Results tagged ‘ Los Angeles Angels ’
Watching Jean Segura
Tonight, I’m getting the chance to step out of my normal environment and cover a big league game. I’m filling in, covering the Brewers tonight here at PNC Park. One of the best things about my job is getting to see the guys I’ve written about as prospects excel at this level.
Jean Segura was a prospect for a while with the Angels, even if he didn’t enter national consciousness until he was sent to Milwaukee as the key to the Zack Greinke deal. He was brought up last year and kept his head above water, impressive considering his age and that he was jumped from Double-A. This year? Well, this year he’s the talk of the early part of the season, isn’t he (he’s gone 2-for-3 thus far tonight to accentuate the point).
It made me wonder what we had written about him in the past. We started Prospect Watch in 2011, when we only did Top 10 per organization (instead of our more robust 20 now). That year, Segura was the No. 2 prospect on the Angels’ Top 10. Here’s what we had on him at the time:
OMG: The AL West
Sorry for the short delay, but it’s now time to take a look at the AL West prospects. As always, here are the links to the organizational previews and the Top 20 lists, followed by the OMG (One More Guy) from each team in the division:
And now, here’s the OMG, aka Prospect No. 21, for each system:
Astros — Jio Mier, SS — Still young and talented enough at a premium position to not give up on. There are other SS now in the system, so he’ll have to get it going.
Angels — Natanael Delgado, OF — 16-year-old signed this summer, chance to be RF type. May take a long time, but considerable upside.
A’s — David Freitas, C — Offensive-minded backstop came in the Kurt Suzuki trade, hit well following bump to Double-A post-trade.
Mariners — Patrick Kivlehan, 3B — Rutgers football standout decides to play baseball again as a senior; wins Big East Triple Crown, then Northwest League MVP. Raise your hand if you want to see more.
Rangers — Hanser Alberto, SS — That’s right, another shortstop prospect in this system (though he has played a little 3B). He’s gotten Elvis Andrus comparisons, surprise… and earned a promotion to the Carolina League before he turned 20
AFL Report: Angels
Today’s report is on the Los Angeles Angels and how Kaleb Cowart (No. 1 on the Angels’ Top 20) and Bobby Cassevah have taken very different paths to be in the same place in Arizona.
The video report below focuses on Cowart, Travis Witherspoon and Randal Grichuk, all in that Top 20.
And Wednesday’s Star of the Day is…
Someone from the Phoenix Desert Dogs, who absolutely pounded the Surprise Saguaros, 15-1. Honestly, I thought going for the two-point conversion after their second touchdown was a bit much… The Dogs, as I like to call ‘em, had two players with four hits. Brock Kjeldgaard of the Brewers went 4-for-6 with a pair of ribbies. But Tim Beckham of the Rays outdid him just a bit. The former No. 1 overall pick went 4-for-5 with a double, triple and four RBIs. Beckham has been working on his play at second base while making up for lost time and trying to restore his prospect status following a 50-game suspension this year.
The Draft order is out! Woo-hoo!
There’s something about the official release of the Draft order that gets the blood pumping, doesn’t it?
OK, maybe that’s overselling, but it always signifies to me that Draft season is really, truly upon us (Draft season really begins the day after the Draft ends in June, but you know what I mean).
Every year, the Draft brings with it a good number of story lines. But this year has the added intrigue of the new system as dictated by the new agreement that was collectively bargained. Just how will the bonus pools will impact how teams do business remains to be seen, with no one really knowing how it’s going to go.
There are the usual interesting tidbits about who is picking where, who has the most picks (Padres, Blue Jays, Cardinals have six in the first two rounds). But what about the teams that don’t have many picks at all. The Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, for example, will have a wait on their hands before they get to make their first selection.
The Tigers, who are likely getting used to not picking until late (), don’t go until pick No. 91, close to the end of the second round. But that might seem early to the Angels, who’s first turn comes at pick No. 114, in the third round (thank you, Mr. Pujols and Mr. Wilson).
If you think that’s really late, maybe some kind of record, think again. The Angels would come in at No. 4 on the “latest initial pick” list. Here’s the top 16, thanks to the fine folks at the Commissioner’s Office.
1) San Francisco – 132 in 2005
2) Tampa Bay – 132 in 1998
3) Seattle – 116 in 2000
4) L.A. Angels — 114 in 2012
5) Houston – 111 in 2007
6) NY Yankees – 105 in 1988
7) Arizona – 103 in 1998
8) Boston – 102 in 1978
9) St. Louis – 102 in 2002
10) NY Yankees – 99 in 1980
11) Baltimore – 99 in 1985
12) Kansas City – 98 in 1990
13) NY Yankees – 93 in 1983
14) Seattle – 93 in 2004
15) L.A. Dodgers – 91 in 1991
16) Detroit – 91 in 2012
OMG: Los Angeles Angels
Go take a gander at the Angels’ Top 10 Prospects. And here’s OMG (One More Guy) from LA’s system:
Randal Grichuk, OF: For now, he may be known as the “other” high school outfielder taken
in the first round of the 2009 Draft. But that’s not really his fault. The idea was to have Mike Trout and Gruchuk develop together and I don’t think anyone could have foreseen how Trout would take off and earn a promotion like that.
At the same time, Grichuk was slowed by injuries and played in just 64 games total during his first full season. He showed that the raw power the Angels liked when they took him No. 24 overall is legit. He slugged .566 in 251 total at-bats, .530 during his time in the full-season Midwest League. He might be a bit of an all-or-nothing hitter right now and he’ll need to strike out a bit less, walk a bit more, or both, to succeed at higher levels.
If he can do that, he could profile as what you’re looking for in a corner outfielder. His arm is fine and he showed he can play a decent outfield. Add in the power and the run production and you’re all set. It’s just going to take him a bit longer to get there than Trout, who’s now on the fast track. When all is said and done, though, they could be patrolling the same outfield in the big leagues in the future.

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