[BA] AFL top 20 prospects
1. Brandon Wood, ss, Surprise Scorpions (Angels)
When managers and scouts saw Wood for the first time this fall, most were
taken back that someone with his body-type—tall and wiry strong--led the
minors in homers and amassed 101 extra-base hits. But once they saw him get
in the cage and take his hacks during BP, perceptions quickly changed.
Wood has an outstanding combination of bat speed and leverage that allows
him to generate loft power, as balls just fly off his bat. Pitchers had
some success against him by working fastballs in on his hands and then
setting him up away. Wood tends to chase pitches out of the zone, especially
when he’s behind in the count, which led to many of his 31 strikeouts, which
were the second-most in the league. His swing can get long. Defensively, Wood
is average to above, with good hands, decent range and plus arm strength.
Team AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
Scorpions 114 25 35 4 0 14 32 9 31 0 1 .307 .375 .711
4. Howie Kendrick, 2b, Surprise (Angels)
Kendrick was widely considered the best hitter in the league. One scout
referred to him as “The Generator” for his approach with his hands—he
holds them high next to his head, waving the bat in a circle that intensifies
as the opposing pitcher goes into his windup. He rarely swings and misses,
and his compact stroke coupled with quick hands, wrists and excellent
hand-eye coordination allow him to make adjustments to any pitch, anywhere
in the zone.
Kendrick’s biggest weakness has been his defense, but in the AFL he showed
good range, soft hands, and a plus arm on the right side of the diamond.
He needs to be more aggressive on the bases.
Team AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
Scorpions 121 27 46 10 1 5 17 4 12 2 4 .380 .405 .603
18. Kendry Morales, 1b, Surprise Scorpions (Angels)
Morales remains somewhat of an enigma. Since signing for a $3 million bonus
as a Cuban defector last winter, Morales had a decent debut season and
followed that up by raking his way through the Fall League. But for as much
as there is to like about the potential middle-of-the-order run producer,
scouts felt he may be living off his reputation as an overpaid international
dynamo.
There is no question about Morales’ savvy—he works counts well and pitchers
in the AFL tended to go after him cautiously, which plays directly to his
strength. He’s a below-average athlete and some scouts had questions about
his defensive abilities at first base. While he has plus pitch recognition
and plate discipline, there are a lot of moving parts to Morales’ swing—his
head, hands and feet are all in motion, which affects the amount of bat speed
he’s able to generate. He could be exposed as he faces more quality pitching
at the higher levels.
Team AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
Scorpions 92 19 35 14 0 2 18 12 13 0 0 .380 .444 .598
19. Jered Weaver, rhp, Surprise Scorpions (Angels)
Weaver was in the Fall League to get more innings, as his season didn’t
begin until June after his long holdout as a 2004 first-round pick. And while
the overall results weren’t exactly pretty—he went 1-3, 5.47 in 24 innings—
Weaver’s secondary numbers were outstanding, with a 35-5 strikeout-walk
ratio.
Weaver has excellent command of four pitches, starting with a two-seam and
four-seam fastballs. His two-seamer has great late life, diving down in the
zone, and is anywhere from 86-89 mph. His four-seamer is harder, in the 91-95
mph range. He also throws two variations of a slider, and a changeup that
showed flashes of being a plus pitch at times with nice, downward tumble.
Weaver struggled to stay consistent with his mechanics at times, which was a
sign of fatigue in his first full season after nearly a yearlong layoff. He
tended to get around on his slider, and it would flatten out as a result.
He worked on improving his time to the plate out of the stretch, which should
help him control the running game.
Team G GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
Scorpions 7 7 1 3 0 5.47 25 30 17 15 4 5 35 .294
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