The Merc reported today some news about Angel Villalona. He is playing in the Arizona Rookie League and after 4 games, he is 7 for 17 (.412 BA), with two doubles, a triple, and a home run for a .824 SLG and OPS of at least 1.236 (give or take, depending on walks, HBP, sac fly, sacrifices). However, while he has excelled offensively, he has committed 5 errors at 3B in his 4 games.
On the other hand, tell me what you were doing at age 16 on the baseball diamond. Anyway, he will celebrate his 17th birthday on August 13th and he already looks more like a pro athlete than any of us will ever look like.
I wish there was more information about who is playing in this league, I would be curious how old the players are who are playing there. I assume most are probably teenagers, some from prior drafts, some from international (mainly Carribean). For example, we drafted a high schooler, Lussier I think (can't recall first name now), and I think he played there a couple of years but failed miserably (we drafted him late but signed him for around a 3-5 round type of bonus. I'm not sure if he's still even in our farm system, he hasn't made it up to Salem-Keizer yet, that's for sure.
Minor League Baseball has the ALZ Giants roster (plus the other ALZ teams). In the case of the Giants ages range from Angel Villalona at 16 to Jesse Foppert at 26.
ReplyDeleteIt is a mixture of kids and rehabs. Other notables on the roster are former SJ Giants Joey Dyche and EME.
This Lussier?
ReplyDeleteHe's not doing much, and since he's a minor-league reliever without lights-out numbers I tend to discount him even more, but he is in A ball, and was in short-season S-K last year.
And while anything can happen in 100 plate appearances, and the kids in the AZL have a third of that at best, Villalona sure is hitting, especially for just-under 17. Nick Noonan's not doing badly either, and he just turned 18 in May.
If both of those two are still pounding the ball after 200 PAs, I'll be pretty happy.
Thanks Tom and wcw.
ReplyDeleteNo, wrong guy, probably wrong name on my part. He was an 18 year old SS, drafted around round 16-18, around 2003-4, maybe Socal, maybe first name of Jonathan, I'll check when I get a chance, my wife got a migraine today, so I'll be giving her TLC today...
Wow, we signed Noonan already, anybody else I missed?
There was additional info on the sfgiants.com website:
ReplyDelete* maybe I forgot this, but Angel said when he first signed that he wanted to make the majors in two years.
* Obviously, still has a lot to learn culturally and mechanically before he's ready for the bigs. Bobby Evans, dir. of player personnel noted, "He's got a lot thrown at him right now. He's maturing and going through the process of making himself a ballplayer and a man at the same time."
This Jeremiah Luster: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Jeremiah%2520Luster&pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=455115
ReplyDeleteStill isn't hitting - he's finally at Salem-Keizer - and he's now in the outfield (not at SS). Only 6 games, 11 AB/13 PA, though. What a bust he has been, but he turns 21 this year, so there's still time to develop, just, he hasn't really shown much up to now.