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Los Angeles Angels Spring Training 2006 Report
The LA Angels had some good talent make Spring appearences. Whether that will help the overall club this season is a big question mark for the major league media. For us, the system appears to have several healthy big league candidates who are in a club where the green cap is relatively small.
That being said, there are only a smattering of interesting pitchers that we've picked up. We didn't get to see many of the minor league camp hurlers though, so this report is somewhat qualified.
Greg Jones acquitted himself well with the Arkansas Travelers and the Salt Lake in 2005, with a 3.20 ERA for the Stingers. He had a limited taste of the big league club last year. We like his stuff and think he'll continue to develop well this season. Jose Arredondo, coming up from the Travs, is another pitcher to watch.
Jeff Mathis is shaping up behind the plate well, but Mike Napoli looks to be gaining momentum in both his numbers and his confidence at the higher levels of the farm. When someone puts up .300-ish numbers the depth chart will solidify at the plate.
Howie Kendrick (MLN FAB50 2005 No. 32 ) and Kendry Morales both had great 2005 seasons. Neither are ready for prime-time now, but by mid-season or with an injury we wouldn't be surprised to see either of them getting the call for at least a taste of the big league club.
The Halos brought in three strong outfielding prospects to camp. Nick Gorneault batted .293 with 28 home runs and 108 RBIs at Salt Lake. That's even more impressive when you consider that he had 119 strikeouts. If he drops that to just 80, he might win the World Series single-handed. Look for him to work that out in the early part of the season. Reggie Willits batted .304 for the Travs, but he's light in the HRs and RBIs. Look for him to move up and continue in the minors probably at Arkansas to start, and then on to Salt Lake. Tommy Murphy turned in a healthy .288 last season with 17 dingers and 76 RBIs. He might move before Willits.
