sit back and act like a statue he'd challenge Trout for the most walks in MLB.  But I think it's pride too.  Harper's an impatient dude and wants to be known and be paid as the best ever, so he's forcing the issue. 
Bryce needs to be in the right spot to succeed really.  He needs to be in a lineup that offers a ton of protection, but also emotionally needs to be coddled to as the undisputed star.  He also needs to be in a large market so that he can be paid accordingly,  There aren't a lot of teams that can offer that. 
Angels - No.  He's be compared to Trout and that would wreck him psychologically when he fails to measure up.  Plus Shohei would get more attention than him. 
Astros - Maybe.  He'd be the star and they have the money, but the Astros may prefer to hold onto their money and instead re-up all the young stars that are destined for FA. 
Yankees - Definitely a fit, but do they have an opening?
Boston - No openings, but he fits. 
Washington - A great fit.  There's an opening, a need, and they can afford him. 
Philadelphia - A great fit. They're on the up and up and his numbers would jump up in that HR happy park.  They have more money to spend than pretty much anyone. 
Dodgers - Perfect Fit.  It's near his home in LV, he gets to go Hollywood, play for a storied franchise, get paid insane amounts of money and would be the undisputed star. 
 
- My guess is Harper will be a Dodger. 

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.

You're too hard on yourself Kevin. You're not just some jackass posting on a message board.