Let the Angel Villalona Era Begin

Post #1 » by **Hopper15** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:02 pm

He's playing 3B in his Arizona Summer League Debut today.

2-for-6 with a 2B out of the cleanup spot.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... k_athrok_1

powerhitter545 · Post #2 » by **powerhitter545** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:04 pm

about time!

opzoneworld · Post #3 » by **opzoneworld** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:18 pm

Good luck kid!

FaTaL · Post #4 » by **FaTaL** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:44 am

is he still 16?

Post #5 » by **Hopper15** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:15 am

He'll be 17 in August.

opzoneworld · Post #6 » by **opzoneworld** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:22 am

In that photo, he looks to have a very nice build for a 17 year old. That is very exciting to see.

FaTaL · Post #7 » by **FaTaL** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:10 am

he already looks fat, i hope he doesnt grow into livan jr

Post #8 » by **Hopper15** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:51 am

Doesn't look like he's got a big waistline in this shot. Maybe he just has big, muscular legs.

FaTaL · Post #9 » by **FaTaL** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:55 am

either way its sad this soon to be 17 year old is our best hope for some time.

Head Leader · Post #10 » by **Head Leader** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:18 am

FaTaL wrote:either way its sad this soon to be 17 year old is our best hope for some time.

true that.

Post #11 » by **Hopper15** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:34 am

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... k_giarok_1

2-for-4, 3 rs, another 2B, and three more ribs.

Doesn't look like much of a pitcher's league :lol:

Post #12 » by **PhilipNelsonFan** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:55 am

This is probably the worst inside scoop ever, but I saw a letter in the Volcanoes' outgoing mail addressed to Angel Villalona.

I'm keeping my eyes open.

Post #13 » by **Hopper15** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:17 pm

PhilipNelsonFan wrote:This is probably the worst inside scoop ever

Thanks...appreciate all your efforts.

FaTaL · Post #14 » by **FaTaL** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:50 am

hit his first hr today!

Soca · Post #15 » by **Soca** » Thu Jul 5, 2007 6:37 am

He's going be a stud.

Swift21 · Post #16 » by **Swift21** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:36 pm

5 homers 35 rbi's with a 276 average so far. Not a bad first year for a 17 year old.

RayStats34 · Post #17 » by **RayStats34** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:03 pm

FaTaL wrote:he already looks fat, i hope he doesnt grow into livan jr

Livan hernandez was a good hitting pitcher.

FaTaL · Post #18 » by **FaTaL** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:02 am

guess whos on the front page of baseball america

Swift21 · Post #19 » by **Swift21** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:10 pm

^was there an article about him?

FaTaL · Post #20 » by **FaTaL** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:33 am

Juice23 wrote:^was there an article about him?

they ranked him the best prospect in the az league

Angel Villalona showed plus bat speed in his first pro season

TOP 20 PROSPECTS
**1. Angel Villalona, 3b, Giants
2. Engel Beltre, of, Rangers
**3. Nick Noonan, 2b, Giants
4. Danny Duffy, lhp, Royals
5. Wilmer Font, rhp, Rangers
**6. Wilber Bucardo, rhp, Giants
7. Drew Cumberland, ss, Padres
8. Danny Carroll, of, Mariners
9. Cristian Santana, c, Rangers
10. Mario Martinez, ss/3b, Mariners
11. Mason Tobin, rhp, Angels
12. Michael Anton, lhp, Angels
13. Matt Mitchell, rhp, Royals
14. Yefri Carvajal, of, Padres
**15. Charlie Culberson, 2b/ss, Giants
16. Larry Suarez, rhp, Cubs
17. Clay Fuller, of, Angels
18. Sam Runion, rhp, Royals
19. Ivan Contreras, 2b, Angels
20. Jacob Wild, rhp, Mariners

The Rookie-level Arizona League has only a few veterans: the managers and coaches who return to the league year after year. Ruben Escalera was in his sixth season as Athletics manager, as was Bert Hunter with the Giants. Cubs coaches Carmelo Martinez and Rick Tronerud have combined for nearly 20 years of AZL experience.

These veteran AZL observers and others say the league has gotten younger as more organizations emphasize Latin American scouting and send those players to complex leagues for their first U.S. pro experience. The two best prospects in the league were Latins: Giants third baseman Angel Villalona and Rangers outfielder Engel Beltre.

The most important number regarding Villalona isn't 2.1 million (the bonus he got when he signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2006) but rather 1990 (the year he was born). He played most of the season at 16. Beltre, who signed for 600,000 out of the Dominican last year, hit much better following his inclusion in the Eric Gagne trade.

The new Aug. 15 signing deadline for draft picks led to protracted negotiations that precluded many first-rounders from arriving in the AZL early enough to qualify for this list. That's why the likes of Cubs third baseman Josh Vitters (who went just 2-for-30 with nine strikeouts) and righthanders Tim Alderson (Giants) and Michael Main (Rangers) aren't on the Top 20.

Several of the league's stats leaders didn't make the list mostly because of their advanced age, such as Giants first baseman Andy D'Alessio (14 homers) and Angels outfielder Anthony Norman (.362 batting average). Both were 22.