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Scouting Baseball Prospect Chat 1.0
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Taylor Ward
8:09
Howdy all, it's time to chat with the warden
Vincent Page
8:10
Huge fan of yours! So blessed you cover the Angels
Taylor Ward
8:10
Thank you, Vincent. It's been fun covering the Angels for the last five years. Get to work with some great people all across the country
Lucas
8:11
ETA on some top Angels prospects?
Taylor Ward
8:11
This could differ depending on who you're referring to specifically. I'll say this. I expect Matt Thaiss and Jaime Barria to be up within two years. Outside of that, you'd have to be specific about which prospects.
Vincent Page
8:11
How did you get into the scouting industry?
Taylor Ward
8:12
My first job in baseball with with a minor league team, and I got to be around scouts and analyst nearly every day. Fell in love with the idea of covering prospects and asked my first editor if I could do so. He permitted.
Dylan Brunnenkant
8:13
What do you think of Devers, Moncada and Brinson all hitting their first homer on the same day
Taylor Ward
8:13
It's a pretty remarkable coincidence. I think Moncada is a superstar in the making. Devers and Brinson are going to be very good talents down the road.
Lucas
8:13
Mainly interested in the 2 you mentioned, plus Jam Jones, Canning, Hermosillo
Taylor Ward
8:14
Jahmai Jones is only just beginning in High-A as a 19-year-old. He's obviously talented but there's still a lot of rawness to his game, so I'd wait it out on him. Possibly a three year window.
8:15
Griffin Canning is very dependent on how he recovers from his current medical dealings. He'll begin throwing in the winter, and is a very advanced arm, so you may see him in full season ball come 2018.
Herm, kid is still adjusting to Double-A. He's likely two years out.
zac
8:15
Is there information available about the odds of a player making it to the show by round drafted? For example, the odds of a 1st round pick making the majors, 2nd round pick, 3rd round pick, etc??
Taylor Ward
8:16
You'd likely have to do the math yourself. I'm sure someone has explored this and the information is available online, but I do not know specifically where.
Tom
8:16
Any word on Marsh?
Taylor Ward
8:16
He took BP on the field last week, taking live BP currently, should expect him back in days (instead of weeks)
Alan Huang
8:16
What is the best part about your job? What is your favorite Angels prospect?
Taylor Ward
8:17
I would say the relationships built with some of the players I cheered for growing up. For the most part, the guys I've encountered who were among my favorites as a kid have been great. However, my favorite player as a kid treated me like crap upon meeting him, and I found out it's a common occurrence with many others.
8:18
(re: fav prospect)... I try not to pick favorites, because I would begin to involve personal relationships. I have to be unbiased towards each kid regardless of the round they went in, how much they signed for, or how nice of a kid they are. One of the nicest kids I've ever met was cut early in his career and it was because of lack of talent.
Dylan Brunnenkant
8:18
Who is your most underrated Angels prospect or even in all of baseball
Taylor Ward
8:20
I'd say Francisco Del Valle is the Angels most underrated prospect. All of baseball... hmm, probably Ke'Bryan Hayes
zac
8:20
Which guys are making names for themselves in summer college leagues around the country?
Taylor Ward
8:21
I have to be honest, I haven't tapped into the 2018 Draft class yet outside of California preps (in my back yard). I'm pretty excited for PG Showcase and Area Code Games though coming up here soon
Flowergurl
8:21
I concur with Vincent. You are a fresh of breath air! Keep up the Good Work!  What's the status on Nitro?
Taylor Ward
8:22
Thank you! Nick Tropeano, aka NiTro, has begun throwing off a mound in the past week or so. He only had Tommy John around a year ago this week so don't expect him to pitch competitively this season
Lucas
8:22
You probably haven't had a chance to get a good look at Trent Deveaux yet, right?
Taylor Ward
8:23
As much as I wish I'd have been in The Bahamas to see Trent Deveaux... I haven't. Zero looks
Grant
8:23
Which farm system do you personally like better, braves or white sox?
Taylor Ward
8:24
I'm really torn honestly. Jeff Ellis and I are doing our top 10 prospects for each organization after the deadline and the Braves and White Sox are just so grossly good, we were torn on our conversation about this. Don't sell the Padres or Dodgers farms short either, they're not too far behind in talent.
Lucas
8:24
And thanks for doing this by the way!
Taylor Ward
8:24
Lucas - glad people want to involve themselves. Been trying to do this for some time and looking to make it a regular item.
Kyle Showalter
8:24
Hey Taylor. Any advice for an aspiring sports writer?
Taylor Ward
8:26
Accept responsibility for your opinions (right or wrong), and be open to criticism to make yourself better. Work with your colleagues to create a better platform for yourself and those around you. Never fear others opinions of you.
Jeffrey
8:26
Hey Taylor, I personally am a huge Angels fan and believe we should give away some of our relievers for lower level talent. Any idea who may be in the move?
Taylor Ward
8:28
We just saw with the Pat Neshek trade today, the top prospect involved was a light-hitting shortstop who is likely a utility/bench piece. Rental relievers don't bring back more than utility guys unless you're among the Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller types.
Jake
8:28
Is Adell just DH'ing because he is still adapting to Pro Life and they want him to get AB's? Or is he not able to play the field currently?
Taylor Ward
8:28
Haven't asked, but he was in full health when he signed. Likely just keeping him off his feet a bit after a full summer/fall/winter/spring of showcases and high school affairs.
Jeffrey
8:28
I understand Adell is fresh out of high school but what's the time table look like for him
Taylor Ward
8:29
It's going to take some time. If he continues to progress and progress, you can't hold him back, but you need to develop him properly. No real time table, but expect him to be in Orem next year with a chance at Burlington later.
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