Top 10

Top 10 Prospects and a little info on the top three.
1. Brandon Wood, ss
2. Nick Adenhart, rhp
3. Hank Conger, c
4. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp
5. Matt Sweeney, 3B
6. Jordan Walden, rhp
7. Nick Green, rhp
8. Chris Pettit, of
9. Peter Bourjos, of
10. Sean Rodriguez, ss

Wood: It's possible that Wood may never live up to his 2005 season, in which he had more than 100 extra-base hits. That doesn't mean he won't be a very productive run producer in the big leagues. He's got a career .528 slugging percentage and managed to make his Major League debut at age 22. At the same time, he made a pretty smooth transition to third base.
Wood still strikes out a lot and headed to Mexico this winter to work on pitch recognition. The real question now is where he'll play. Will it be at third for the Angels, where Chone Figgins is likely to play in '08? Could he move back to shortstop now that Orlando Cabrera is gone, though Erick Aybar appears to be the front-runner there? Or perhaps he'll end up calling another organization home.


Adenhart: One of the most intriguing picks in the 2004 draft, Adenhart has been rewarding the Angels for selecting him in the 14th round of that draft even though he required Tommy John surgery. Now they have one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in the game, one with a three-pitch mix who has played an entire season of Double-A ball and is just 21 years old.
Needless to say, Adenhart is way ahead of the curve despite the elbow surgery he had after being drafted. He'll move up to Triple-A and be knocking on the big-league door all season long. Should the Angels need help or decide to trade from their pitching depth, it shouldn't surprise anyone if Adenhart arrives in Los Angeles next season.


Conger: Conger battled injuries that have slowed his development, suffering a broken hamate bone in his right hand in his pro debut, sapping his power in '07, followed by missing 6 weeks mid-season with a lower back problem, followed by a hamstring injury entering fall ball. Be that as it may, the Angels have themselves a legitimate switch-hitting power threat from the catching position, which is a rare find.Conger despite the injuries, finished 3rd in slugging pct. in the Midwest League, though he didn't have enough at bats to actually qualify due to the time he missed with injuries. An offensive minded catcher, Conger profiles to hit for power in the big leagues from both sides of the plate. Hank makes hard contact to all fields with an aggressive approach at the plate. "Hyun Conger, given his nickname by his Korean grandfather in honor of Hank Aaron, has carried a lofty reputation ever since he swatted 34 home runs and helped pitch his Huntington Beach Little League team to within one victory of the 2000 Little League World Series. Now, he's the top catching prospect.

Santana Bouncing back after bad 07

Resolute to regain a slot in the Angels rotation, Ervin Santana has drawn enthusiastic reviews for his work with Licey in the Dominican Winter League.

On Monday, Santana outdueled ex- teammate Bartolo Colon in a 5-1 victory over Aguilas Cibaenas in the DWL championship series. Pitching five scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and a walk while striking out four, Santana restrained a lineup that included Huston Astro’s shortstop Miguel Tejada, LA Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal and Cincinnati Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion.

"We've gotten solid reports on him," New Angels General Manager Tony Reagins said of Santana, who is 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA. "His concentration and confidence have been outstanding, and the locations of his fastball, breaking ball and changeup have been great. His last two outings, he didn't give up a run. He's pitching with confidence, and that's exciting to see."

In his short rookie season in 2005 with the Angels pitching for injured starting pitcher Kelvim Escobar, Santana ended the Season with 12 wins. In the 2006 season, he finished with a 16-8 record. After a disappointing start to the 2007 season where he went 5-11 with a 6.22 ERA, lost his rotation spot and he was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake Bees on July 18, 2007. He was recalled by the Angels on August 17, 2007 and regained his spot in the starting rotation. He is expected to compete with Joe Saunders for the fifth slot this spring. Manager Mike Scioscia has expressed confidence that Santana, at 25, can rebound and regain his stature as a frontline pitcher.

Offseason Week In Review - January 13

Angels notes from the past week.

- Chuck Finley received one vote on the Hall Of Fame ballot in which Goose Gossage was the only player elected. Former Angel Bert Blyleven was 4th with 61.9% of the vote and Lee Smith was 5th with 43.3%. To be elected, a player needs to receive 75% of the vote. Blyleven and Smith will be on the ballot again next year, but Finley will not be since he did not receive at least 5% of the vote.

- Rumor 1: The Angels are rumored to be in trade discussions with the Chicago White Sox for Paul Konerko.

- Rumor 2: The St Louis Cardinals are looking to add another former Angel, Troy Glaus. Rumor has it that the Cards would send Scott Rolen to Toronto for Glaus.

Offseason Week In Review - January 6

All is quiet on the Angels front.

Offseason Week In Review - December 30

Another predictably slow week for the Angels and in all of Major League Baseball. Former Angel Darin Erstad was signed to a one-year deal with the Houston Astros. MLB.com has a nice article on the Angels year in review.

Happy New Year!

Previous Off-Season Weeks In Review:

December 23, 2007
December 16, 2007
December 9 , 2007
December 2, 2007
November 25, 2007
November 18, 2007
November 11, 2007
November 4, 2007
October 28, 2007
October 21, 2007

Chuck set to go on ballot

For 14 seasons, with good, average and bad teams, Chuck Finley took the ball for the Angels and made good things happen. In terms of giving customers their money's worth, he was as dependable as they came.

Finley, a 6-foot-6 lefty with a mid-90s fastball and lethal split-fingered fastball, threw 2,675 innings in an Angels uniform, winning 165 games. Right behind him, with 2,181 1/3 innings and 138 wins, is Nolan Ryan.

Retiring in 2002, Finley is making his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot dispensed to voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Finley's career lasted 17 seasons, and he ranks 23rd all-time in strikeouts with 2,610.

At his five-year peak -- from 1989 through 1993 -- he was among the elite pitchers in the game. In his 1992 edition of The Baseball Book, Bill James ranked Finley second among all American League starters, behind Roger Clemens. Finley was 16-9 with a 2.57 ERA in 1989, 18-9 with a 2.40 ERA in 1990. He went 18-9 again in 1991, meaning he was 36-18 over a two-year period with teams that finished two games below .500.

Finley made it to the postseason as a 23-year-old rookie with the Angels in 1986, appearing in three games of the American League Championship Series against Boston and holding the Red Sox scoreless with one hit in two innings. He didn't return to the postseason until 2001, after moving to Cleveland as a free agent in 2000. Dealt to St. Louis in July 2002, Finley finished his career in style, beating the Giants in Game 3 of the NLCS that year in San Francisco in his final Major League appearance.

The big man from the Bayou with that big smile and easy going manner finished his career with a 200-173 record. He notched his 2,610 strikeouts in 3,197 1/3 innings, fashioning a 3.85 ERA. Those overall numbers are comparable to those of Hall of Famer Jesse Hanes, who was 210-158 with a 3.64 career ERA.

Five times Finley finished in the top 10 in the AL in ERA, and three times he was in the top five. Reflecting a consistency that made him a leader on any staff he graced, Finley won at least 15 games seven times, reaching double figures 12 times across 14 seasons starting in 1989. The Angels struggled through the '90s, but in 1997 they put it together and appeared capable of challenging Seattle in the AL West. But Finley broke his left wrist backing up home plate on a routine play, his season-ending injury a critical blow for the Angels as they finished second. He struck out a career-high 215 batters in 238 innings in 1996, yet his record was 15-16. Two years later, he racked up 212 strikeouts with a 3.39 ERA -- and finished 11-9 in 34 starts.

After the Angels released Finley, he was signed by the Indians to play for the 2000 season. He went 16-11 with a 4.17 ERA. He went 8-7 with a 5.54 era for the Indians in 2001, and then in 2002 went 4-11 with a 4.44 ERA in 18 games before being traded to the Cardinals for former Indians and now Red Sox player Covelli "Coco" Crisp.

He is the only pitcher to strike out four hitters in the same inning more than once, something he accomplished three times in the span of one year -- May 12, 1999 to April 16, 2000.

Finley was selected by the Angels in the 15th round of the 1984 Draft out of Northeast Louisiana University, but he did not sign. The Angels chose him again in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the 1985 Draft.

Filmography
Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit '99 (1999) (TV) .... Himself

Darin Erstad signs with Houston

Former Halo Hero Darin Erstad signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Houston Astros today.

Erstad spent last season with the Chicago White Sox and hit .248 in 87 games. In 12 seasons (11 with the Angels), he had a .284 career batting average.

He will be used as a left-handed pinch hitter for Houston. Erstad replaces former Angels teammate, Orlando Palmeiro who was not offered a contract by Houston.