Randal Grichuk's Big Half Season: Top Angels Prospect Performances, #31-#35

by rghan on Oct 17, 2010 6:47 AM PDT in Minor Leagues

Remember that this list is based entirely on statistical performance in 2010, and is not a traditional "best prospects" ranking.

35) Randal Grichuk, 8/13/91 - OF, Single A and ASL

.299/.335/.566 with 11 HR's and 39 XBH's in 266 PA. +17 bat, -5 glove, 1.77 WAR

It would be easy to dismiss Grichuk's season as a wash, his August/September success just canceling out his April/May failure. But while the Midwest League is generally a difficult place to hit, that's much, much more true in the cold, damp April weather. When he went down with the thumb sprain in May, Grichuk's .711 OPS still made him one of the league's most productive teenagers. The .366/385/.645 line he put up upon returning was otherworldly. Put that together, and you have a very good showing for a teenager widely panned as unworthy of a first round pick, making him perhaps the most underrated guy in the Halos' system. Plate discipline will continue to be his biggest challenge, but there were modest (very modest!) improvements in 2010: his K-rate dipped from 27% in his pro debut to to under 25%, and his walk rate crept to over 4%. Here's a link to video of what I thought was an especially impressive at bat.

34) Bryant George, 7/17/88 - Advanced Rookie League

5 wins, 2 losses. 43.2 IP, 40 hits, 2.68 ERA, 48 K/18 BB. +11 runs saved, 1.81 WAR

At 5'10", 178 lbs, George is an undersized, hard throwing righty that the Halos plucked out of the second day of the draft (13th round - that's where the Halos nabbed Kohn in 2008, if you put stock in precedent). He had served as a set-up guy and sometimes closer at Southern Illinois University, but overall had an uneven amateur track record. The Halos obviously saw something they liked, and so far he's been very good in pro ball. I'm looking forward to seeing the scouting report on him.

33) Rafael Rodriguez, 9/24/84 - RHRP, AAA

5 wins, 3 losses. 50.1 IP, 41 hits, 3.04 ERA, 30 K/15 BB. +11 runs saved, 1.81 WAR

In the initial months of 2010, Rodriguez continued to look like the mildly intriguing bullpen piece that Baseball America described entering the season, when they ranked him the 22nd best prospect in the system (eight spots ahead of Mike Kohn). The Diamondbacks liked him enough to include him in the Haren trade, but sadly he fell apart after the transaction, logging just 13 innings and giving up 16 hits and 13 runs for their AAA affiliate. Suckers.

32) Michael Kohn, 6/26/86 - RHRP, AA, AAA and Majors

5 wins, 4 losses, 11 saves. 46 IP, 28 hits, 2.15 ERA, 57 K/28 BB. +13 runs saved, 1.85 WAR

Recent reports suggest Kohn's velocity is down from last year, when Kotchman tagged him with that tantalizing "sneaky 94" comment. So far he's holding it together at the big league level, but sitting at just 91 mph, his margin for error isn't huge. I'm only cautiously optimistic entering 2011 -- I don't worry much about his control now that the jitters are gone, but I do worry about the possibility of major league hitters catching up to his deceptive motion and reduced velocity.

31) Cory Aldridge, 6/13/79 - Of, AAA

.318/.388/.535 with 13 HR in 338 PA. +18 bat, -5 glove, 1.86 WAR

Depending on what transactions go down this winter - DFA's, free agents, trades, etc - Aldridge has a chance of remaining with the Halos into next year. His big league debut didn't go so hot, but he does provide depth and his bat would sure help the Bees out.

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Since Grichuk had a -5 glove in the

Kohnfed.

by angelskid2210 on Oct 17, 2010 8:04 AM PDT reply actions

Whoops......-5 glove in the outfield

and our outfield being clogged, do you think he could make a switch to 1st base seeing that we are pretty thin there right now?

Kohnfed.

by angelskid2210 on Oct 17, 2010 8:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Wouldn't say we're thin at 1B

The Halos brass really likes Gabe Jacobo. ‘11 draftees Kole Calhoun and Brandon Decker both play 1B. As a fifth round pick, Haerther will get more chances. Most importantly, Morales is entrenched for three more years and Trumbo’s right there behind him, so I don’t think there’s an organizational imperative to look at Grichuk at 1B.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in the TotalZone glove rating over just half a season. Sean Smith, the system’s creator, would tell you that even a whole season’s worth of data provides only a peak at what a player might be capable of; you really need several seasons worth of data to argue with conviction about a player’s fielding skills. Since Grichuk did ok according to TZ last year (+4, including some time in CF), I’d still peg him as a guy who has a chance to be average in an outfield corner. Reports from early in the season were very positive about his increased armstrength, which is another positive marker about his ability to stick there.

by rghan on Oct 17, 2010 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions

RG is still my guy

Goooo Grichuk.

"Oh man, moral victories and pulling confidence from losses, that's crap" -Marcus Stroud

by norcaliangelsfan on Oct 17, 2010 8:44 AM PDT reply actions

Wow, Grichuk did have a really good season.

The injuries are unfortunate though, especially the wrist injury that he had a couple weeks before the playoffs that ended up needing surgery.

by ~MMP~ on Oct 17, 2010 8:46 AM PDT reply actions

I'm not worried about Kohn's velocity.

I think he was just getting gassed late in the year. When I had the opportunity to see him with SLC he was sitting at 93-94.

"You play for Cleveland? I didn't know they still had a team." - Claire Holloway
"Yup, we've got uniforms and everything, it's really great!" - Jake Taylor

by Halowood on Oct 17, 2010 11:08 AM PDT reply actions

Very good to hear

by rghan on Oct 17, 2010 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions

I just can't take Grichuk seriously right now

Maybe someone can help with my memory, but I have no recollection of a prospect with such horrific plate discipline — regardless of age or playing level — ever amounting to much. He’s making even Brandon Wood’s K/BB rates from the lower minors look like John Olerud or something.

by Suboptimal on Oct 17, 2010 4:37 PM PDT reply actions

It's a problem

Wladimir Balentien, Willy Mo Pena, and Bill Hall all had comparable ratios in the Midwest League, which doesn’t inspire confidence. That said, Grichuk remains absurdly young. Against same age competition in the AZL, his BB/K ratio was a better but still mediocre 3 to 1. I’m going to continue to tout the bat despite the horrendous discipline until he’s 20.

by rghan on Oct 18, 2010 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions