Looking at key LA Angels’ players and prospects doing in the minors.

With all the injuries the LA Angels have endured over the past two seasons the Angels have had to dip into their minor league system numerous times.  Many of these players are excelling in the minors hoping for another chance in the “Show”.

The LA Angels have made frequent calls to Triple-A Salt Lake City in 2016 and 2017 which has caused a ripple affect in their lower minor league teams as well.  Here is a look at how some of these players with Major League experience with the Angels are doing at the moment and their chance of them being called up again.

We will first chronicle the hitters and then the pitchers that you may remember being with the big club at some point in the past couple of seasons as well as an analysis of their chances to get recalled again in the future.

Salt Lake City Bees

Carlos Perez – Catcher –

Carlos Perez has been the starting catcher for the LA Angels going into each of the last two seasons and has lost the job both years due to poor performance especially at the plate. Since being sent to Triple-A in late April, Perez has been on fire at the plate. Currently in 107 at-bats Perez has 41 hits which is good for a .383 batting average with two homers and 22 RBI’s and a lofty .443 OBP. 

Perez hit .077 in April going 1 for 13 in April before being sent down to Triple-A  Salt Lake on April 15th.

Will Perez get another chance in the majors this season, most likely yes.  At the very least Perez will get a September call-up and if either Juan Graterol or Martin Maldonado falter or get injured Perez will be on the first plane to Anaheim.

Kaleb Cowart – Utility Infielder –

Kaleb Cowart has long been an Angel top prospect, but every time he is called up to the majors he has always been a good defender, but he struggles to hit his weight. Cowart continues to tear up Triple-A pitching in Salt Lake as he currently hitting .310 with five homers and 26 stolen bases.  Cowart has also stolen 15 bases and scored 40 runs while sporting a .388 OBP.

Cowart has recently been called up again.  If Cowart can finally prove he can hit major league pitching his stay can be longer than his previous stints with the Angels. Cowart got off to a good start Sunday going two for three with two RBI’s in the Angels 4-2 win over Boston. We will see if it continues.

Shane Robinson – OF –

LA Angel fans just saw Shane Robinson a few weeks ago as both Cameron Maybin and Mike Trout were on the disabled list.  Robinson had a few good games, but the emergence of Eric Young Jr. and return of Maybin made it unnecessary for Robinson to remain with the Angels.

So far in 43 games with the Bees Robinson is hitting .301 with no homers and 25 RBI’s.  Robinson has also scored 29 runs and stolen seven bases with a .368 OBP.  Defensively he continues to use his tremendous speed to track balls and has only made one error thus far.

Robinson will also be a September call-up at the very least, but if the need arrives due to an injury you could see Robinson back in Anaheim before then.

Michael Bourn – OF –

Michael Bourn is not a name familiar to many Angel fans, but he is someone worth noting as he has been in the majors for 11 years.  Bourn has a lifetime batting average of .266 hitting 36 homers and driving in 361 runs.  However what he is most known for is his tremendous speed. Bourn has stolen 341 bases in his career and been caught only 94 times. He has stolen over 40 bases in a season five times including a career best 61 in both 2009 and 2011.

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Bourn is also an excellent defender in the outfield, but his major issue is strikeouts which he has averaged 102 per season.  However, since 2013 Bourn has not stolen more than 17 bases in a season and has not hit higher than .263 in any of those seasons.

Bourn could be an intangible type of player called up for the September stretch run a late game pinch runner, but probably nothing more.  He is batting .280 in 50 at-bats for Salt Lake with a homer and seven RBI’s, but he has a few players ahead of him that would get called up before him.

Nolan Fontana – IF

Fontana has already been called up to the Angels this season, but failed to crack a .100 batting average and was sent back down to Salt Lake less than two weeks after he was called up. Fontana possesses good speed and is a good defender who can play multiple places in the infield.  He is currently hitting .275 with seven homers and 30 RBI’s in 182 at-bats in Salt Lake.  He also has scored 41 runs with a .391 OBP.

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We could see Fontana back in the majors at any time with all the injuries the Angels have had, but most likely you won’t see him until the September call-up period. While with the Angels in late May Fontana went 1 for 18 with the one hit being a home run against the Miami Marlins on May 26th.  He hit .056 in seven games with the Angels.

Dustin Ackley –

Dustin Ackley was signed to  a minor league contract and invited to Spring Training, but with the Angels plethora of first and second basemen he could not crack the big league roster for the Angels.  He is currently hitting .266 with one homer and 29 RBI’s. Ackley has a .343 OBP and has made only one error defensively.

Ackley has played in seven major league seasons for the Mariners and the Yankees posting a career .241 average with 46 homers and 216 runs batted in with 31 stolen bases.

Ackley has a slight chance of being called up during the September call-up period, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on him.  Despite having a few years of big league experience there are just too many better options right now ahead of him.  If Ackley picks it up he might move ahead of a player or two, but right now his chances of seeing big league action in 2017 for the Angels is slim to none.

Rey Navarro – IF

Rey Navarro is a name some Angel fans may recognize as he has had a couple of short stints in the majors for the Angels in the past couple of seasons.  He is an excellent defender who can play multiple positions, but his hitting has always been an issue. Currently Navarro is hitting .264 in 235 at-bats for Salt Lake with three homers and 42 RBI’s.  He has stolen four bases and has a .343 OBP.

Navarro is just like Dustin Ackley as he has major league experience albeit a small amount. However, there are players ahead of him in the pecking order which makes Navarro’s best chance at seeing any major league action being during the September call-up period.

Jefry Marte –  IF/OF

Jefry Marte had a huge upside going into this season after an outstanding 2016 season which saw him hit .249 with 15 homers and 44 RBI’s for the Angels in 2016.  However, in 2017 Marte did not start out well and when his batting average dipped below .200 he was sent down to the minors to find his swing.

Unfortunately that has not happened as his struggles have continued hitting just .132 in 38 at-bats so far for Salt Lake with two homers and four RBI’s.  Who knows if Marte will right his ship this season.  If he does then you could see him back in the majors in the next couple of months.  If not he may remain with Salt Lake until the end of the season and his Angels future could be in jeopardy.

Pitchers:

Cody Ege –

Cody Ege was one of the best left-handed relievers the Angels had last season after being claimed off waivers from the Phillies. Ege pitched in 13 games in September and only allowed one run in 8.2 innings posting a 1.00 ERA while striking out nine batters.  This Spring he was a contender for the Angels left-handed reliever spot in the bullpen, but was beaten out by Jose Alvarez.

In the Spring Ege was again very effective, allowing only one run in 8.2 innings and posting a 1.04 ERA with a1.04 WHIP and nine strikeouts.  So far for Salt Lake City Ege has not fared so well posting a 2-2 record with a 5.79 ERA pitching 37.1 innings and allowing 24 earned runs with 39 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP.

Ege will most likely see a September call-up but probably nothing more unless there is an injury to Jose Alvarez.

Greg Mahle –

Mahle, a Westminster High alum, came out of nowhere last Spring and made the roster just a week into the season.  He was known for his three different arm slots which seemed to fool hitters.  However after a strong start in 2016, Mahle’s ERA ballooned to over five and he was sent down to the minors and was never heard from again.

Mahle had a chance for redemption this Spring, but did not pitch effectively in Spring Training and again was sent out to Mobile (Double-A) and was then designated for assignment and later assigned to Salt Lake City.

So far Mahle is 6-4 with a 6.49 ERA pitching 34.2 innings striking out 23 batters and walking 16.  Mahle just can’t seem to find the stuff that made him so effective at the beginning of 2016.  He is a longshot to be called up unless he improves greatly over the next couple of months.

Eduardo Paredes –

It was no coincidence that Paredes was called up last week as he has been one of the Angels best relievers in Triple-A.  Paredes before getting called up was 1-0 with a 2.22 ERA striking out 24 batters in 24.1 innings.  His only issue was his control as he walked 11 batters in those 24.1 innings.  Paredes also pitched fairly well in the Arizona Fall League as well.

Paredes stay with the Angeles pitching in only one game against Boston pitching 2.2 innings and giving up two earned runs and striking out one batter.  His only blemish was a two-run homer by Sandy Leon of the Red Sox.

There is no doubt that Paredes will be back at some point this season. The Angels have been using several players as utility pitchers that are called up for a short time to provide bullpen depth when the bullpen has been taxed too much.

Doug Fister-

Angel fans got a first hand look at Doug Fister Sunday, but not the way they were expecting to.  Fister was signed by the Angels last month and was sent to the minors.  However, the team failed to call him up by the June 21st deadline Fister had in his contract so he was given his outright released and was immediately claimed by the Boston Red Sox who sent him out Sunday to pitch against the Angels

Fister pitched decently well going six innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four.  Fister was 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in three starts for Salt Lake.  The Angels felt that rookie Parker Bridwell had more of an upside than Fister and Bridwell rewarded them with two stellar outings this week against the Yankees.

Austin Adams –

Adams was acquired from Cleveland just before the season started but was assigned to Salt Lake.  Adams has not pitched much due to an injury pitching in 4.1 innings allowing two runs while striking out four batters and walking six.  He has just been sent on a rehab assignment to Orem of the rookie league.

You may see Adams down the stretch this season as he has major league experience from last season with the Indians.  Adams pitched in the World Series for Cleveland as well. We will see if he gets a September call-up to provide bullpen depth down the stretch.

Nate Smith –

Smith is a pitcher many Angel fans have been asking about. Smith was supposed to make a couple of starts last September to get some major league experience in hopes that he might be ready to compete for roster spot this Spring. However that didn’t happen as he was shut down due to arm soreness in early September.

Smith did get invited to Spring Training and pitched in two games throwing four innings allowing two runs and striking out five batters and was sent to Salt Lake in mid-March.  However, he was placed on the seven day DL  by the Bees twice in the first month of their season. He did pitch one game for the Bees going 5.2 innings allowing only one hit and no runs while striking out batters.

Smith was just sent out to the Arizona Rookie League where he has made one start  on Saturday going two innings allowing no runs and striking out two batters. It was a positive sign for Smith and the Angels.  We will keep you updated on his progress as you may see Smith in the majors during the September call-up period if he is healthy.