Torii Hunter for $90 million and the big league depth to deal for Jon Garland without tapping into the minors isn’t intimidating enough, wait until you see what else the Los Angeles Angels have tucked away up their sleeves. With Brandon Wood at the helm, yet another generation of true Major League talent is waiting in the Halos’ wings.
Brandon Wood had arguably the greatest season in the minors, smacking
51 doubles and blasting 43 homers en route to a .321/.383/.672 vital…in
2005 with Rancho Cucamonga (A+). Two years later, it appears that some
of the allure of the Austin, Tex. native has been rubbed away. A
6-foot-3, 185-pounder, Wood went just .272/.338/.497 in Triple-A this
past season, but posted a strong 42.9% XBH rate in the process. While
that certainly doesn’t match his 58.7% showing in 2005, the fact of the
matter is that despite the lagging metrics, Brandon Wood still holds
the pure slugging prowess to make him a top-10 overall prospect
entering the 2008 season.
They
just don’t make them like Hank Conger these days. A 6-foot, 205-pound
switch hitter, Conger has been just that: a dual threat from behind the
dish. A product of Huntington (Calif.) H.S., Conger posted a
.290/.335/.469 line for Class-A Cedar Rapids at the age of 19. While he
brings power potential to a position in high demand for just that, the
2005 first-rounder (25th overall) product walked just 21 times in 219
plate appearances (6.6 percent) a season ago. If he can grow some
patience with some more seasoning down on the farm – as well as silence his fair share of defensive critics – Conger’s name could soon be mentioned amongst baseball’s elite catching prospects.
A
product of Mansfield (Tex.) H.S., Jordan Walden has had a target on his
back since the first day of his professional career. But it appears
that Walden could be the one doing the gunning for some time to come.
Drafted in the 12th round in 2006, the talented 6-foot-4, 180-pounder
tabbed a $1.0 million signing bonus as a draft-and-follow, and he has
been earning it ever since. Pitching in rookie ball, Walden posted
stellar 1.03 WHIP, 3.71 K:BB, and 57-percent GB rates in 64.1 frames of
work. As Walden continues to fire on all cylinders, he should become a
household name on the prospect front far sooner than later.
In
2006, Nick Adenhart posted stellar 1.12 WHIP and 3.45 K/BB clips
through High-A ball. In 2007, not so much. Throwing 153.0 innings in
the Double-A Texas League this past campaign, Adenhart watched his WHIP
(1.46) soar to new heights, and saw his K/BB rate fall to just 1.79
while striking out just 17.3% of opposing hitters. If Adenhart can
revert back to his 2006 showing, the preseason Top-30 prospect will toss his name right back into the mix during 2008.
After dominating his way through rookie ball a season ago
(.341/.431/.576 in 170 at-bats), Matt Sweeney continued to make a name
for himself in 2007. While his vital line may have slipped to a more
human .260/.324/.458 (439 at-bats), the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder gives the
Angels yet another power threat (43.0 percent XBH) on the MiLB front.
The Gaithersburg, Md. native has developing to be done in the patience
department (38:88 BB:K), but has the kind of slugging potential that
should allow him to rise through the ranks regardless.
After going .354/.462/.662 in 65 Texas League at-bats a season ago (following a .301/.377/.545 showing in 455 High-A at-bats), Sean Rodriguez
(SS, 4/26/85) fell off to a .254/.345/.423 rate as a fulltime Texas
Leaguer in 2007. The 6-foot, 190-pounder, however, did maintain an XBH
clip of 38.8%. At 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, Hainley Statia (SS,
1/19/86) brings a different flare to the middle infield picture (29 SB
vs. 8 CS) for the Angels. The speedster went .288/.344/.379 in the
California League at the age of 21. Chris Pettit (OF,
8/15/84) put up a stellar .327/.411/.538 vital line through High-A, but
did so as a 23-year-old. For those of you looking for Jeff Mathis (C, 3/31/83), he’s coming off of a less than exciting .244/.294/.376 season in Triple-A.
Our Top 5 Los Angeles Angels Prospects at the end of the 2007
Season
No.
Player
Pos
Notes
Age
Level
1
Brandon
Wood
3B
Holds
pure slugging prowess (42.9 XBH in '07) to remain top-10 overall
22
MLB
2
Hank
Conger
C
Switch hitter slugged .469, but needs work in patience
dept. (6.6% BB/PA)
19
A
3
Jordan
Walden
RHP
6-foot-4, 180-pounder posted 1.03 WHIP, 3.71
K:BB, 57% GB rates in 64.1 IP
20
R
4
Nick
Adenhart
RHP
Regressed from 1.12 WHIP, 3.45 K:BB in '06 to 1.46, 1.79
in '07 (153.0 IP)
21
AA
5
Matt
Sweeney
3B
6-foot-3, 210-pounder hit 18 HR, 29 2B (43% XBH) in '07;
just 38:88 BB:K
19
A
* Ages are as of 12/14/07
** Level is
the highest level the player has reached
*** Our
rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and
favor recent production
<<< Discuss these rankings
1. Brandon Wood , 3B (3/2/85)
2. Hank Conger , C (1/29/88)
3. Jordan Walden , RHP (11/16/87)
4. Nick Adenhart , RHP (8/24/86)
5. Matt Sweeney , 3B (4/4/88)
Honorable Mentions:
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.