While the Angels have picked up a reputation for adding pricey outfielders in recent years, they have a highly touted, cheap one on the farm in Mike Trout. Here's more on him and some other items of note …
- Trout is ranked No. 1 on ESPN analyst Keith Law's list of Top 100 prospects of 2011, released Thursday. Leading the charge with regard to top-25 prospects are the Royals and Rays, with three apiece. Be sure to keep the names on this list in mind, as some of them will surely come up in trade talks this season and into next offseason. In fact, two of the top 25 have already been dealt: The Blue Jays' Kyle Drabek (formerly of the Phillies) and the Padres' Casey Kelly (formerly of the Red Sox).
- The Orioles are one team that has shown interest in minor league free agent Kevin Mahar pending the resolution of the Vladimir Guerrero situation, MLBTR has learned. Teams are considering Mahar as an outfielder/first baseman at the Triple-A level, after the 29-year-old hit .261/.342/.423 for the Phillies' Double-A affiliate.
- The Orioles will be in attendance when free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer throws a bullpen session in Arizona on Friday, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, that is not to overstate Baltimore's interest, Kubatko notes, because scouting a pitcher's bullpen session is fairly common, and teams can only glean so much from it.
- The Royals announced left-hander Brandon Sisk as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, and the Brewers did the same of infielder Erick Almonte, according to press releases from each club.
- Angels owner Arte Moreno said that the addition of Vernon Wells' salary will not preclude the team from engaging in contract-extension talks with young stars Jered Weaver and Kendry Morales, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Halos have already begun those talks with Weaver.
kendry morales will probably break an arm cashing his check into the bank
That sounds like something Joel Zumaya would do.
no one will be high five’ing kendry this year due to brittleness!
I read “In fact, two of the top 25 have already been dealt: Kyle Drabek” and almost had a heart attack
Kyle Drabek has not been dealt.
He was dealt in the Halladay trade
Last year…
It doesn’t refer to when they were traded. I took it to mean had already been dealt during their pro careers.
I did as well.
yes he was. Vernon Wells + Kyle Drabek for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera, don’t you remember?
That trade still doesnt make sense for the Angels. Holy s45T!
You win the thread. Go Jays!
Julio Teheran at #6, no other pitcher in the top 12. Incredible….
Braves had 5 in total:
Teheran(6)
Freeman(43)
Vizcaino(47)
Delgado(50)
Minor(61)
Kimbrel just missed the cut. Imo, Freeman is too low and I’m kind of shocked Vizcaino is ahead of Delgado……but I won’t complain. Good showing by the Braves….
I think Kimbrel has the talent to be something special
read again. Shelby Miller, RHP #9
Actually glad to see Miller in the top 10, even if I was wrong(first time ever). But in any case, Teheran’s something special.
Man, sorry bro but you missed the boat here. Zack Britton, LHP and Manny Banuelos are also in the top 12. Where are you looking?
Homer glasses make those other shlobs hard to see
When do Baseball America’s come out?
My best guess is last week of February. For the past 3 years, they came out on Feb 23 (2010), Feb 24 (2009), Feb 25 (2008).
so I’m guessing they’re coming out February 22?
Guess how much I give a crap about his rankings…
Can anyone tell me if any Pirates are on Law’s list?
I can’t read the list because i’m not an insider. Hope their one of the teams looking at Duchscherer.
Taillon at 30 and Tony Sanchez at 63 are the only ones.
Thanks.. I’m glad that Sanchez got recognition. The Pirates won’t have to hear it for drafting him anymore. I hoping Jeff Locke was listed somewhere.
It is sad that a franchise that regularly trades its best players and continually drafts at the top of drafts has only 2 of the top 100 prospects.
The Pirates traded a bunch of losers(look at the players they traded numbers last year), and they graduated alot of their best minor leaguers last year Alvarez, Tabata, Walker and Brad Lincoln
I wouldn’t say bunch of losers, i mean, its hard not to get a SINGLE top 100 prospect for Freddy Sanchez, Nate McClouth on a good year, or Adam LaRoche.
I actually like Sanchez so maybe he isnt a loser but only Bay was a trully good player that didnt yield much of a return but in defense of the pirates Andy Laroche was a top 100 prospect at 3rd unless im mistaken and didnt pan out, Laroche is a journeyman 1st baseman, McClouth was incredibly overrated asked the braves, and they did get Alderson for sanchez who some thought would evetually contribute and Jose Tabata, Andrew Lambo, and James Mcdonald could very well be good players…prospects are just prospects look at the Miguel Cabrera trade Marlins have nothing to show for it except a couple relievers…Cant blame the pirates for trading average players they werent winning with and trying to go young
Yes the Angels are spending on Weaver and Morales who are probably the best players on the team with Torii Hunter.
Any possible way I can look at the list without subscribing?
Not on ESPN.
re: Orioles attending the bullpen session, I read in the Sun that the Os have already attended several (5-6?) such sessions already this offseason with other pitchers, so it’s a pretty routine thing.
Believe me, Mike Trout’s importance to the Angels has skyrocketed since this turd of an off-season. He has gone from “greatly anticipated” to “has to be great” in many fans’ eyes.
I agree, the Angels organization and their fans have invested so much stock in this kid Trout. He seems like a pretty good OF option for the Angels in-house, i’m not exactly sold on his #1 ranking though.
Hopefully, he pans out for the Angels, they can’t afford to have another Brandon Wood type situation. That would be awful.
why are you not sold? The kid is a stud and 19 years old
I have to pay money to read that crap? Pass.
i think we should get paid just to waste our time reading keith law’s thoughts on anything.
just search some individual team forum websites, i’m sure it has been leaked somewhere. I do know a place but i won’t say because that is surely frowned upon. if your curious about a player, i can tell you where he is.
Jacob Turner?
Jacob Turner is ranked 22nd.
What jays players made the top 100
drabek, lawrie, stewart, d’arnoud, arencibia, hechevarria, sanchez in that order.
thats quite the haul for the jays, rays have 8, jays in 2nd place with 7. royals with 6.
jays ranked 13,37,44,57,82,96,99
Royals with 5 of the top 41. Of course word is the Royals will tie or set the record on BA with 9 in their top 100
speaking of BA, they need to update their “top 10’s” for organizations, unless that is, there are two amazing prospects named casey kelly
Pretty bad showing on that 2006 list for the Padres.
So whats up with all the hatred for Keith Law?
Internet Age of Entitlement. Since we can get movies, TV shows, music, books, video games and damn near anything else for free with little effort via the internet, people have gotten it in their heads that they shouldn’t have to pay for anything.
Seriously, people, if you think Law is a hack, I fail to see the big deal with having to pay for his content, it’s not like you folks are all that interested in seeing it anyway.
Wonder if it as much Law, or the fact his articles are from ESPn and this site regularly link them here and they are almost all paid?
Like was posted above.. There are ways around for most any of his if they REALLY want to see their teams prospects, or even some of his articles and do not like 99% of the rubbish ESPN has outside of baseball anyway.
When is ESPN going to do away with that Insider crap? How many people actually pay for that?
Enough to justify its existance, obviously.
Just pay for the mag its like 10 bucks a year and you get insider access for free.
ESPN magazine is the worst periodical I’ve ever seen. It hurts my head just to look at it. It seems to be designed for a 6th grade reader with ADD. ESPN mag makes Sports Illustrated look like the Wall Street Journal.
THIS IS AMERICA I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THINGS!!! DON’T TREAD ON ME!
He sucks on the south side of Chicago too, but not so much on the north side. Although he probably sucks a little more there now since they traded Archer and Lee. And he definitely doesn’t suck in Kansas City or Tampa.
This is why I love Sox fans, and not Cubs fans
Keith Law blows everywhere.
“Don’t underestimate my Yankees ”
That’s pretty much been the off season.
i wouldn’t take these rankings serious period.
Would’ve been five two months ago.
What always gets me is how these people can rate guys that have yet to throw a pitch above collegiate/HS level. Ranaudo is just one example here.. 54th? I read the “Hype” or whatever Law wrote up on him and sure, it sounds a lot better than what some of the other was written on him previously, but really.. let’s see the guy pitch even at A ball before he (or anyone) is rated near the 50th best prospect in the game please.
To be fair, Raunado DID tear the Cape Cod League a new one, which is considered the talent equivelant of High-A.
Additionally, these guys get their position in the draft based off of the same projections these evaluators use. I mean, it’d be one thing if someone had never picked up a baseball before, but a guy like Law or any other evaluator worth their salt isn’t basing rankings off of stats, they base them off of things like the movements of their pitches and whether their stuff has the potential to get MLB hitters. Or for batters, it’s their plate discipline or their fundamentals/swing/instincts.