Prospects Spotlight: American League West

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

As I sit here watching the very first nationally televised Spring Training game of the 2015 Major League Baseball season –the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Toronto Blue Jays– it has me excited on so many levels.

One level of that excitement is my adoration and obsession with the “next wave,” if you will.

Prospects.

Spring Training games usually start out with veteran filled lineups, but in a matter of innings you’re watching a whole lot of unknown names or barely known names or “I know that guy!” names…or you’re not watching at all. And frankly I wouldn’t blame you.

But as someone who loves to dig in deep to each organization’s prospect tree of hundreds and even more, highlighted by a select few like Dalton Pompey, a 22-year old from Ontario, Canada who is the favorite to be the Blue Jays Opening Day center fielder.

Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Or Jung Ho Kang, the first ever position player to make the trip direct from Korea. He’ll be 28 come Opening Day and despite his age is absolutely considered a prospect to me and most because well, he’s brand new to our baseball world. The wonder world of Major League Baseball. He projects comfortably as Pittsburgh’s everyday shortstop.

So over the next few weeks, I’ll cover a prospect for each team –and maybe another name or three if I can’t help myself because, after all, youth is the future eventually.

Let’s begin right at home with our American League West. Starting with the…

Next: Oakland Athletics

Feb 24, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (28), starting pitcher Nick Tropeano (35) and pitcher Adam Wilk (72) walk to the practice fields during a work out at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels

Andrew Heaney, Starting Pitcher

The Angels have been big spenders in the past several offseasons.

Albert Pujols for 10 years $254 million in 2011 as well as C.J. Wilson for five years.

Josh Hamilton for five seasons and $125 million in 2012.

Photo Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

This cost them three separate high draft picks, something they desperately could have used for a farm system that, according to MLB.com, last had a top 100 ranked prospect in 2013 with Kaleb Cowart, who rolled in at #78.

For your bookkeeping, the compensation picks for their big names turned out to be Michael Wacha (Pujols), Joey Gallo (Wilson) and Travis Demeritte (Hamilton).

Through all of this though, the Angels have always had one of the most underrated double play combos in baseball, Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick.

This past winter, they sent Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Andrew Heaney, a top pitching prospect who L.A. themselves had just acquired 15 minutes earlier from Miami. Seriously.

Heaney immediately becomes the team’s best prospect, but this says less about the state of their MiLB system and more about Heaney’s super high ceiling as a potential staff ace.

It was thought that Miami would boast young studs Jose Fernandez and Heaney as a 1-2 punch of the future. But Tommy John surgery and the Marlins jumping at the chance to acquire sought after Dee Gordon, that won’t happen.

Heaney, 23, cruised right on through the Minor League system to earn a promotion last June. He struggled mightily in the bigs, but career Minor League numbers –including ERA’s of 0.88 in A and 2.58 in AA– but he was probably rushed through AAA, even though his stats weren’t all that bad, because the Marlins often do that with their young prospects.

Expect Heaney to start the season in AAA, and develop into an elite lefty alongside Tyler Skaggs, Garrett Richards and company going forward for the Angels.

Next: Seattle Mariners

Feb 26, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners infielder D.J. Peterson poses for a portrait during photo day at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Mariners

D.J. Peterson, Third Baseman/First Baseman

The Mariners have done a fine job of rebuilding their Minor League system the past few seasons after striking out on trades for guys like Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero.

The past two drafts have produced Alex Jackson, Gareth Morgan and Peterson among others.

Playing first in the Futures Game.

Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson, an outfielder, could be the best of this bunch, but Peterson is a likely 2015 call-up whereas Jackson is not, so I chose to spotlight Peterson in a combo you can’t really go wrong.

The 12th overall pick out of the University of New Mexico, D.J. Peterson is going to be someone the Mariners don’t swing and miss on.

With Kyle Seager‘s emergence as a bonafide third baseman, Peterson’s future likely resides across the diamond at first. Peterson has played 135 of his minors games at third, 20 at first.

Presently at first base for Seattle is a combination of Logan Morrison and newcomer Richie Weeks is listed behind him on the team website’s depth chart. Nelson Cruz and Seth Smith can rotate at DH and right field, opening up at bats there for the young power hitter. Former Texas Rangers top prospect and the prize of the 2010 Cliff Lee trade, Justin Smoak, was waived (and claimed by Toronto who is all over this A.L. West article).

D.J.’s power came onto the scene last year, hitting 18 in high A and then 13 more in AA. He had 111 RBI for the season and undoubtedly will appear sometime this season in Seattle.

Next: Houston Astros

Mar 5, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (84) dives for a ground ball during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros

Carlos Correa, shortstop

There’s Addison Russell and there’s Carlos Correa. Russell will arrive sooner, as Correa, the first overall pick in the 2011 Draft, is just 20 and had his 2014 season crippled by a fractured fibula in late June and missed the rest of the season.

Photo Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

The sky is still seriously not the limit for Correa, who’s overall tools could go far beyond any Houston skyline.

His averages topped out at .371 in rookie ball, 320 in A ball, and in his injury-shortened high A season he hit .325 before being sidelined. He’s also developing nicely into a lethal on base machine, with 58 walks in 2013 and 36 in just 62 games in ’14.

He’s a slick glove, his power could come alone to high teen home runs a year or more and despite the past couple rough seasons in the Space City, a future infield duo of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa is enough to get any baseball mind excited.

Next: Texas Rangers

Feb 17, 2014; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers outfielder Lewis Brinson (left) and shortstop Hanser Alberto during team practice at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Rangers

Joey Gallo, Third Baseman

The Rangers farm system struggles with soon-to-be-ready talent, but their depth, especially in the outfield with names like Michael Choice (MLB), Nomar Mazara, Lewis Brinson and Nick Williams, is incredibly sturdy and illuminates the years ahead brightly.

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Not a lot of players will be ready for 2015 in the organization’s secondary levels, but the farm system is topped by two guys who will be surefire studs in 2017, catcher Jorge Alfaro and third baseman Joey Gallo. Expect the latter up this year, the former to be discussed and hopefully shot down immediately as a candidate.

The Rangers top prospects of years past have not panned out well. Jurickson Profar was blocked, moved to the outfield (ugh) and hurt and then hurt again. 

Mike Olt was never a high ceiling guy, but he was promising, but was traded as part of a package he himself didn’t even lead and is now depth fodder for the Chicago Cubs.

If Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels finds a way to ruin Joey Gallo then there will be no excuses.

Gallo is a lot like Chris Davis was, a deadly power producer but strikes out a lot. I’m not on the “strikeouts suck the worst” ideal because they work the count and mechanically can be tinkered with 9 times out of 10.

As mentioned earlier, Gallo was a 2012 compensation pick from the L.A. Angels for C.J. Wilson, something more relevant than even I can express to this article’s topic, and last year he took the jump from “could be” to “should be” superstar.

With 40 home runs rookie and A ball in 2013 and 42 spanning A to AA in 2014, Gallo became the first Minor Leaguer in 30 years to have consecutive 40 home run seasons. The power is real. Unfortunately so are the strikeouts.

He struck out 172 times in ’13 and 179 in ’14, proving that despite his already established long ball distance, he isn’t ready for a call-up to the bigs. Despite the hype and projections, he may not even be ready in 2015, but rarely does that stop teams from giving the player a chance.

One way or another, the 20-year old top prospect is future Hall of Famer (yeah, I said it) Adrian Beltre‘s successor.

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Next: Prospect Profile: Delino DeShields