Systems Audit: LA Angels
November 04, 2006
Systems Audit:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
1. Brandon Wood, SS, AA. No prospect in recent memory has been so inflated in the minds of most people. After Wood crushed 100 extra base hits in A+ in 2005 including 43 home runs. This year, in AA, his numbers were a more modest 63 extra base hits with 23 home runs. I wouldn't count on 40 HR production out of Wood but it's forseeable that the slick fielding infielder could hit 30-35 home runs with consistency in the big leagues. He'll get a whole year in AAA next year and could get a shot if things to hit way.
2. Nick Adenhart, RHP, A+. Great fastball, plus curve. He projects as a frontline starter. Must improve his change before he can move up effectively. Everything is kept down and he does a great job working the corners.
3. Jose Arredondo, RHP, AA. Very good control and relatively dominant. He can strike batters out or induce groundballs with the best of them. He needs to develop a better change and another plus pitch to compliment his fastball.
4. Erick Aybar, SS, AAA. Aybar is fast but impatient. He's a better defender than Wood and he's one of the best defensive shortstops in the minors.
5. Jeff Mathis, C, AAA. Very good defensive catcher but is slow and won't hit for much average. But above average power and excellent plate discipline make him more than a serviceable catcher for LAA.
6. Tommy Mendoza, RHP, A. Incredible fastball. He must develop some secondary pitches to compliment his fastball. He locates the ball well and does not walk batters. He struggles the second time through the order. He should progress nicely into a middle of the rotation guy.
7. Trevor Bell, RHP, Rk. Bell has some talent but he's really got what are commonly thought of as old school traits. He's the kind of guy that scouting phrases are thrown around about. He has a good body. He's long. He's built right. And so on... What should be said is that he has a good fastball with good velocity. That should improve when his mechanics, which are alright, are ironed out. He has shown sporatic success with signs of success with his change.
8. Sean Rodriguez, SS, AA. The third of a SS trifecta is the toughest to read. His defense ranks third of the three as does his eiling. But he does have plenty of speed so a migration to the outfield wouldn't be out of the question. He has a decent contact rate, great power, very good plate discipline and plenty of smarts at the plate.
9. Hyun Choi Conger, C, Rk. Conger was the Angels top pick in the 2006 draft. He's got tons of power. He has the potential to be the best power hitting catcher in baseball. He also has great poise and bat speed. He has a good arm behind the plate but isn't the best defensive catcher, yet. Some believe a move to first base might be in the near future for Conger. *His grandfather nicknamed him Hank after Henry Aaron so you might see his name as Hank Conger*
10. Michael Collins, C, A+. Collins is in a bad position. He's a catcher behind a slew of talented catchers. But he's made the most of his opportunity. He's a decent hitting, decent defensive catcher. There isn't too much flashy about him, he's just a typical mediocre prospect who could find his way to split time at best in the bigs.
Flier. P.J. Phillips, 3B, Rk. Phillips has some pop to his bat, decent defense and a fair amount of speed. I doubt he'll be a .300 hitter but he might push .380 OBP .490 SLUG.
Future Lineup (arrival date)
C: Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis (2007) split time
1B: Kendry Morales (2007)
2B: Howie Kendrick
3B: Erick Aybar (2007) speculation mostly
SS: Brandon Wood (2008)
LF: Juan Rivera
CF: Chone Figgins
RF: Vlad Guerrero
DH: Rob Quinlan
Pitching Rotation
1: Jared Weaver
2: Ervin Santana
3: Nick Adenhart (2008)
4: Jose Arredondo (2008)
5: Tommy Mendoza (2008)
Bullepn
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez
Setup: Scott Shields, JC Romero
Middle Relief: Joe Saunders, Trevor Bell (2010)
The Angels have plenty of young players. That's not a bad thing, unless you've gone out and filled every spot with overpaid underachievers. The Angels' hand is being forced though. Kendrick, Morales, Mathis, Wood, Aybar and so on have been knocking so hard and so long that LAA simply must give them a shot. The system has graduated some good players and still has plenty of gems, though the position players are mostly limited to shortstop and catcher. There are still good pitchers in the system and the catchers will act as great trade bait at some point.
System Grade: A-
Posted by Koby Schellenger: Nov 4 at 7:49 AM
Fantasy Baseball 
Erick Aybar plays very good defense, probably better than Brandon Wood. But, I think the Angels will defer to Wood and move Aybar to third. This would create one of the best defensive left sides in baseball, if talent comes to fruition.
The incredible depth the Angels have at catcher and shortstop is, to my knowledge, unprecedented. I can't recall a system that has arguably had the best SS and catcher at A, A+, AA and AAA in the same season. Thier catchers are built on hitting and good defense, their shortstops are bulit on above average defense and good hitting. As these players come along in their development they will provide the Angels with plenty of opportunities to upgrade at other positions. There aren't many places they can move these excess players as they have a pretty solid set of guys at or near the ML level right now, but they can certainly be packaged for a solid pitcher. The biggest question mark for the Angels future is who will be the ace? Jared Weaver doesn't really project as an ace but would be a fine #2. Same with Nick Adenhart.
It should also be noted that the Angels have built their farm system on high school players. So, although they are highly regarded now, they are in their "injury prime" and are more risky than systems that are built on college players.