The big story here, of course, is the fact that first round pick Nolan Schanuel reached the majors within just six weeks of being drafted, becoming the fastest position player to the majors since Brian Milner way back in 1978. But there's more to this class than just Schanuel, even if they forfeited their second round pick after signing Tyler Anderson. They searched for complete offensive profiles rather than individual outlier traits (though Schanuel's performance and plate discipline fit the outlier mold), also focusing on bats over defense. They went pitching heavy later in the draft, including for eighth rounder Barrett Kent who marked their second highest bonus of the class at nearly five times his slot value.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-11: 1B Nolan Schanuel, Florida Atlantic {video}
Slot value: $5.25 million. Signing bonus: $5.25 million.
My rank: #25. MLB Pipeline: #26. Baseball America: #30. Prospects Live: #33.
I've been doing draft reviews for five years now, and Nolan Schanuel is the first player ever to reach the majors before I even had a chance to write his draft review. I don't care how aggressive the Angels are with their promotions, that's incredible. But let's pull the clock back a little and pretend he just got drafted, because he did. Schanuel was excellent as a freshman at FAU (.343/.444/.576) and elite as a sophomore (.369/.477/.658), but nothing could have prepared us for the unbelievable season he put up as a junior this spring: 19 home runs, .447/.615/.868, 14 stolen bases, 14/71 strikeout to walk ratio in 59 games. Sure, FAU doesn't play in a traditional power conference, but if you're going to bat .447, get on base in three of every five plate appearances, and walk five times as often as you strike out, you'll make jaws drop. Schanuel does it with an elite approach at the plate that held strong in the Cape Cod League as well, rarely chasing and posting elite contact rates. He sets up with his hands held high before dropping them back to set up a loose, whippy left handed swing. His exit velocities point to above average raw power, though he didn't tap it much with wood bats on the Cape and that's a long term question for the South Florida native. He likely profiles as a high on-base, moderate power bat that can hit in the upper half of a big league lineup for a long time. It's that elite plate discipline that carried him to the majors so quickly, but it's the power development that will make him stay and play a major role. Schanuel is a fringy runner that will be limited to first base or a corner outfield spot, which will put pressure on his bat and especially the power, but he should be up to the task. He flew through the minors, slashing .365/.505/.486 with one home run and a 10/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 22 games across three levels, and now is hitting .273/.429/.295 with more walks (10) than strikeouts (6) in 12 games for the Angels.
3-79: C Alberto Rios, Stanford {video}
Slot value: $901,500. Signing bonus: $847,500 ($54,000 below slot value).
My rank: #125. MLB Pipeline: #113. Baseball America: #155. Prospects Live: #131.
There's coming out of nowhere, then there's Alberto Rios. He played just eight games total in his first two seasons at Stanford, all as a pinch hitter, and went 0-7 with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Heading into 2023, he was about the farthest thing on Stanford's roster from a prospect, but that all changed after a monstrous junior season in which he slashed .384/.485/.707 with 18 home runs and a 42/38 strikeout to walk ratio over 63 games. A native of Bellflower and a product of local St. John Bosco High School about halfway between Angel Stadium and Dodger Stadium, his 2023 got even sweeter when he was drafted by his hometown Angels. Rios has a strong, compact frame that helps him naturally produce above average power from a quick right handed swing, power which he tapped consistently in games this past spring. It's nothing explosive, but his feel for the barrel should enable him to hit 20 home runs or more per season at peak. He's also a disciplined, professional hitter that makes a lot of contact and limits his strikeouts, making for a pretty complete offensive profile. There are more question marks about his defense. Drafted as a catcher, he doesn't have a ton of high level experience there but could be up to the task with solid glovework and a decent arm. If he can stick behind the plate, the bat suddenly looks very potent and it could lead to an every day role. If he's forced back to left field, where he saw most of his time with Stanford, his fringy speed will make him a below average defender and put a lot more pressure on that bat. The Angels are buying into all of it by selecting him higher than most expected, loving the direction his game is trending, his balanced offensive profile, and potentially even his ability to catch. We're still waiting for his bat to get going in pro ball, as he's slashing just .174/.271/.306 with three home runs and a 32/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 32 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Inland Empire.
4-111: OF Joe Redfield, Sam Houston State {video}
Slot value: $603,600. Signing bonus: $472,500 ($131,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #264.
Joe Redfield is a bit of an off the radar pick for the fourth round, as most scouts viewed him as more of a late day two/day three type, but his dynamic skill set makes him a fun profile for the Angels to work with here in the fourth round. He began his career at Temple JC in Central Texas, then transferred to Sam Houston State and posted a huge junior season, slashing .398/.474/.672 with 14 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a 37/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games. Setting up from a wide stance, Redfield has a linear swing and likes to lash line drives around the field with his extremely accurate barrel. After combining for five home runs out of 27 total extra base hits over his two years and 88 games at Temple, he began turning on the ball more often at Sam Houston State and crushed 14 home runs out of 36 extra base hits in just 59 games this past spring. Wiry at 6'2", he could potentially tack on additional strength as he fills out, though his game and swing are more geared towards a hit over power profile. The Waco native is a plus runner as well, which augments his offensive profile nicely, and could help him stick in center field long term. If he can learn to tap more power, it could be an every day profile, though it's more likely a fourth outfield profile long term that can provide impact in a lot of ways. So far, he's slashing .300/.400/.567 with one home run and a 1/3 strikeout to walk ratio through eight games between the Arizona Complex League and High A Tri-City.
5-147: RHP Chris Clark, Harvard {video}
Slot value: $425,100. Signing bonus: $318,825 ($106,275 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #471. Prospects Live: unranked.
This is another surprise pick of a player who many thought would last until day three. Chris Clark coming off an up and down junior season in which he posted a 4.93 ERA and a 93/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 65.2 innings, though he comes in with interesting upside. He's a great athlete with plenty of arm strength, getting down the mound well with an elastic delivery and some projection in his 6'4" frame. He sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 at best, though the fastball can get fairly straight. His slider is inconsistent and shows varying shape, while he could stand to gain a little more feel for his changeup, so the Angels will want to work with him there. A recently added cutter is paying dividends and at this point is his most consistent offspeed pitch. Clark's command is also inconsistent, though his athleticism could help him throw more strikes as he continues to develop. Together, it makes for a profile that can be difficult to project. One one hand, the arm strength and athleticism are hard to teach, while on the other hand, his offspeeds and command could develop in any number of directions. The Philadelphia-area native could be a starter or a reliever for that reason, depending on, well, everything. So far, he has a 6.00 ERA and a 17/4 strikeout to walk ratio through 15 innings at Low A Inland Empire.
6-174: RHP Camden Minacci, Wake Forest {video}
Slot value: $331,000. Signing bonus: $328,500 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #138. MLB Pipeline: #160. Baseball America: #137. Prospects Live: #145.
This is your classic high energy college reliever profile. It was easy to get buried on Wake Forest's deep pitching staff, but he carved out a role as the team's closer and posted a 2.78 ERA and a 46/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 32.1 innings. He's a high octane guy, sitting in the mid 90's and touching as high as 99 with life that can be very tough to catch up to. His power slider looks like a true plus pitch with late bite, and together with his fastball it's a deadly two pitch mix. At this point, it looks like a pure reliever profile due to a lack of a changeup as well as the fact that he never threw more than two innings in any appearance in 2023, though the Angels could run him out as a starter if they really wanted to get creative. That would require developing a changeup for him as well as building up his stamina, but Minacci does have a strong 6'3" frame and has shown solid command in his short stints. Should he remain in the bullpen, his high energy, competitive demeanor will fit right in and he should move quickly. He's been hittable so far, with a 5.40 ERA and a 10/1 strikeout to walk ratio through 8.1 innings at Low A Inland Empire.
7-204: 3B Cole Fontenelle, Texas Christian {video}
Slot value: $258,900. Signing bonus: $256,400 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #298.
Cole Fontenelle began his career at Washington, but didn't play much and transferred to JuCo powerhouse McLennan for his sophomore season, where he competed against Joe Redfield on the Texas JuCo circuit. A huge performance landed him at TCU, where he continued to rake to the tune of 14 home runs, a .352/.473/.639 slash line, and a 50/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 65 games. Standing 6'3", he's a big guy with above average power that plays effectively to all fields. He's a switch hitter that can tap his power from both sides of the plate, really coming into his own late in the season and pushing himself up draft boards. Fontenelle works a lot of deep counts and draws a lot of walks, though he can get himself into trouble there because he's a fringy pure hitter and doesn't have the quickest bat. For what it's worth, he does show a pretty adjustable barrel and can get to balls all over the zone, but we'll see how that plays against more advanced pitching. Defensively, his average speed limits his upside, but he has shown well at a few positions and has a chance to stick at third base with a little more refinement, so long as he doesn't slow down with age. That would help get the bat into the lineup more often in the big leagues, as he might not carry quite enough impact to cut it as a first base/left field type. So far, he's slashing .241/.327/.368 with three home runs and a 36/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 36 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Inland Empire.
8-234: RHP Barrett Kent, Pottsboro HS [TX] {video}
Slot value: $206,500. Signing bonus: $997,500 ($791,000 above slot value).
My rank: #115. MLB Pipeline: #126. Baseball America: #104. Prospects Live: #75.
As it turns out, the second largest bonus the Angels handed out this year went to their eighth round pick, similar to what they did with 2022 eleventh rounder Caden Dana and 2021 twelfth rounder Mason Albright, both also high school pitchers. Barrett Kent signed for nearly a million dollars here in the eighth round, early third round money, to steer away from an Arkansas commitment. He had an up and down spring, but he's a very interesting prospect that has a chance to become a mid-rotation starter. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball but can dial it up to 97 at peak, showing some running life in the process to generate ground ball contact. The slider has fringy movement, but it plays up because he has great feel to command it and deploy it effectively, so it evens out to an average pitch. His curveball and changeup aren't used as much but could become average pitches. He has an athletic, repeatable delivery from a sturdy 6'4" frame, so it doesn't get much more ideal on that front. The command has been inconsistent but there are times when it looks above average, and usually it's nothing worse than fringy. The North Texas native has the chance to develop into a workhorse mid-rotation starter, though to get there the Angels will need to find a way to help him miss bats, either by sharpening his slider or finding a fastball variant with more life. Personally I think he has what it takes to get there. He tossed 4.2 shutout innings in the Arizona Complex League, striking out five while walking three along the way.
11-324: SS John Wimmer, Rock Hill HS [SC] {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $397,500 ($247,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
John Wimmer is certainly an under the radar prospect, having gone unranked on most major boards and holding a commitment to The Citadel, who typically doesn't lose signees to the draft. He gets nearly $400,000 here, the fifth largest bonus of any Angels draftee this year and fitting in as a fifth round slot valuation. A skinny kid last summer, he has steadily filled out his 6'1" frame and looked more physical this spring, helping create more impact behind his already whippy, explosive right handed swing. It's a visually appealing swing that will be conducive to continued added power as he gets stronger. He's an above average runner, though I haven't seen or heard anything about his defense so I can't speak to that. For what it's worth, he's played exclusively shortstop so far in his pro career. In nine games in the Arizona Complex League, he slashed .161/.206/.226 with a 17/2 strikeout to walk ratio, so he hasn't quite found his footing.
14-414: RHP Zach Joyce, Tennessee {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
The Angels already have brothers Casey and Caden Dana in the system, so now they'll load up with twin brothers Ben and Zach Joyce as well. Zach, like his brother, began his college career at Walters State JC before transferring to Tennessee, though his career has gone a bit differently. After missing the 2020 season with Tommy John surgery, he stepped away from the game for mental health reasons in 2021 and missed the next two years as well, returning in 2023 to join the Volunteer bullpen. In limited action, he posted a 4.35 ERA and a 17/2 strikeout to walk ratio over 10.1 innings, impressing the Angels along the way in his first action in four years. Joyce sits in the mid 90's with his explosive fastball and can approach triple digits, with plenty of life to make it a nightmare for opponents. He also shows a hard bullet slider and a splitter with nasty fade, making for electric stuff. He pounded the strike zone in his small sample size in 2023, but after so much time away from the game and very little track record since returning, it's hard to be confident in the command. The 6'4" righty does throw with effort, but like his brother is an exceptional athlete that turns his body into a whip and gets down the mound well. It's a pure relief profile. Joyce will turn 23 about two months after the draft, but he's just getting started and could join his brother in the big league bullpen. So far, he has a 3.12 ERA and a 9/3 strikeout to walk ratio through 8.2 innings at Low A Inland Empire.
No comments:
Post a Comment