Angels Prospect Rankings Picture Emerges

by Rev Halofan on Jan 30, 2012 6:40 PM PST in Minor Leagues

The Baseball America website has published its 2012 Top Ten Angels Prospects and their list matches the one made for Halos Heaven by our minor league analyst Ryan Ghan pretty closely. Add in the recent prospect rankings of John Sickels at SBN's Minor League Ball and a clear picture begins to emerge of just who Angels fans should be on the lookout for in the coming years.

Baseball America Top Ten (with Halos Heaven and Minor League Ball prospect rankings)

Mike Trout (1, 1)
Jean Segura (3, 3)
Garrett Richards (2, 2)
Johnny Hellweg (4, 7)
C.J. Cron (5, 6)
Kaleb Cowart (7, 5)
Taylor Lindsey (9, 4)
Daniel Tillman (<10, 10)
Ariel Pena (<10, <10)
Nick Maronde (6, 9)

Both Halos Heaven and Minor League Ball included Luis Jimenez as their #8 prospect with Ryan Ghan adding Kole Calhoun as his #10 Angels prospect. But the uniformity of the lists indicates a thin system with easy to spot studs. Last season's BA Top 10 featured five prospects appear on the big league team: Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, Tyler Chatwood, Jordan Walden, Trout and Richards. Two from last year (Fabio Mesa-Martinez and Cam Bedrosian) were injured for 2011, leaving Segura and Cowart as the only 2011 top prospects still in development.

Knowing the makeup of the 2012 big league club, the only thing holding Trout in the minor leagues is the weight of the Bobby Abreu contract and the untradeable lightness of being of Vernon Wells. Richards is on the fifth starter bubble with Jerome Williams, Brad Mills and Trevor Bell. Segura was injured for most of 2012 and may repeat the Cal League at least in April. With the apparent healing of Kendrys Morales and the Abreu-Wells bottleneck, Cron is not Anaheim-bound until 2014 at the earliest, even with rocket development fast-track and all. Ryan Ghan already noted that his #9 selection of Lindsey would have been #7 in light of the Spring Training invite that the infielder received earlier this month.

Considering the current depth of the Angels, the only position player breakout season that might earn a call-up (beyond Trout's inevitable move to Anaheim) for good is Lucho Jimenez, as the weakness at 3B just begs for a storybook addition if Trumbo is clumsy and Alberto Callaspo stays just an unnoticed blip above league average. Lucho was added to the 40-Man roster this offseason, so stranger things have happened.

For 2012, though, it seems the Angels "story of my life" is the story of their depth keeping the farm to develop away from the bigs.

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Comments

Minor League Ball has Lindsey 4?

Even in our system that seems a bit generous.

by moralesforpresident on Jan 30, 2012 6:54 PM PST reply actions

They wanted to give him a confidence boost since his name could also be a girls name

Chili Davis hater since the mid 80's

by Sinatrasratpack on Jan 30, 2012 7:10 PM PST up reply actions

I know we are thin in the minors nowadays

but that doesn’t mean I can’t be excited about the guys we do have. The development of Cowart is what I am keeping my eye on

Chili Davis hater since the mid 80's

by Sinatrasratpack on Jan 30, 2012 7:09 PM PST reply actions

I'm not sure about him just yet.

Scouts love it when you see a real toolsy player like Cowart, but sometimes the fact that he’s a “jack of all trades”, so to speak, means that he’s not great at any one thing. All the reports I’ve seen predict he has 20-25 HR power, not exactly worthy of huge hype just yet. If he can compliment that by hitting for average and playing good defense, then we’ll see. I’ve seen too many toolsy prospects wash out to buy in this early in his career.

by moralesforpresident on Jan 31, 2012 12:00 AM PST up reply actions

Really excited

to see what Segura does. Segura, Cron, and Richards all look like stud major leaguers

by Morales8 on Jan 30, 2012 7:47 PM PST reply actions

I wonder how Cron is going to develop.

Scioscia has never shown a proclivity to having a full time DH, but that’s what Cron’s career is looking like right now. If his power is as good as people keep saying, I don’t care where we play him. By the time he’s ready for big league action, we won’t have this DH logjam in his way. Unlike that other guy, Jerry keeps an eye on the future and plans accordingly.

by moralesforpresident on Jan 31, 2012 12:02 AM PST up reply actions

Biggest shock to me: Who the hell is

Lay Batista?

Then comes: Chris Iannetta being the Angels’ catcher in 2015…..(awfully big dollars by 2015).

Then comes: Howerd (aka: Howie) Kendirck playing RF in 2015…..(I guess that could happen).

Then, both Haren and Santana being in the starting rotation in 2015……….(although, that’s what I want).

Then, the fact that Baseball America’s 2015 Projected Lineup includes only two left-handed bats (switch hitters).

Four years into the future (2015), the Angels will be the Angels we know?…minus young power bats Morales and Trumbo?

I guess Cole Calhoun, Alberto Rosario, Andrew Romine, and Angel Castillo will be our bench….in 2015.

by wumbug on Jan 30, 2012 9:10 PM PST reply actions

What I'm expecting for 2015

C- Conger
1B- Albert
2B- Howie
3B- Jimenez/Cowart
SS- Segura
LF- Trout
CF- Petey
RF- Trumbo
DH- Morales/Cron (mostly injury and contract dependent, but only one of these guys will be in the organization I think)
Starter 1- Weave
Starter 2- Dirty Dan
Starter 3- CJ
Starter 4- FA who is yet to be signed (not Ervin)
Starter 5- Garret Richards
Closer – Jordan Walden

I think 2015 has could be the peak year of what’s bound to be a good decade for this club (knocking on wood), since Vernon will be gone and many of our minor league talent will be reaching their maturity. This looks like a scary good and cost effective team.

by lightupthehalo29 on Jan 30, 2012 9:32 PM PST reply actions

Rev,

your carrots are backward. Greaterthan > Ten 10

by Halowitz on Jan 30, 2012 11:51 PM PST reply actions

I think he means

that those prospects were ranked *worse (less) than #10 in the organization.

Faith Focus Finish

by b0rd3rline on Jan 31, 2012 1:07 AM PST up reply actions

yes that is what i meant

LESS than #10 in a ranking is 11 or below.

by Rev Halofan on Jan 31, 2012 11:07 AM PST up reply actions

I really think that other than some fairly minor moves at the top, involving the bullpen

the best think Dipoto can do is rebuild our minor league system. I’m excited about this because six months ago I would have thought that was his strength, not signing huge free agents. This is going to be an interesting five years.

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

by NathanielS on Jan 31, 2012 9:42 AM PST reply actions