'07 Angelswin Prospect Hotlist, 20th Edition

1. Sean O’Sullivan, SP, Low Class A Cedar Rapids
O’Sullivan is not only the hottest Angel minor leaguer; he may be the hottest SP prospect in all of baseball. Sean hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in the last 2 months, YES, 2 months, totaling 11 quality starts in that span. Opposing batters have hit only .223 off Sean this season and he’s starting to fan more hitters as the season has progressed. O’Sullivan is the ERA leader among all starting pitchers in the organization with at least 20 or more starts, at 2.18.

2. Nick Green, SP, Class AA, Arkansas Travelers
Green has managed to keep opposing batters to a solid .238 BAA all season long, while showing excellent command of his 4 solid/average pitches. While his FB hits 88-90 MPH on the gun with regularity, he can dial it up to 93-94 on occasion. Green shows a solid curve, slider and changeup that he seemingly can throw at any time in the count. Repeating Double-A with the Travelers, Green shows determination to get better and a solid work ethic to maintain his chiseled 6'4, 200lb physique that enable him to go late into games (has 2 complete games in '07), and eat up innings. Green is 10-7 with a 3.68 ERA.

3. Warner Madrigal, RP, Low Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels
Once a power hitting OF prospect, now a power pitcher, Madrigal has found his niche as a future closer in the big leagues. Warner has limited opposing hitters to a .201 batting average against him, fanning 72 hitters in 52 innings. Warner possesses a mid to high 90’s fastball and a solid slider, while flashing an average changeup. His 18 saves is tops among all Angels prospect relievers in the minors, while his ERA is at a solid 2.17 on the season.

4. Rich Thompson, RP, Class AAA Salt Lake
What more can be said about the season Thompson is having, posting a 2.01 ERA in 21 games in Double-A, while succeeding in Triple-A the same, with a 2.28 ERA. Thompson has limited opposing hitters to a 1.93 ERA at both stops. Thompson uses his 93 MPH fastball to setup his out pitch, a 12-6 curveball that induces whiffs. He punched out 5 batters in 2 innings of work a few days ago to close out a game. Both he and Madrigal, along with possibly Aldridge, Braiser & Arredondo, should be an electric late inning group for the Angels down the road.

5. Sean Rodriguez, SS, Class AA Arkansas Travelers
Rodriguez, trying to make up for what has been an unspectacular follow up season to a nice 2006 campaign, is finishing the season strong, hitting .378 in his last 10 games, while slugging 3 HR’s in that span (15 Hr’s overall). Sean has seen some time in the outfield of late, but there are no immediate plans to have him switch positions yet.

6. Trevor Reckling, SP, Rookie Arizona League
The southpaw who is just 18 years old out of St. Benedicts Prep School, has dominated in his last two starts, fanning 18 (9 K’s per game) in just 10 2/3 innings. We’ll get more of a scouting report from Eddie Bane in our next edition, on just what Trevor’s offerings are.

7. Jordan Walden, SP, Short Season A Ball Orem Owlz
Scouts who followed Walden's every pitch late last summer were all smiles after their radar guns returned a fastball reading of 99 mph during a showcase at TCU. They told Walden of his accomplishment after the game. The 6-5, 225-pound right-hander was once tabbed by Baseball America as the nation's No. 1 high school senior prospect. After the Angels drafted the right-hander in the 12th round last June, Walden turned down a scholarship from Texas and opted to attend Grayson County (Texas) Community College in order to keep his draft options open. Inconsistent as a high school senior, when his velocity dropped to 85-88 mph at times, Walden performed much better this spring. His fastball sat at 92-94 mph and peaked at 97. He also improved his slider and the command of his two primary pitches. He has a classic pitcher’s build at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds.

Walden has not disappointed in his first professional season with the Angels, posting a 3.58 ERA, while fanning 56 hitters in 55 1/3 innings of work. Walden has not given up more than 2 runs in his last 7 starts.

8. Ryan Brasier, RP, Short Season, Class A Orem Owlz
Braiser has used his mid to upper 90’s fastball to shutdown opposing hitters for the Orem Owlz. Ryan was selected in the 6^th round of the 2007 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Angels, will continue to work as a reliever and has the stuff to be a future late inning guy. Braiser has posted a 1.48 ERA in 22 appearances, while fanning 23 batters in 24 1/3 innings, limiting opposing batters to a .183 BAA.

9. Tobin Mason, SP, Short Season, Class A Orem Owlz
Tobin has continued to dominate the opposition even after his promotion to a higher level. Mason, now with the Owlz, has notched a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings of work, 4 starts in total. In his last two starts, he’s fanned 12 in 11 innings and hasn’t given up more than 2 runs in any of his starts in Orem. Like Reckling, we’ll get more out of Eddie Bane on what exactly Mason’s repertoire is like.

10. Jeremy Moore, OF, Short Season A Ball Orem Owlz
Drafted in the 6^th round in the 2005 amateur draft, Moore has flashed both his speed and power on the diamond. Moore has clubbed 11 Hr’s while stealing 15 bases and has shown excellent defense in the outfield, including a strong throwing arm. Moore and Bourjos should offer an exciting outfield in the future.

Player to keep an eye on:
Robert Fish, SP, Short Season A Ball Orem Owlz
Fish a local southpaw out of Montclair, CA has the Angels & Bane excited about his future as a starter. Robert looked sharp in his start on the 21^st, fanning 9 in 7 innings of work, giving up just 1 earned run. Fish has posted a 3.08 ERA, while striking out 75 batters in 67 total innings in 2007.

On the outside looking: Jose Arredondo, Ben Johnson, Trevor Bell, Michael Anton, Brad Coon, Jordan Renz, Anthony Ortega, Young-Il Jung, Chris Garcia, Matt Sweeney, Freddy Sandoval, Jeremy Haynes, Brok Butcher, Jordan Walden, Mark Trumbo, Robert Mosebach, PJ Phillips, David Herndon, Steven Marek, Chris Pettit, Brandon Wood, Andrew Romine, Chris Armstrong, Matt Brown, Barrett Browning, Jay Brossman, Gordon Gronkowski, Nick Adenhardt, Doug Brandt, Miguel Gonzalez, Terry Evans, Tommy Mendoza, Cliff Remole, Ryan Mount and Hank Conger.

Love to hear what you think!