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.
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.
0 recs | 15 comments
Minor League Ball has Lindsey 4?
Even in our system that seems a bit generous.
moralesforpresident - January 30, 2012
They wanted to give him a confidence boost since his name could also be a girls name
Sinatrasratpack - January 30, 2012
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
Sinatrasratpack - January 30, 2012
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.
moralesforpresident - January 31, 2012
Really excited
to see what Segura does. Segura, Cron, and Richards all look like stud major leaguers
Morales8 - January 30, 2012
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.
moralesforpresident - January 31, 2012
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.
wumbug - January 30, 2012
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.
lightupthehalo29 - January 30, 2012
Rev,
your carrots are backward. Greaterthan > Ten 10
Halowitz - January 30, 2012
I think he means
that those prospects were ranked *worse (less) than #10 in the organization.
b0rd3rline - January 31, 2012
yes that is what i meant
LESS than #10 in a ranking is 11 or below.
Rev Halofan - January 31, 2012
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.
NathanielS - January 31, 2012
Say it with me, people.
Callaspo is not the problem!
5thStarter - January 31, 2012
i never said he was the problem
We’re just maxed out at every other position
Rev Halofan - January 31, 2012
Sorry, Rev, confusing my blogs here.
I’ve been fighting the “Alberto Callaspo is better than you think” fight a lot recently.
5thStarter - January 31, 2012
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