News From The Angels Farm: Unexpected Preliminary Placements

Hank Conger may not stick with last season's High A class in 2009.

The Halos FO announced that they will likely assign Hank Conger to high A Rancho Cucamonga for a second tour with the Quakes after he breaks big league camp. I like this move. Hank's bat could play in AA right now, but (1) he could use more time to work on his defense at the lower level; (2) as our catcher of the future, he should become as familiar as possible with potential pitchers of the future, so catching Reckling, Tobin, Perez, etc. will be a productive use of his time; and (3) more Cal League at-bats to work on plate discipline and ironing out the kinks in his right-handed swing couldn't hurt. MLB and AAA depth means that there is absolutely no reason to rush Hank. Plus, Hank hitting in a lineup that also includes Fuller, Jacobo, and Matt Sweeney will make the trip to Rancho well worth it to the local fans.

Turns out, Mount to AAA was not only just a rumor, but a false rumor. (hat tip, G Abbes)

Lastly, the Halos brought Eddie McKiernan into the big-league-camp. Eddie spent last season as the Cedar Rapids closer, and posted respectable if not overwhelming numbers. He's still only a teenager, so he's got lots of time to develop and the experience will likely be good for him.