6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

1. Howie Kendrick: Despite a career .357 average, Kendrick was relatively unheralded coming into the 2005 season. That's not the case any longer after he tore his way through the high Class A California League and didn't miss a beat after a midseason promotion to Arkansas. Managers and scouts universally praised him as the top hitter in the league, and one scout called him the best he saw all summer.

He hits every ball off the sweet spot, and his hand-eye coordination allows him to let pitches get deeper and makes him less likely to get fooled. Arkansas manager Tom Gamboa compared him to Tony Gwynn and Mark Grace because of his smooth swing and balance at the plate. Kendrick went 2-for-5 in his first TL game and never slowed down.

"He hit four line drives--just bullets--and I thought, 'So much for the adjustment to Double-A for this guy," Gamboa said.

Kendrick also made significant defensive improvements this year and now projects as an average glove man at second base. He should hit No. 2 or even No. 3 in a big league batting order, depending on how much power he develops.

2. Erick Aybar: Aybar provided a spark at the top of a stacked Arkansas lineup, solidifying his reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in the minors. One scout called him a "make-things-happen guy." He batted leadoff more often once Kendrick joined the Travelers in mid-July, and showed a lot of progress by batting .365 in the No. 1 slot.

"He's one of the most exciting players I've had to manage against, offensively and defensively," Tulsa manager Tom Runnells said. "He loves to play and is just fun to watch."

Aybar is a plus runner with a good arm and good range at shortstop, and he has great instincts for the game. He plays the little man's game, bunting and stealing bases. He led the Texas League in hits, but he still needs to get a better feel for the strike zone and rein in his aggressiveness. He stole 49 bases but was caught 23 times.

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7. Kendry Morales: Morales was one of the better-known names in the league because he signed a major league contract with a $3 million bonus last winter after defecting from Cuba. Because of visa complications he didn't get to begin his season until late May, playing 22 games in high Class A before coming to Arkansas in mid-June.

Morales made a bad first impression, with his average sitting at .240 in mid-August, and those who saw him early called him a huge disappointment. "If you make pitches," Runnels said, "you can get him out." But he was on fire by the end of the year, showing the nice swing and plus power from both sides of the plate that prompted the Angels to sign him.

After getting some time at third base and right field in Class A, Morales stayed at first base with the Travelers. An average defender there, he has a strong arm and improved his range, but he's a below-average runner.

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15. Joe Saunders: The 12th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Saunders missed all of the 2003 season with shoulder problems. Completely healthy this season, he earned a promotion to Triple-A at midseason and made his major league debut in August.

Saunders has all the elements to be a lefthanded innings-eater in a big league rotation. He pitches at 90-92 mph with his fastball and backs it up with a strong changeup and a decent curveball. His command is solid when he maintains his concentration, but he tends to lose it and fall prey to big innings.

"Our disappointment was that he didn't have the ability to focus for nine innings," Gamboa said. "We thought he was the best lefthander in the league, but the stats didn't always show it."

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16. Steven Shell: After two seasons in the Cal League, Shell put together a solid season in Double-A and gained confidence as the year progressed. His best start may have come in the first round of the playoffs when he dominated Tulsa for seven innings, striking out nine and walking one in a 9-2 win.

Shell has the build of a big league workhorse, with a long, loose arm and good arm action. He pitches reliably at 90-92 mph and he has an electric curveball when it's on. But too often only one curve in five will be great, one will hang and the other three will bounce in the dirt.

He's also still working on both a changeup and splitter as an offspeed pitch. Neither is an average pitch at this point, so Shell probably needs to pick one and try to develop it. He did improve his fastball command after nibbling too often early in the season.

// posted by Rob @ 8:40 AM link  //  2 comments