Los Angeles Angels Hitting Prospects: More Cowart in Anaheim?

The S2S scanner is aimed at Orange County and future Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.   Did it turn up another Mike Trout?  Doubtful.   But a few of the future SoCal denizens could be interesting.

is not a Trout, but he could make a splash in the near future. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In our S2S STAT-Scans, each player is assigned a “Plate Skills Index,” which is based on the ability to “win plate appearances” (described in detail here), a “Production Index,” based on the ability to produce offense (described in detail here), and a “Composite Index,” which is a combination of the two.  Additional detail on “the three numbers,” with some examples, can be found here.

It is important to remember that age, level and position also factor into the analysis.  And note that this is a statistical analysis of the actual results, so scouting reports don’t factor into the numbers.

High Alert

Kaleb Cowart, 3b (S2S Top 115 #50)… 2013 Age: 21; 2012 Level: Low-A, High-A

Plate Skills: 109  Production: 103  Composite: 112

Picked out of high school with the No. 18 pick in 2010, Cowart made a strong move up the charts in 2012.  He certainly showed he could handle himself at the plate, putting up a .358 OBP in a season split between the low-A Midwest League and high-A California League.

The switch-hitter didn’t quite show ideal power for a third-sacker, but that could come along.

On the Radar

C.J. Cron, 1b … 2013 Age 23, 2012 Level: High-A

Plate Skills: 83  Production: 114  Composite: 98

Cron was the first-round (No. 17) pick in 2011, and, even though his power was impressive (27 HR), you’d almost expect more in the homer-happy Cal League — particularly since Cron is pretty one-dimensional.  The lack of walks from a big slugger type is what should worry Angels fans.

Kole Calhoun, OF … 2013 Age 25, 2012 Level: AAA

Plate Skills: 102  Production: 115  Composite: 117

Do all Angels prospects have last names starting with “C”?  Maybe.  Calhoun came out of Arizona State, and has put up three straight years of strong all-around numbers.  Looks like a solid professional hitter.

Zachary Borenstein, OF … 2013 Age 22, 2012 Level: Low-A

Plate Skills: 99  Production: 119  Composite: 118

This lefty-hitting outfielder from Eastern Illinois isn’t on any of the lists, but maybe he should be.  The 11th-round pick lights up our chart with a .485 SLG with a low 18% strikeout rate.  That’s an ideal combination for “sleepers.”

Distant Early Warning

Sandy Martinez, SS … 2013 Age 20, 2012 Level: Rookie

Plate Skills: 126  Production: 84  Composite: 110

Teenage switch-hitting catcher Martinez produced zero power (.055 ISO), but, helped by just 8 strikeouts in 107 PAs, he put up an eye-catching .393 OBP.

On the Whole

Would our STAT-Scan have caught the Trout explosion had we been doing this last year?  Well, we certainly would have ranked him as being very advanced for his years.  At 18 in 2010, Trout had Plate Skills: 122/Production: 101/Composite: 123.  At 19 in 2011, playing at AA, he had Plate Skills: 110/Production: 116/Composite: 126.

None of the hitters left in the system has numbers like that, but Cowart looks increasingly like a good bet.