Organization Ranking: 27
I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects for 2015. Below, I've ranked at least the top 10 Angels prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note beyond the top 10. I also discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2015, one or two prospects whose stock has taken a big hit in the past year, and a sleeper prospect who I think can jump into the main top-100 list for 2016.
Non-Insider subscribers: Check out the free Tampa Bay Rays top-10 prospects report to see what these entail.
Top 10 prospects
1. Sean Newcomb, LHP
2. Andrew Heaney, LHP
3. Roberto Baldoquin, SS
4. Kyle Kubitza, 3B
5. Nate Smith, LHP
6. Kaleb Cowart, 3B
7. Victor Alcantara, RHP
8. Julio Garcia, SS
9. Kyle McGowin, RHP
10. Nick Tropeano, RHP
Overview
The Angels have gutted their system through trades and lost draft picks, but it improved a bit over the past eight months with the selection of Newcomb, a top-10 talent, with the 15th overall pick; the trade that brought in Heaney; and the signing of Baldoquin, a Cuban amateur, for $8 million.
The Angels see Baldoquin as an everyday shortstop in the big leagues, but there's a fair shot he will end up at second base. At the plate, he starts with a high, deep load that practically causes a bat wrap -- a little more length than I'd like to see -- but once he gets the bat moving forward it's a pretty right-handed swing with a good plane for line drives, although I'd peg his max future power at average. He has a solid feel for the zone and good pitch recognition for his age. He has the hands and the footwork to stay at short, although his body is a little thick at the hips -- think Yunel Escobar -- with an average to slightly above-average arm. I don't think he's a certain shortstop; he might be an excellent second baseman, at which his hands and ease on the transfer become more important than quick feet. His ceiling will come down to his position and his bat, and if the Angels can shorten him up to the ball, he should hit 25-30 doubles and post solid or better OBPs.
After those three, however, the system remains one of the shallowest in the game. The Angels traded lefty Ricardo Sanchez, their No. 2 prospect a year ago, for a potential average regular in Kubitza, a fringy defender who gets on base but has no power -- a combination that doesn't often persist when pitchers know they can throw strikes with impunity. Smith's stats might indicate a power guy without command, but he's more of a touch-and-feel lefty with a good changeup who tries to work backward and even away from contact. Alcantara has a big arm, up to 96-97 mph as a starter, but the slider and split-change are still below average; he will probably end up in the bullpen, but the Angels have to give him another year or two as a starter to see if he can find a delivery he can repeat. McGowin saw his command and stuff tick up last spring before his elbow screamed, and we may not see him until instructionals this year. Tropeano has a 65- or 70-grade changeup and will show above-average velocity in relief, but he doesn't have the average third pitch needed to be an effective starter.
The Angels' second pick in 2014, Joe Gatto (11), looks the part of a future mid-rotation starter but has tended to pitch below his stuff -- 90-94 mph with a pretty but average curveball; he left instructionals with a minor shoulder issue but is supposed to be fully healthy for spring training. Alex Yarbrough (12) can play an adequate second base and hit for average, but he has below-average power and walks only about 5 percent of the time, half what it needs to be with his other skills. The Angels do have a bunch of reliever prospects who could surface in the next year or so -- Cam Bedrosian, who struggled in the majors last year but has a plus curveball to miss some bats; Trevor Gott, acquired with Huston Street, 94-97 mph from a low three-quarter slot with a fringe-average slider; and Scott Snodgress, just signed as a free agent after the White Sox non-tendered him; he is a failed starter prospect who should be very effective as a left-on-left reliever.
2015 impact
Heaney will almost certainly be the Angels' No. 5 starter coming out of Tempe, Arizona. Tropeano belongs on the MLB staff somewhere, preferably in the bullpen but perhaps in the rotation if he's needed there. Bedrosian and Snodgress are also candidates to log some relief innings for the Halos.
The fallen
The Angels' first pick in 2010, Cowart is a 70-grade defender at third who has been a zero at the plate for two years, even after giving up switch-hitting; he'd be out of the top 10 in most organizations.
Sleeper
The Angels gave Julio Garcia $565,000 in July as a 16-year-old amateur free agent who turned 17 at the end of that month. He's a wiry, loose, quick-twitch shortstop who is light on his feet with soft hands and clean, simple swings from both sides of the plate with good follow-through. He's just an average runner and might have to learn some patience at the plate, but this is the starter kit for an above-average everyday shortstop who hits for average with doubles power and saves 5-10 runs a year in the field.