Angels Minor League All Stars

I tend to think Minor League All Stars are more likely to make their teams because they are good - and not because they play for the Yankees or Red Sox - of course there are always exceptions. It’s a different world in Minor League baseball. Let’s take a look at which Angels org players are going to make the cut.

Midwest League West Division Team

Level A
Game date/location: June 19th, Lansing, Michigan

Julio Garcia (2B, 20) - Most of the notable players at this level have moved on, leaving Julio Garcia as one of two players to represent the Burlington Bees. Garcia, who is slashing .248/./281/.360 was more of an obligatory pick since someone had to go.

Torii Hunter (OF, 23) - Hunter has a .350 OBP this year with 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts. He also has 5 triples. This dude can run.

California League Team

Level A+
Game date/location: June 19th, Lancaster, California

Jack Kruger (C, 23) - Kruger is hitting .283 with a .372 OBP and 3 home runs. He also has 10 stolen bases.

Jahmai Jones (2B, 20) - Yay for Jones! Jones is only hitting .250 this year with a .355 OBP but is batting .316 over his last 10 games. He also has 6 home runs and 9 stolen bases so is showing a bit of pop and speed.

Southern League Team

Level AA
Game date/location: June 19th, Birmingham, Alabama

Taylor Ward (3B, 24) - Now that he’s playing in Salt Lake, Ward won’t play in this game but it’s a nice nod regardless. Ward is hitting .344 with a .440 OBP and 7 home runs across 2 levels this year.

Michael Barash (C, 23) - Barash is only hitting .221 but has a .357 OBP. He also has only thrown out 18% of base stealers. Not quite sure how he made the cut since I would rather have seen Brennon Lund who leads the team in AVG, runs, and stolen bases.

Griffin Canning (RHP, 22) - Canning has had a great season, so it’s no surprise to see him on the team. He has a 1.66 ERA this year with a .164 BAA and 0.98 WHIP. He falls just short of landing on the leader boards for the Southern League but he’d be tops in WHIP and ERA. He MAY be on the board at the top after his outing today.

Zach Gibbons (OF, 24) - Gibbons is hitting .290 with a .356 OBP. He also has 3 outfield assists so far.

Pacific Coast League Team

Level AAA
Game date/location: July 11th, Columbus, Ohio

Since the game is later, voting hasn’t closed, but some Bees are on the leader board. Jabari Blash is the top overall vote getter and would seem to be a lock if he’s not in Anaheim. Also, Jose Miguel Fernandez is the current leader at first base and Rymer Liriano has a good shot at making the DH cut.

David Fletcher should make the cut as well. Check this out: No one in Minor League Baseball has more doubles or extra-base hits than Fletcher’s 24 and 35, respectively. His 132 total bases trail only Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 136 across all levels. At .963, he’s the only qualified PCL shortstop with an OPS above. 900.”

Griffin Canning is the only pitcher to make the All Star cut at any level. It’s probably a good thing they Angels went VERY pitcher heavy in this last draft.