UP AND IN Podcast on Halos Farm

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Feb 6, 2012 11:29 AM PST

UP AND IN is a weekly podcast via Baseball Prospectus featuring two dudes who write for them, Jason Parks (@professorparks) and Kevin Goldstein (@Kevin_Goldstein). It's a podcast for extreme baseball nerds like myself and has helped me get through the off-season. They also do a bunch of non-baseball, "dude" type stuff like the "What Are You Drinking" segment.

Anyways, they did their run down of the Angels farm system recently. I typed it up while listening so I didn't differentiate between Kevin and Jason. With the Halos system they seemed to mostly agree on each player anyway so it doesn't matter much.

Here's a short, concise recap of who and what they said:

Mike Trout - "Best prospect in baseball. People say Harper...but I'm not so sure, Trout is a legit stud. Harper is a beast but I love everything Trout does. "

Jean Segura - "Love Segura. We are totally Segura dudes. but a few issues with the body. Might loose some range the older he gets. Love his bat, hell of a player."

John Hellweg - "Mixed on him. Depends on when you see him apparently. Kind of a spectacular mess. I think its his size. Just so hard to control that much size. But he was so good as a starter when they switched him. With the ballpark adjustment, I think that actually might become a negative ERA for when he switched. Problem: One, secondary stuff....two, can he maintain control of that body. So many dudes who dont start throwing strikes until their 28...sometimes it takes that long. And can he find a feel for the change-up. But I can't think of any guys like him who have such a well-rounded arsenal."

Taylor Lindsey - "Not the type of player I usually like, not particularly tools-y but I've seen the dude hit and he can pretty much hit anything. He barrels everything, hard contact. His approach is going to have to change a bit."

Jeremy Moore - "Hit, little bit of pop, little bit of run, bats lefty. I just think he will end up having a pretty decent baseball career. Hes a dude who nobody talks about who might be around for a long career. Not a star but could be a legit, 4th outfielder"

Kaleb Cowart -" Number one on this list next year. I think hes a five star guy in the making. Some people didnt see him as a position player. I think hes that kind of rare, third base prospect, good D, good arm, good power, some average. I think he can be a five star guy in the making and right now, there are not a lot guys in this system who have that potential."

You can listen and find it via iTunes or HERE. I have no affiliation with these dudes. Just like what they do and wanted to share!

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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Curious how much they saw Cowart in person to come to that conclusion

RIP Nick Adenhart

by ihearhowie2.0 on Feb 6, 2012 11:52 AM PST reply actions

Why? Have you seen him in person too?

Do you disagree? If so, I’m curious of your opinion.

"The Transplant" (So. Cal boy stuck in NYC)

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Feb 6, 2012 12:29 PM PST up reply actions

I really have no opinion

I just have not seen that positive of a look at Cowart and I am partial towards our own prospect rankings here which brought up the possibility of him switching back to the mound

RIP Nick Adenhart

by ihearhowie2.0 on Feb 6, 2012 3:58 PM PST up reply actions

They like Cowart but somewhat cautious...

I think they are going off his ceiling here. Jason Parks was the one who was mainly high on him. And he basically said that this year in the Midwest league (I think?) would really show his true colors.

They don’t expect him to be a superstar and they don’t expect him to hit for average. But they think he could be a solid defender who hits a fair amount of bombs.

"The Transplant" (So. Cal boy stuck in NYC)

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Feb 6, 2012 5:29 PM PST up reply actions

Sign me up!

RIP Nick Adenhart

by ihearhowie2.0 on Feb 7, 2012 10:01 AM PST up reply actions

I've seen him several times

Texas Farm Review

by jparks77 on Feb 6, 2012 6:22 PM PST up reply actions

That's what I figured

Statistically he doesn’t jump out so I assumed he must be passing the eyeball test

RIP Nick Adenhart

by ihearhowie2.0 on Feb 7, 2012 10:03 AM PST up reply actions

Segura would be more valuable to us at 3B.

I like him. He’s a Howie Kendrick with speed.

by moralesforpresident on Feb 6, 2012 12:25 PM PST via mobile reply actions

They talked a bunch about Segura earlier in the show...

Jason feels that Segura still has a chance to be a SS. Kevin is not so sure.

They both came to the conclusion that if there is ever whispers of a player possibly moving to another position it almost always happens eventually.

Both seem really high on the guy. REALLY high on him.

"The Transplant" (So. Cal boy stuck in NYC)

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Feb 6, 2012 12:29 PM PST up reply actions

I don't agree at all

Everything I read about Segura tells me he becomes a very ordinary player outside the middle of the infield. If Cowart is really the stud these two think he’ll be (Goldstein is my favorite prospect hound so I love that he’s so high on him) that’s the basket I’d put my eggs in.

by dmhead on Feb 6, 2012 1:01 PM PST up reply actions

What I'm referring ot is not his skill-set but where he fits in our lineup.

Howie is going to be here for the next 4 years. If Aybar is locked up as well, a position change will be inevitable. That’s my point.

If we let Aybar go, I have no qualms about Segura at shortstop. He doesn’t need to change positions for lack of ability. It’s simply a matter of where he fits in.

by moralesforpresident on Feb 6, 2012 2:20 PM PST up reply actions

I hear ya

But don’t you think we should have a higher standard for third base? If Aybar and Kendrick are both locked up, Segura should become trade bait. My guess? They are going to wait and see what kind of years Aybar and Segura both have before making any long term decisions.

by dmhead on Feb 7, 2012 10:04 AM PST up reply actions

Higher standard? I'd love to if it were possible.

3B is no longer filled with star players everywhere you look. You know it’s a weak position nowadays when Alberto Callaspo could arguably one of the top 5 in the game right now. That’s bad.

If Segura performs as expected, he would instantly be one of the best 3B in baseball, even though that’s a testament more to the lack of talent at the position than his dynamic skill set. He’ll be a good player, but never a great player.

by moralesforpresident on Feb 7, 2012 10:08 PM PST up reply actions

Cowart? Jimenez?

Honestly, by the time Segura is major league ready (he didn’t exactly tear up the Cal league last year) there might actually be a couple options from outside the organization.

by dmhead on Feb 8, 2012 9:34 AM PST up reply actions

Cowart hasn't shown anything yet.

Right now, hype is all it is. I hope Cowart develops how we expect him to, but you never know.

I actually like Jimenez. I feel like I’m in the minority when I say that I would like him to be our 3B in a couple years. He’s amazing on defense, and his bat is deceivingly good. He won’t hit 30 HR, but he’s a slugger who can hit .280-.300. The problem is that he has no patience. He’s the perfect example of an Angels hitter, he’s a hacker who needs to learn to take a walk.

In my opinion, Segura is a faster Dustin Pedroia with a little less offensive ability. If he in fact develops into that kind of player, I would be ecstatic.

by moralesforpresident on Feb 8, 2012 1:14 PM PST up reply actions