Garrett Richards Angels Top Prospect #6

by Rev Halofan on Jul 29, 2011 2:30 AM PDT in Minor Leagues

We continue our countdown of the Angels Top 20 Minor League Prospects as discussed live on the March 29, 2011 episode of our LunchTime HaloTalk internet radio show with minor league analyst Ryan Ghan.

Ryan Ghan: At Number Six I have Garrett Richards. Pitcher, 2009 draft, first supplemental round; one of Eddie Bane's parting gifts to us.

A guy who a lot of people saw as a frontline starter a year ago. They said he had a chance of being a dominant number one or a really, really good number two. You know, he might not be that. I think he might have a ceiling as a number three. He's got good stuff. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, really good slider. There has been some speculation that his mechanics and arm action change when he throws his curveball and his change-up, meaning he tips those pitches. That would be a very good explanation of why he has never quite seen the success that the quality of his raw stuff suggests he should have. You know, he is a guy we've talked about for a couple of years now. A guy who has gotten a lot of publicity and a guy who should put up ridiculously good numbers in Double-A in the beginning of 2011. That's a good park for him.

Rev Halofan: Yeah. Arkansas plays in a park that has been a pitcher's paradise. Does that skew things and maybe make us too confident about a pitcher especially relative to how we get confident about hitters in Salt Lake?

Ryan Ghan: I think it might. I mean, that would be a very good explanation for why the Angles pushed Trevor Reckling as quickly as they did. You know, they looked at his numbers in Double-A in the previous year and saw that his walk rate was high, his strikeout rate wasn't great, but he had that beautiful tiny homerun rate and good overall success. But that's at a park where fly balls go to die. It's one of the most extreme pitchers' parks in the minors and the Angels brass may not have accounted for that as much as they should have. But if they weren't accounting for it properly before, I'm sure that post-Reckling, they've learned their lesson now.

Ryan called it as Garret Richards has stayed in AA despite an amazing season. He is 11-1 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and has allowed only 107 hits in 128 Innings Pitched this year for the Arkansas Travellers.

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Does Garrett Richards crack the 2012 rotation?

Weaver
Haren
Santana
Chatwood
Richards or Free Agent

by LAA101010 on Jul 29, 2011 4:54 AM PDT reply actions

I think it's worth a shot

The Angels have to start sloughing off these aging contracts. Between Bell, Palmer, and Richards, I think they’ve got their fifth stater and some backup. beyond that I know it’s shaky, but let Abreu and Hunter fall off and take it from there.

Unless they can get CC after an opt-out. Then go all in on that.

R.I.P. Nick Adenhart - Always an Angel

by Kernel on Jul 29, 2011 6:26 AM PDT reply actions

You've got to give it to Richards don't you?

You stay out of FA pissing wars, and concentrate on offense. Hopefully 3rd base.

Unlike this cat, my love for the LAA will never die.

by NathanielS on Jul 29, 2011 8:02 AM PDT reply actions

Seen Richards in Person?

Ryan have you or has anyone seen him pitch this year or talked to scouts about his change-up or curveball? I’m wondering if he’s learned to throw those pitches without tipping them as much and if that’s led to his success as he’s been unbelievable this year and seems to be catching batters off guard. Batters are hitting just .229 off him, the lowest avg. against anyone in our minors. Also, is he pitching towards contact more, with a lower K/9 and more complete games suggest?

by stereoscopic on Jul 29, 2011 10:14 AM PDT reply actions

No, I haven't seen him pitch since spring training

Reports on him haven’t been very high quality either. The last game he pitched is on milb tv, but I haven’t seen it yet due to lack of a high quality internet connection.

So no news yet on the development of his extensive offspeed arsenal. I’m not surprised to see his K-rate dip, mainly because AA seems to be the level where Angels’ coaches really drum in the “three pitches, one out” mantra (both Reckling and Chatwood listed pitch efficiency as their priority number one in interviews given at the AA level). In other words, K’s at the AA level aren’t necessarily what Halos’ prospects are judged by in house; good sequencing and command, getting outs on pitchers’ pitches early in the count, are the primary concern.

I think real improvement at this point is hard to gauge from the numbers. Most of our pitching prospects look really, really good when they’re pitching in that Arkansas park.

by rghan on Jul 29, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions

Three Travs questions, Ryan, if you have the time.

1. Is Shoemaker for real? He’s obviously not young, and he was torched in his brief visit to the PCL, but he seems to be thriving in AA, and is not subject to the extreme road splits that Richards is (2.61 road ERA).

2. Why is McKiernan getting this long of a look as a starter? By many measures, he’s the worst pitcher in the Texas League, but they keep trotting him out there. Rich uncle in the cigar club?

3. What do you think about Ryan Brasier’s transformation to relief? Think he sticks? Seems like it has allowed him to throw strikes more consistently. His first two games in the PCL were not pretty, but since then, he’s only given up three hits over his last seven appearances.

by Turks Teeth on Jul 29, 2011 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions

Don't have great answers for you..

1) My notes from watching Shoemaker a few months ago:

Shoemaker – Big dude! 6’2", 225. Wide, sloping shoulders, stocky frame. 24, but will be 25 in September. Non drafted FA out of Eastern Michigan in 2008. Worked his way into starting from BP with a good 2009 campaign in Cedar Rapids. Stayed under the radar a bit in 2010, yielding lots of hits in the Cal League and PCL, but good K/IP and K/BB ratios. Very simple, compact delivery, Comes over the top, hiding the ball, but doesn’t always get all the way over the top, loosing command up in the zone. Good/great angle to the plate, difficult for hitters to square up. Hard BB – slider?

Basically, when he’s on he has plus command of his fastball, works it expertly from side to side on the plate, doing a good job of jamming hitters, and his breaking ball was enough to keep hitters from sitting too much on his fastball. I think Bell is a good comp in terms of stuff and pitchability, and remember how successful he was in the Texas League.

2) McKiernan has a wide arsenal, good command, and has always been very young for his league. I think they’re in love with his make-up, and are hoping his FB jumps a few ticks. No harm in playing him out.

3) I think Brasier has a big league, mid 90’s FB. Command isn’t always great, and when I saw him last (Cal league) his CB was very identifiable coming out of his hand, though it did have big, sweeping break. I think he has a good relief-profile, probably a middle innings guy, though his FB gives him more upside than that.

by rghan on Jul 29, 2011 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Much Thanks

Thanks for the quick reply and insight into the AA pitching concerns. I agree with your last point and Shoemaker is looking like the posterboy for said point: a stud in Arkansas, but his time in RC and SLC looked terrible.

by stereoscopic on Jul 29, 2011 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions

I hadn't checked into the home/road splits on Richards in awhile.

They are, indeed, extreme — suggesting a very serious Dickey Stephens effect.

Home: 1.86 ERA, .196 avg against, 1 HRs
Away: 4.57 ERA, .258 avg against, 7 HRs

We’re going to have to be very patient when he sees Salt Lake time. He’s going to go from a park with a .81 HR multiplier to one with a 1.09 HR multiplier when he’s promoted. (Minor League Park factors here.)

by Turks Teeth on Jul 29, 2011 10:18 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs