Our Top 20 is comprised from a transcript from the March 29, 2011 LunchTime HaloTalk radio show held every Tuesday Live and linked here at Halos Heaven. THIS Top 20 was tabulated exclusively for us by our minor league expert analyst Ryan Ghan.
REV HALOFAN: Who is the number ten Angels prospect?
RYAN GHAN: This is the guy who has moved up the most: I have Jeremy Moore down as our our tenth best prospect. He improves his game every single year. A sixth round pick back in 2005, Moore started with outstanding physical tools, but had no idea how to hit. He gets a little bit better with each season. The thing that stands out most about Moore's bat is that he can go the other way with authority. More than half of his homeruns were hit to left or centerfield. He's a left-handed hitter, so that's pushing the ball, that's driving the ball to the opposite field. That's pretty unique among Angels' prospects. In fact, few hitters have that kind of profile. He's still working on pulling the ball.
It's interesting that he doesn't hit more homeruns to right field, but that's something that could change very quickly if he figures out when he can turn on the ball. The strikeouts are still an issue. I don't know if it's his 2-strike approach, or if it's a hole in his swing. He develops his power more with bat speed than with strength -- he's not a huge guy -- so he's likely susceptible to offspeed stuff disrupting his timing. He may have a tough time picking up breaking balls late in the count. I don't know if those issues are going to be resolved, and they're currently keeping him from realizing his considerable potential. I'm not going to pretend that he's a perfect player. You know, those strikeouts are awful, but he does some exciting things in the field --baserunning, power, and defense -- and his crazy package of tools could make his career unpredictable and potentially very, very exciting.
REVHF: So, let me ask you real quick, because I'm not as familiar with Moore as Grichuk. I know Randal Grichuk is like the same age as Mike Trout. He's like 19. He legally can't drink for another eight years or something, but we've got Grichuk, he's very young. How old is Jeremy Moore?
RGHAN: Moore is the same age as Bourjos. So, I think that puts him at 24.
REVHF: And he'll be in Salt Lake this year?
RGHAN: Yeah. They'll definitely move him up to Salt Lake this year. He'll probably be playing in left and center there. He's not an outstanding center fielder, but he can hold it down. He's got a shot at being major league average in center field. He'll likely be good in the corners, but there is a minor red flag: for the last two years, Sean Smith's TotalZone hasn't been too excited about his glove work in the corners. You'd think that with his athleticism, his ability to play a credible center field, Moore would be an asset out there with the glove. It certainly makes him an attractive bench option. You know, the Angels have three starting outfielders right now who currently bat from the right side. As a good defender and left-handed bat with some punch off the bench, Moore could have a lot of value.
Happy Birthday to Jeremy Moore, who turns 24 tomorrow. In 292 Plate Appearances for AAA Salt Lake he is batting .283 with an OPS of .794 and in 72 games he has 76 hits, 74 strikeouts and 128 total bases.