Below are rankings 11 through 20.  Again, I generated this list using only a performance to age score, so it incorporates none of the scouting information necessary for "best prospect" type rankings.  For that you can go to FutureAngels.com, which just published its 10 best prospects list. The information I include below is for context.  Cheers!

11)  Trevor Reckling, 19. lhsp.  Low A. k/inning = 0.84   k/bb = 2.17  go/ao = 1.71

Baseball America called it, labeling the 19-year-old Reckling as the Angels’ breakout candidate of 2008.  He did not disappoint, pacing the year-older Jordan Walden in most stats for much of the season.  While Walden did eventually edge Reckling’s strikeout rand groundball ratios, the latter’s relative youth and left-handedness make him nearly as valuable as a prospect. Reckling hits the low 90’s with his fastball, but his best pitch is a hammer curve. The next challenge for Trevor will be to maintain his k-rate and ground ball ratio in the California League; if he can do that, then the Angels will be sitting on yet another very valuable pitching prospect. I do not want to downplay the “if” caveat – fellow 2007 draftees Michael Anton, Robert Fish, and Mason Tobin, all turned in impressive professional debuts, only to stall when they faced more advanced competition.  

12) Angel Castillo, 19. rf/cf. Rk. .281/.345/.533

Angel Castillo’s 2008 performance indicates a broad set of above average skills.  The considerable time he spent in centerfield this season underscores his athleticism, though he will likely shift to right field full time in the coming years.  Strikeouts will limit his batting average until his contact rate improves, but he also showed that he is open to taking a walk, reflecting his balance as a hitter.  His .250 ISO is great but not outstanding for the hitter-friendly Pioneer League, and will undoubtedly regress in the Midwest League, where he’ll likely open 2009. Look for the power to explode again once he reaches the California League. He probably has the highest ceiling of any outfield prospect currently in the Angels’ system.  

13)  Darwin Perez, 19. ss. Rk. .287/.394/.425

For anyone worried about the Angel’s pipeline of middle infield prospects running dry, meet teenager Darwin Perez.  He showed classic lead-off tools in the Pioneer League, posting a strong stolen base percentage, working counts for plenty of walks, and even flashing some pop.  A late season slump sunk his average below the .300 mark, but he continued reaching base to the bitter end of the disappointing Pioneer League playoffs.  While Perez’ performance in isolation was great, I do want to keep things in perspective: back in 2002, a six-months-younger Erick Aybar posted slightly better numbers than Perez in the Pioneer League, while a 19-year old Sean Rodriguez schooled them both by mashing to the clip of a 1.055 OPS in 2004.

14) Kevin Jepson, 24. rhrp, AAA. k/inning = 1.02   k/bb = 1.87   go/ao = 2.55

Kevin Jepson broke into the majors this year as a reliever for the Halos, supplanting Justin Speier on the postseason roster.  He throws hard, strikes out more than a batter an inning, and led the Angels’ organization in groundball rate.  Like Speier, however, Jepson frequently wrestles with his control, so his success at limiting the free passes will dictate his ceiling in the majors. He’s blessed with back of the bullpen velocity and stuff, and he’ll have his chance to establish himself for good in the Angels’ bullpen this year.

15)  Tyler Chatwood, 18.5. rhsp. ASL. k/inning = 1.26   k/bb = 1.33   go/ao = 2.35

The Angels elected to take two-way stud Tyler Chatwood in the 2008 supplemental first round as a pitcher, instead of as an outfielder, shortstop, or catcher.  His professional debut showed off the pure stuff that made him such a highly touted prospect: his strikeout and groundball ratios were through the roof.  He pitches in the mid 90’s and already shows two above average offspeed offerings. However, Chatwood struggled mightily with his control, even if the walks never really caught up to his ERA.  No one wrote about control issues coming into the draft, so the wildness might just be a statistical blip.  Nevertheless, it clearly points to what we should look for in his follow-up seasons.  A side note: Tyler apparently leaves behind a mixed legacy at Redlands East Valley High School, where the “Hate for Tyler Chatwood” MySpace page has swelled to 51 members.  

16)  Peter Bourjos, 21. cf. A+  .295/.326/.444

Through the first half of the season, Peter Bourjos looked unstoppable.  His batting average rose steadily through April, May and June to peak at the .340 mark, and he stole bases with impunity, getting caught only once a month, or every 15 or so tries.  Considering that scouts’ biggest question about him going into the 2008 season was whether he could hit for sufficient average, Bourjos appeared to be answering with a tremendous breakout season. Then the half came around, at which point Bourjos couldn’t get a hit to save his life and getting thrown out on the basepaths at a much higher frequency. I saw him play in August, and he looked lost at the plate, aggressive to the point of futility.  If he is ever to lead off for a major league team, he needs to emphasize working counts to get on base. That said, he’s shown better (though by no means great) plate discipline in the past, he’s young, his centerfield defense is stellar, and he projects to hit for more power, so there remains plenty of reason to keep an eye on him as he moves up to the higher levels.

17)  Ariel Pena, 19. rhsp. DSL. k/inning = 1.14   k/bb = 4.23   go/ao = 1.00

Ariel Pena is the second of a quartet of teenage Angels’ pitching prospects to emerge from the DR last summer. He struck out well over a batter an inning, flashed great control, and posted a decent groundball to flyball ratio. Baudilio Lopez clearly bested Pena in the groundball department, and that, combined with the six month age gap, pushed Lopez eight steps up the rankings.  However, I want to emphasize here just how good this group of teenagers – Lopez, Pena, Martinez Mesa, and Arena – might be: I think they represent the equivalent of having drafted four extra 1st- / 2nd-round-caliber arms last year, and I am pumped to watch them progress through the Angels’ system.

18)  Anthony Ortega, 23. rhsp. AAA  k/inning = 0.60    k/bb = 1.91   go/ao = 1.29

Anthony Ortega is one of those quiet successes that will maintain the Angels’ minor league depth, even as the organization’s status drops temporarily in national rankings. His pitch-to-contact style is similar to that of both the older Nick Green and the younger Sean O’Sulliven, though he induced more ground balls this year than either of them. He’ll need to keep doing that, because his k/inning and control are both low-average for his level.  It will be interesting to see what happens to his ERA when he returns to Salt Lake in the coming year, as he benefited mightily from a low batting average of balls in play in 2008.

19)  Sean O’Sullivan, 21. rhsp. A+  k/inning = 0.70   k/bb = 2.22  go/ao = 1.29

Following consecutive ERA titles in the Pioneer and Midwest Leagues, expectations for O’Sullivan entering 2008 were high. He stumbled initially in the California League, where his pitch-to-contact style backed by only average command yielded a 6.35 ERA through the All Star break. Afterwards, he settled down, allegedly because he regained his historically superb command, and turned in a much better 3.31 ERA through the end of the season. He shows good durability, his peripheral numbers stay pretty consistent, and he has always been very young compared to his competition. Pitching in the favorable Texas League environment should boost his stock in the coming season, though he will have to maintain his merely average k rate at the higher levels if he is ever going to ever crack a big-league rotation.

20)  Nick Green, 24. rhsp AAA. k/inning = 0.70   k/bb = 2.55   go/ao = 0.71

Nick entered the season ranking highly on most Angels’ prospect lists.  Like O’Sulliven, he had built a steady track record of health, consistency, and effectiveness via good command and pitching to contact, but had done so against better competition.  The one red flag heading into this season was his extreme flyball tendencies; unsurprisingly, that hurt him in Salt Lake, where he gave up 31 homeruns and just barely edged Nick Adenhart in ERA, 5.32 to 5.76.  Pitching with Southern California's marine layer above him half of the time, he might match John Garland’s 2008 stats someday as a back of the rotation starter or swingman out of the bullpen.