Friday, January 13, 2006 |
WTNY 2006 Top 10
3. Brandon Wood - SS - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - 21 (AA)
The breakout player of the 2005 season, the player of the year during the 2005 season. Add together all the baseball that Wood played in 2005 (A+, AAA, AFL, World Cup), and he hit 121 extra-base hits (58 HR!) in 689 at-bats. He hit a combined .316. And throughout all of it, Brandon was simply baseball's answer to the Energizer Bunny, with very few slumps lasting longer than a few days. A former-first round pick, Wood had an unimpressive full season debut in 2004 while playing in the Midwest League. In a year his power has blossomed, and Wood's potential has shot through the roof. And did we mention that he did this at age 20, up the middle?
If Brandon Wood is able to stay at short, which will depend on a number of factors, his value is unlimited. However, this ranking would be the same, most likely, if Wood moved to third tomorrow. Why? We haven't seen this much power potential in the minor leagues...ever. 58 home runs in less than 700 at-bats? C'mon. Forget his iffy contact skills, and the good hitter's park and league he played in during the 2005 season. He's for real. Brandon has legit 40 HR potential, and if he can continue to walk, should be a truly dangerous player. Here's to hoping the Angels leave him at shorstop, where his defense is about average (a little above, probably), so that Wood is the next great fantasy baseball player.
: 1/13/2006 10:16:00 AM : 1/13/2006 12:06:00 PMI'm no expert but are there many examples of players tallying up large strikeout totals in A-ball and going on to great success in the big leagues?
: 1/13/2006 12:55:00 PM
Thanks for the info. Very reassuring. Let's hope Wood is playing shorstop for the Angels come 2007.
: 1/13/2006 04:15:00 PMBesides, I know many of our fellow readers got a chance to see Wood this last year at Rancho. His swing is so effortless, almost like a righthanded Rafael Palmeiro. It's not like he's swinging wildly and missing. I'm not worried at all...
: 1/13/2006 05:00:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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