California League Top Prospects
We’re kicking into overdrive now that the minor league season is over. We’re going through each level to see who the top performing players were. Some names will be heavy on the radar while others will be new names. So let’s take a look at the Cal League hitters.
Daniel Carroll, OF Mariners (photo by chrishwish)
Daniel Carroll, OF SEA – 1/6/1989 – Height: 6’1″ Weight: 175 – Drafted in 2007 out of High School, Carroll is in his 5th pro season but still just 22 years old. He made some noise in his 2007 debut and then proceeded to disappear for the 3 seasons before busting out in 2011. He hit .299 with a .418 OBP. The high OBP helped him lead the league with 62 SB and might be the top speed threat in the Cal. He also posted his highest full season IsoP with a .178 and hit 20 doubles with 18 HR. He was repeating the level, so 2012 in Double-A will be telling, but that’s one nice season.
Gary Brown, OF SF – 9/28/1988 – Height: 6’1″ Weight: 190 – Brown is another burner in the Cal. He was the #1 pick for the Giants in 2010 and lived up to the high expectations. For his first pro season, a .336/.407/.519 slash is very impressive. The 53 SB were good for 2nd in the league and his IsoP of .182 was a nice surprise even if it was driven by 13 triples to go along with 34 doubles, 14 HR and 115 runs scored. One of the top performances in all of the minor leagues.
Jedd Gyorko, 3B SD – 9/23/1988 – Height: 5’10″ Weight: 180 – A college SS who was immediately moved to 3B which put him a logjam in the system. The question with Gyorko wasn’t if he would hit it was would he hit for enough power to be a 3B. Well the 2011 season was a tale of two cities. He raked in High-A Lake Elsinore and was clearly one of the best players in the Cal League. His .365/.430/.635 was outstanding, but fueled by a .411 BABIP. He had 34 doubles and 18 HR in just 340 AB, good for a .270 IsoP. But let’s temper the expectations on him a little. His jump to Double-A, while successful, was not in the same universe. A .288/.358/.428 line says to me that we’ll see him repeat Double-A to start the season. The pluses are a low K rate and good walk rate. Top 100? I’m seeing him as borderline now, but yes. I’m questioning the power.
Angelo Songco, OF Dodgers
Angelo Songco, OF LAD – 9/9/1988 – Height: 6’0″ Weight: 190 – Songco is already in his 3rd full season, so he’s a touch old for the level based on tenure, but he busted out this season to a degree that can’t be ignored. After disappearing in 2010, his power displayed in full in 2011 with a .268 IsoP driven by 48 doubles and 29 HR. His .313/.367/.581 was very impressive considering the .355 BABIP. His K rate is an acceptable 20% and if he can continue the same power trend in 2012 while boosting his plate discipline he could be a valuable bat for the Dodgers some time in 2013. A jump to Double-A should be expected in 2012 and I’m surprised the Dodgers didn’t see fit to make the move already.
Michael Choice, OF OAK – 11/10/1989 – Height: 6’0″ Weight: 215 – Choice is an elite power prospect and performed above expectations in 2011. Yes, he strikes out far too much at this point, but his .257 IsoP and .285 AVG are acceptable when he’s hitting 28 doubles and 30 HR. He has a good walk rate at 11.3%, so he’s working at getting on base as well. If he’s going to be successful at the next level he will need to work on his 2 strike approach and learn to use the whole field to his advantage. He has the chance to be more than a 3 true outcome hitter. But time is running short as he makes the move to Double-A in 2012.
Nolan Arenado, 3B COL – 4/16/1991 – Height: 6’1″ Weight: 205 – Arenado was able to get himself into better physical shape last winter coming into camp much slimmer. Still at 205 lbs he should be an excellent power hitting 3B in the future. His new found body did cause a slow start as he adjusted to the changes and also made a significant effort to improve himself at the hot corner. With the slow start and concentration on defense the Rockies have to be pleased with his .298/.349/.487 slash with 32 doubles and 20 HR while leading all of the minors in RBI. 122 to be exact. He also improved his K rate from 13% to an elite level 9.1% in 2011 and an 8.1% walk rate puts him close to a 1/1 k/bb ratio which is also an elite mark. He needs to improve on his 18 errors at the hot corner and if he does he will be the clear #1 3B in the minors.
Matt Davidson, 3B ARI – 3/26/1991 – Height: 6’3″ Weight: 225 – Davidson is one of a threesome vying for the title of Third baseman of the Diamondbacks Future. Out of Davidson, Wheeler and Borchering, it’s Davidson that has the best chance at sticking defensively. Tack on a .277/.348/.465 season with 39 doubles and 20 HR and he’s right there with others. He’s the best power prospect of the trio while Wheeler is probably the best hitter. He’ll move to Double-A next year and will need to tame the K rate to be productive long term.
Jeudy Valdez, SS SD - 5/5/1989 – Height: 5’10″ Weight 185 – Valdez is in his 6th pro season. That’s a long time for someone just turned 22. He’s never been on the radar before, but something clicked for him this year in Lake Elsinore. He hit .295 with 37 doubles, 15 HR and 34 SB. Impressive for a SS. He’s always had strong bat speed, but making solid consistent contact has avoided him. The .186 IsoP this season is a career high in a full season as is the .295 average. There’s still more growth needed in his plate discipline, but he’s put himself on the map. Still a young SS the 31 errors are a concern but not a deal breaker. Yet.
Jonathan Galvez, 2B SD – 1/18/1991 – Height: 6’2″ Weight: 175 – Galvez is Valdez’ Middle Infield partner. I’ll start where I left off with Valdez. 24 errors. They were not a pretty combo in the field even though both are projected to be above average defenders, right now they are raw. In his third pro season, Galvez continued to improve on his skill set in most offensive areas. His .291 AVG with 36 doubles, 13 HR and 37 SB is very impressive. He’ll need to drastically cut down on the strikeouts though to get the most out of his skills. With a .361 BABIP he could see serious erosion of the batting average at the next level and that won’t play to his skill set. But those are some exciting numbers for 20 year old. Double-A is next unless the Padres feel they need to move Gyorko to 2B.
Tommy Joseph, C SF – 7/16/1991 – Height: 6’1″ Weight: 215 – While Joseph is obviously blocked at the big league level, he’s proving to be a better overall player when he’s behind the dish and in every play. He struggled a bit early when the Giants tried him out at other positions, but once he was able to play catcher full time he put up a .299/16/59 2nd half. He has good power and there is more to come. The .198 IsoP produced 32 doubles and 22 HR. An eventual move to LF or 1B is probably inevitable if the Giants decide that Posey’s bat is too important to keep behind the plate.
Vincent Catricala, 3B SEA – 10/31/1988 – Height: 6’2″ Weight: 210 – Catricala is in his third season since being drafted in the 10th round in 2009. Somehow he’s more of an unknown to most than he should be. He’s never hit below .300 at any stop and this season he’s continued the torrent. A .351/.421/.574 in the Cal League with 19 doubles and 14 HR led to a midseason jump to Double-A Jackson where he kept on raking. This time to the tune of .347/.420/.632 with 29 doubles and 11 HR. Talley it up and he had 77 XBH good for more than a .250 IsoP. His BABIP is ultra high this season, north of .375, so there is going to be some regression. But his bat is legit. I’m not sure he can stick at 3B so he’ll need to hit enough for an OF spot or a move to 1B. So far he’s proving that won;t be a problem.
Adam Eaton, OF ARI – 12/6/1988 – Height: 5’9″ Weight: 180 – Like Catricala, Eaton tore up the Cal League in the first half, leading to a midseason promotion to Double-A. He hit .332/.455/.492 in 244 AB. He walked 42 times while striking out only 41 times. His BABIP was high at .379, but he projects a true .300 hitter. He’s not going to be a big power prospect but did manage 22 doubles and 10 HR to match with his 34 SB. If he can continue to get on base at a high rate he could be an excellent #2 hitter in the future, but probably profiles better a 4 th OF.
Reymond Fuentes, OF SD – 2/12/1991 – Height: 6’0″ Weight: 180 – Not enough power, but he’s still young and could develop more over time. He’s a big name already, but doesn’t soar on my list. His speed will eventually wane and if that happens without power he’s going to disappear. 41 SB are nice, .094 IsoP not really, especially when he K’s like a power hitter.
Kole Calhoun, OF LAD – 10/14/1987 – Height: 5’10″ Weight: 200 – Calhoun is certainly old for the league, so take the numbers with a grain of sea salt. (Because sea salt is better for you… that’s why.) He hit .324 with 36 doubles, 22 HR and 20 SB. Just an all around excellent performance when you take into account his 12.3% walk rate and just a 16.2% K rate. It’s a repeat performance from 2010 in Rookie ball so we’ll need to keep an eye on him in Double-A and he can repeat these numbers we might have something here that’s more than a 4th OF.
Check back soon as we profile many more Top MLB Prospects and also get our baseball geek on and take a look at some of the later draft picks from the 2011 draft that we think could be big names on the prospect radars in the near future. Anyone can tell you that Mike Trout is going to be a stud now, but who told you that when he was drafted? So take a look at our Touch’em All | Pioneer League Hitters and be a step ahead of the game. Thanks for checking Baseball Instinct. We’re working hard to bring you the best of the minor leagues and make the site the best experience it can be. So don’t hesitate to tell us what you would like to read about. Email me now at Tom@baseballinstinct.com.
